HOCKEY NHL ARTICLES

The firing of Bruce Boudreau as Minnesota Wild coach was not popular but it has been effective. The Wild have played well enough under interim coach Dean Evason to get back into the NHL Playoff race. But the Nashville Predators are also perking up with the NHL lines and are back in playoff position. Both the Wild and Predators have changed their personalities. Minnesota used to be a shut-d... 

Alain Vigneault has done it again. First, he transformed the Vancouver Canucks from a Weakling of the West into champions of the Western Conference. Next, he inherited a discombobulated New York Rangers team and quickly led them to the Eastern Conference title. Now he is with a Philadelphia Flyers franchise that has been mired in mediocrity. But not anymore. The Flyers are the hottest team in hockey with the NHL lines and are looking like a viable threat for the Stanley Cup. On Tuesday night they will get the ultimate test with the defending Eastern Conference champion and current first place Boston Bruins coming to town. ... 

Last year the St. Louis Blues were a stunning Stanley Cup champion. The Blues were underdogs from the very start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs yet ambushed everyone that they faced to win the first Cup championship in their history. What is ironic about it all is that St. Louis was a last place team at the midway point of the 2018-19 schedule but this year they have been at or near the top of the Western Conference with the NHL odds. Yet the Stanley Cup is so difficult to win that even though the Blues are a better club than one year ago the odds are stacked against them for a repeat run. Sunday night St. Louis faces an old nemesis and arch rival. The Chicago Blackhawks are a former dynasty struggling through a rebuild. ... 

Last year the Washington Capitals suffered from a severe case of Stanley Cup hangover syndrome. Washington reverted back to its old run and gun habits that made them a perennial playoff failure, save for the 2018 season when then-coach Barry Trotz was able to keep a lid on things. But Trotz departed the scene a few hours after the Stanley Cup parade. And with his exit has come the disappearance of the responsible 200-foot type of hockey that is needed for sustained success. The Capitals will hos... 

Last year the Tampa Bay Lightning coasted with ease to the Presidents Trophy title, which goes to the team with the best regular season record in the NHL. And it was that lack of a serious regular season challenge that many believe was the reason for the Bolts being upset in a first-round playoff sweep at the hands of the eighth-seed Columbus Blue Jackets. The monumental upset exposed Tampa Bay’s lack of playoff grit. Now the Lighting face the ultimate test. Team captain and second leading scorer Steven Stamkos is out of the lineup until late April due to surgery related to an abdominal issue. Tuesday night the Lightning will be facing the Eastern Conference defending champion and current first place leading Boston Bruins on NBCSN. ... 

In just their second full season of a fully committed rebuild the New York Rangers have shown remarkable strides, especially with goal scoring, to emerged as an upstart playoff contender in the Eastern Conference. One problem that the Rangers brass is yet to solve is how to turn three goaltenders into two. The odd man out is yet to be determined. The Rangers remain a work in progress on the back end, which is all that is keeping them out of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Philadelphia Flyers are playoff bound thanks in large part to their new coach, who was the Rangers old coach, Alain Vigneault. ... 

When the betting public considers what to do with the NHL lines the Dallas Stars are often an afterthought. Dallas is in the thick of the Western Conference race for first but has not enjoyed high profile playoff success that anyone remembers, at least since their 1999 Stanley Cup title. For the Boston Bruins perceptions are entirely different. The Bruins made the Stanly Cup Final last yea... 

The year 2005 remains a landmark for the history of the National Hockey League. As the NHL was returning to action after a lost season due to a labor lockout two young stars were taking to the ice for the first time. Sidney Crosby was the top overall pick and was tasked with literally saving the Pittsburgh Penguins franchise. In the same way Alex Ovechkin was picked to jumpstart a lethargi... 

While the New York Rangers are showing solid improvement, especially on the offensive end of the ice, they are yet to reach the status of a legitimate contender for the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Broadway Blueshirts are still thin on the blue line and their goaltending remains unsettled. However, that strong goal scoring makes New York a threat with the NHL odds almost every time they take the ice. But the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Bruins are even more of a threat for each... 

Four years ago, Coors Field in Denver, Colorado was the venue for a well-received Stadium Series matchup between the Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings. As a matter of fact, the Avalanche were such great hosts that the NHL decided to employ their services yet again in 2020. This Saturday night the United States Air Force Academy and its Falcon Stadium, home of college football’s Air Force Falcons, will host the Stadium Series matchup between the Avs and visiting Los Angeles Kings. Colorado... 

It may surprise gamblers to discover that the Chicago Blackhawks are only three points behind the Arizona Coyotes for the final Western Conference playoff spot. Chicago is one of the hottest teams on the board with a rebuild that appears to be on the fast track. By contrast nobody is surprised that the Boston Bruins are just one point behind the Washington Capitals for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Boston has shown to be a determined group following their seven-game loss to the St. Lou... 

One of the best rivalries in all of sports is the one from the National Hockey League between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals. Both are perennial Stanley Cup title contenders and favorites with the NHL odds. Pittsburgh won the Stanley Cup championship most recently in back to back fashion during the 2016 and 2017 playoffs. And then the Caps hoisted hockey’s Holy Grail in 2018. Last year the Penguins lacked the depth to make a serious run while the Caps suffered from a bad Sta... 

For the past four years the National Hockey League All Star Game has actually been three games in one. And fans have taken to this format with far greater enthusiasm. All Star teams comprised of the four divisions, (Metropolitan, Atlantic, Central, and Pacific), compete in a mini tournament that has proven to be a considerable upgrade from the old formats that had become dreadfully stale and embarrassing to the league. This year the city of St. Louis, home of the defending Stanley Cup champion B... 

Last June the Boston Bruins were all setup to win the Stanley Cup. Specifically, they were strong favorites with the NHL Odds to win game seven on home ice against the St. Louis Blues. But the B’s were outclassed and upset in a dominant 4-1 Blues win. Immediately after the game there was plenty of speculation about whether or not the Bruins would recover and remain a top tier team. So far this season Boston has responded in resounding fashion. To illuminate the Bruins are in three-way race with the St. Louis Blues and Washington Capitals for the Presidents Trophy as best regular season team. On the Sunday Boston visits the Pittsburgh Penguins. ... 

Last year it was obvious to all that the Washington Capitals were suffering from a long and costly Stanley Cup championship hangover. And it was quite understandable. Alex Ovechkin exercised all of his career demons by finally hoisting Lord Stanley’s Chalice. Washington celebrated the first Stanley Cup title in the history of what was often a star-crossed franchise that began play in October of 1974. This year the Caps have regained value with the NHL Odds with more focused play. The Philadelphi... 

The Dallas Stars have had quite the volatile month already with the firing of head coach Jim Montgomery due to personal conduct issues. As a matter of fact, the Stars were roiling with the NHL odds at the time of Montgomery’s dismissal which left players and fans shocked and wondering what the story really was. The Nashville Predators were considered to be Stanley Cup material as recently as one year ago but have seen their defense and goaltending go from top tier to the back of the pack. Dallas... 

When Nathan MacKinnon was the first player selected in the 2013 NHL Draft a new level of expectations hit the Colorado Avalanche. MacKinnon and the Avalanche were off and on for his first four seasons but starting in 2017-18 the now 24-year old center took off and became the dominant player that all expected him to be. Most important of all the Avalanche have become a serious Western Conference contender and winner with the NHL odds. After a slow start the Minnesota Wild got off the mat to someh... 

When Barry Trotz arrived as the newly named head coach of the New York Islanders he brought considerable credibility with the NHL odds. Trotz had just led the Washington Capitals to their first ever Stanley Cup title and was the only coach that Alex Ovechkin ever had who could coax a full 200-foot game out of the Great Eight. Now with nowhere near the talent that he had in Washington Trotz is engineering a remarkable rebuild of the Isles. In the same way the Boston Bruins are showing no hang over from their epic seven game loss in the Stanley Cup Final last June to the St. Louis Blues. ... 

The Boston Bruins look like a team with unfinished business. Their failure to finish off the St. Louis Blues in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final was seen by some as a portent of things to come. There were plenty of worries about a potential hangover with the NHL Odds. Instead the Bruins have jumped out of the gate in dominant fashion as one of the most complete teams in the league. Speaking of hangovers, the Washington Capitals certainly had one last season after winning the Stanley Cup in 2018. But t... 

Last year the St. Louis Blues caught everyone napping with the NHL odds in their worst to first impossible run to the Stanley Cup. This year the Blues are proving that their championship was no fluke with an impressive start to the season. Most important of all head coach Craig Berube’s team is not showing any signs of a Stanley Cup hangover. The Pittsburgh Penguins have been more up than down so far this season but not quite on the same level as the Blues. Of great concern is a Pittsburgh power... 

The defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Bruins have shown no signs of a hangover from blowing the Stanley Cup last spring. In fact, Boston has been one of the most profitable teams with the NHL betting odds so far this season. The New York Rangers have been wildly inconsistent as a rebuilding team that is in full blown on the job training. In particular the Broadway Blueshirts back end has been a perpetual source of frustration. New York is not ready to contend but does boast enough off... 

It has been two long seasons of rebuilding for the New York Rangers, their fans, and leery gamblers. So far, the results have been mixed with the NHL odds as the Broadway Blueshirts young defensive corps has been ruthlessly exploited by opponents. For the Washington Capitals the look has been much more impressive compared top a year ago when the Caps were suffering from a severe Stanley Cup championship hangover and did not take care of their responsibilities on the back end compared to their fu... 

Last year at this time the Washington Capitals were suffering from a bad Stanley Cup championship hangover that they never really overcame en route to a quick playoff exit last spring. This year the Caps have gotten back on track with at least some of the form that allowed them to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup. By contrast the Philadelphia Flyers remain one of the most inconsistent teams in the NHL. The Flyers are still learning the ropes under new head coach Alain Vigneault. Philadelphia has one of ... 

Last year the Tampa Bay Lightning breezed through the regular season with ease to win the Presidents Trophy as the best regular season team going away. And as it turned out that was precisely the problem. That lack of pressure and a challenge made the Bolts unprepared to face the upstart Columbus Blue Jackets in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Tampa Bay was swept in that opening round series which was one of the biggest upsets in NHL post season history. So far, the Lightning seemed to have learned th... 

So far as the first month of the season winds down the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues have been in and out. Head coach Craig Berube’s team has been wildly inconsistent but with no real damage to start the year. By contrast the Minnesota Wild have been very consistent with the NHL betting odds. Consistently bad that is. The Wild may play for the offensive minded head coach Bruce Boudreau but their metrics are more like their days under Mike Yeo, minus the strong defense. Minnesota...