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NHL Predictions: Teams Making A Case for Playoff Spots
by Trevor Whenham - 12/1/2010

We’re only a quarter of the way through the NHL schedule, but a lot of what we have seen so far gives us an insight into what the playoffs will look like. It would seem like it is far too soon to even consider the playoffs. The truth is, though, that consistently as many as seven of the eight teams that are in playoff positions by Thanksgiving are still there by the end of the year. It’s a good time, then, to look at where the teams stand now, and if they can stay there with my NHL predictions for the playoffs:
Read more about NHL Predictions: Playoffs.

NHL Betting: Biggest Surprises
by Trevor Whenham - 10/26/2010

We are a couple of weeks into the NHL season. It’s still too soon to get a real sense of what is going to happen in the league and which team is going to win it all. We have seen enough, though, to start to get a sense of where the betting opportunities might lie - at least for the next few weeks. It’s a good time to look at what has been particularly surprising so far in the NHL betting season. Here are six stories that spring to mind for me:
Read more about NHL Betting.

2010-11 Detroit Red Wings Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Alan Matthews - 10/6/2010

Most NHL franchises would call a season in which they put up 102 points and won a playoff series a success, but most NHL franchises aren’t the Detroit Red Wings. You see, the Wings finished second in the Central Division to Chicago, which was the first time since 1999-2000 that the Wings didn’t win the division.
Read more about Detroit Red Wings Predictions.

2010-11 San Jose Sharks Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 10/6/2010

Over the years the Sharks have been the best in the league at one thing - choking when they had everything in their favor. Year after year they have gone into the playoffs with a strong team built to succeed, and year after year they have gone home too soon. Last year they had a bit of a breakthrough - they made the conference finals - but they still weren’t quite good enough to get past Chicago. They need to take the next step, and this year is as good a time as any - they aren’t getting any younger.
Read more about San Jose Sharks Predictions.

2010-11 Dallas Stars Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 10/6/2010

The times are changing in Dallas. For as long as I can remember thinking about the Stars meant thinking about Mike Modano, Marty Turco, and Jere Lehtinen. Now all of them are gone - the legendary Modano is in Detroit, Turco has joined the defending champs in Chicago, and Lehtinen is a free agent who may end up retiring at 37. Those guys have been the face of the team for more than a decade, so now it remains to be seen if the team has any kind of face at all this year.
Read more about Dallas Stars Predictions.

2010-11 Nashville Predators Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Alan Matthews - 10/6/2010

In recent years the Nashville Predators have been stuck in NHL purgatory in that the franchise is never good enough to be a serious contender in the playoffs but never bad enough to possibly draft that franchise-changing talent at the top of the first round. The Preds have qualified for the postseason in every year but one since 2004 but still haven’t won a playoff series.
Read more about Nashville Predators Predictions.

2010-11 Anaheim Ducks Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 10/6/2010

Entering last season the Ducks were a popular upstart pick to do some serious damage. They finished 11th, and were perhaps the biggest disappointment in the league. There were a lot of things that could be pointed to as a cause of the problems, but the biggest was the loss of Chris Pronger on defense. When the Ducks won the Cup in 2007 it was their defense that did all the heavy lifting. This year not only is Pronger gone, but now Scott Niedermayer is gone as well.
Read more about Anaheim Ducks Predictions.

2010-11 Phoenix Coyotes Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 10/6/2010

Phoenix should have been lousy last year. The Coyotes had talent that looked more like it belonged in the AHL than the NHL, they were mired in ownership chaos and uncertainty, and their coach - the best player in the history of the sport - quit in the preseason. That is a whole lot of excuses they could have used, but they didn’t use any. Instead, they started strong, maintained the pace, and made the playoffs. Anyone who says that they saw that coming is lying. Last year they snuck up on teams, but this year they won’t be able to do that. Now they carry the weight of expectations on their shoulders.
Read more about Phoenix Coyotes Predictions.

2010-11 Los Angeles Kings Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 10/6/2010

The Kings are a very talented but very young team that accomplished more than was probably expected of them last year. In other words, they were ahead of schedule. This year they should have the foundation to build on what they have already accomplished. It’s easy to draw comparisons between this team now and the Blackhawks last year. Because of that, a lot is being made of the fact that the team tried hard to land Ilya Kovalchuk but fell short.
Read more about Los Angeles Kings Predictions.

2010-11 Florida Panthers Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 10/4/2010

More teams in the NHL make the playoffs, 16, than miss the playoffs, 14. So the fact that the Panthers have missed the playoffs nine consecutive seasons is hard to believe. And the fact that they have not won a playoff game since 1997 is even harder to believe.
Read more about Florida Panthers Predictions.

2010-11 Tampa Bay Lightning Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 10/3/2010

Perhaps it’s the NHL Lockout of 2004-05 to blame. The Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup in 2004. They have not won a playoff series since. After their dramatic Game 7 win over Calgary in June of 2004, the 2004-05 NHL season was canceled. Any momentum generated from the championship run was lost during the 310-day lockout.
Read more about Tampa Bay Lightning Predictions.

2010-11 Carolina Hurricanes Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 10/3/2010

It always seems to be all or nothing with these Carolina Hurricanes. In their 13-year existence they have missed the playoffs seven times but they have also reached the Stanley Cup Finals twice and the Eastern Conference Finals three times. Unfortunately this year has more the look of a ‘nothing’ year than an ‘all’ year.
Read more about Carolina Hurricanes Predictions.

NHL Predictions for Season Point Totals Props Betting
by Trevor Whenham - 9/29/2010

Atlanta (83.5) - I like the ‘under’ here. They had 83 points last year, and this year they are without Ilya Kovalchuk from the outset. They rallied well and played hard once Kovalchuk was traded to New Jersey last year, but with a full year to face and a serious deficit in talent they are going to come to terms with the challenge facing them. They picked up four Stanley Cup winners form Chicago in the offseason. The important thing to remember, though, is that these were four players the Blackhawks were willing to part with, so they aren’t the cream of the crop.
Read more about NHL Predictions for Season Point Totals.

NHL Season Betting Predictions and Odds
by Vegas Sports Informer - 9/29/2010

With NFL and NCAA football starting to go full speed and the MLB playoffs about to get under way, most people forget about the potential profits available from NHL betting. The season starts Oct. 7 and I am very excited about releasing NHL predictions to my clients.
Read more about NHL Season Betting Predictions.

2010-11 Colorado Avalanche Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/29/2010

With apologies to the Phoenix Coyotes, the Colorado Avalanche were the most impressive story in the NHL last year. They were picked by many people - myself included - to finish dead last in the league. They had little talent, and that which they did have was young and totally unproven. Behind the fantastic play of rookie centers Matt Duchene and Ryan O’Reilly, the emergence of goalie Craig Anderson, and an amazing coach job by Joe Sacco, however, the team found its way into the playoffs.
Read more about Colorado Avalanche Predictions.

2010-11 St. Louis Blues Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Alan Matthews - 9/29/2010

The St. Louis Blues were really two teams last season: The one that entered the season off a playoff berth from the year before but struggled under coach Andy Murray, and then the one that improved greatly when Davis Payne took over for the fired Murray. But even a late surge – St. Louis went 23-15-4 under Payne -- couldn’t get in the Blues in the playoffs as they finished with 90 points (just two fewer than the year before), fourth in the Central Division and ninth in the West, five points out of the playoffs.
Read more about St. Louis Blues Predictions.

2010-11 Minnesota Wild Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/29/2010

If the NHL were a color wheel, the Minnesota Wild would be grey. They aren’t offensive or brash. They aren’t anything really. You just hardly notice that they are around. They are kind of like the Minnesota Timberwolves - it must be something in the water in Minneapolis.
Read more about Minnesota Wild Predictions.

2010-11 Calgary Flames Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/29/2010

It’s a frustrating time to be a Flames fan - and I say that as a life long Calgarian. Last year the team came into the season with high hopes, but was horribly mismanaged from the start and went nowhere. Illogical trades, inconsistent coaching, and increasingly incoherent ramblings from GM Darryl Sutter made a mockery of the potential, and kept the team out of the playoffs for the first time since the lockout. Fans screamed for some big changes starting at the top, but nothing happened. Sutter is still in charge, his brother is still the coach, and the team is worse than they were last year - and they weren’t very good then.
Read more about Calgary Flames Predictions.

2010-11 Washington Capitals Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 9/28/2010

Everyone in the NHL is expecting the Washington Capitals to repeat as regular-season champions. Everyone around Washington hopes the Capitals don’t repeat as first-round flops in the postseason. The Capitals have won three consecutive Southeast Division crowns. Anything shy of a divisional crown this year would be shocking considering the team’s ability and the rest of the division’s lack of ability.
Read more about Washington Capitals Predictions .

2010-11 Vancouver Canucks Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/28/2010

I was just in Vancouver, so I can tell you that the fans there are definitely optimistic about this team. Sickeningly optimistic, really - like optimistic enough to be planning the Stanley Cup parade route already. As much as I hate to admit it because I hate everything about the Canucks and their fans, they have every reason to be excited. They are the only legitimate contender in this division, and are perhaps the best team in the entire conference.
Read more about Vancouver Canucks Predictions.

2010-11 Atlanta Thrashers Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 9/28/2010

The Atlanta Thrashers finished second in the Northeast Division last year. Too bad for Atlanta, second place in the division was only good enough for 10th place in the Eastern Conference. Finishing second in the division seems to be the only possible expectation for the Thrashers considering the dominance of the Washington Capitals within the division.
Read more about Atlanta Thrashers Predictions.

2010-11 Edmonton Oilers Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/28/2010

For the Oilers, the future is bright. The question is when the future will arrive. No team in the league has anywhere close to as much exciting young talent joining them this year. The centerpiece is first overall draft choice Taylor Hall - a guy who has dazzled in pressure situations everywhere he has played. Jordan Eberle, a 20-year-old first rounder from two years ago, is another high pressure guy who has hit the ground running in the preseason and has massive upside. Magnus Paajarvi is the third youngster who has fans drooling.
Read more about Edmonton Oilers Predictions.

2010-11 Chicago Blackhawks NHL Predictions with Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Alan Matthews - 9/27/2010

The NHL’s short offseason was one big party in the Windy City as fans of the Chicago Blackhawks finally were able to celebrate a Stanley Cup, with last year’s squad ending a 49-year championship drought thanks to six-game Cup finals win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Really, the Hawks weren’t seriously threatened in last year’s playoffs, never getting extended to seven games and sweeping the West No. 1 seed Sharks in the conference finals.
Read more about Chicago Blackhawks NHL Predictions.

2010-11 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL Predictions with Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 9/24/2010

The enigma that is the Toronto Maple Leafs is set to begin its sixth season since its last playoff appearance and 44th season since its last Stanley Cup. Yet the Maple Leafs remain the most valuable team in the NHL, with an estimated value of $470 million and a ticket to see the perennial losers play remains one of the hottest ticket in any sport. They drawn an immense amount of interest north of the border and, once again, there is reason to believe that Toronto could make a postseason push for the first time since 2004.
Read more about Toronto Maple Leafs NHL Predictions.

2010-11 NHL Season: Montreal Canadiens Predictions with Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 9/24/2010

The Montreal Canadiens unexpected and improbable playoff run last season raises a few questions. How did Montreal manage to win two Game 7s on the road, one against top-seed Washington and another against defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh? Where had that Montreal team been all regular season when it struggled just to get into the postseason? And then how did that same Montreal team get blown away by No. 7 seed Philadelphia in five games?
Read more about NHL Season: Montreal Canadiens Predictions.

2010-11 NHL Predictions: Boston Bruins Futures Odds and Hockey Picks
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 9/23/2010

Fairly or unfairly, the 2009-10 Boston Bruins season will forever be defined by a 3-0 playoff series collapse. How this season is defined has a lot to do with how the Bruins rebound from blowing a 3-0 playoff series lead to the Flyers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals and how they bolster an offense that rated worst in the NHL last season.
Read more about NHL Predictions: Boston Bruins.

2010-11 NHL Predictions and Picks: Buffalo Sabres Odds for Futures Betting
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 9/23/2010

Last season Buffalo got away from its all-offense, all-the-time mentality and coincidentally got back into the playoffs. Scoring the fewest goals since the 2004 NHL lockout, the Sabres leaned on their defense and returned to the playoffs after a two-year absence.
Read more about 2010-11 NHL Predictions and Picks: Buffalo Sabres.

2010-11 NHL Predictions: Ottawa Senators Odds and Betting Picks
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 9/23/2010

If you can’t beat them, sign away their top defensemen. That must have been Ottawa’s thinking this offseason after watching their second consecutive playoff run end in the first round to Pittsburgh. The Senators went ahead and signed veteran and former Penguin Sergei Gonchar to a three-year deal.
Read more about NHL Predictions: Ottawa Senators.

2010-11 NHL Predictions: Columbus Blue Jackets Odds and Betting Picks
by Alan Matthews - 9/23/2010

We start our NHL Central Division previews at the bottom, as the Columbus Blue Jackets finished the 2009-10 season with 35 wins and just 79 points, 11 behind fourth-place St. Louis. It was the first time the team had finished in the Central cellar since 2003 and the campaign was considered a huge disappointment after Columbus reached the playoffs the season before. That cost Coach Ken Hitchcock his job last winter; Scott Arniel is the new coach.
Read more about NHL Predictions: Columbus Blue Jackets.

2010-11 New York Islanders NHL Odds and Predictions with Betting Picks
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 9/22/2010

There are two ways to look at the New York Islanders current situation. There is the positive of an 18-point increase from the 2008-09 season to last year, but a third consecutive Atlantic Division last-place finish also lets you know just how far of a hole the Islanders were in.
Read more about New York Islanders NHL Odds and Predictions.

2010-11 Philadelphia Flyers NHL Odds and Predictions with Betting Picks
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 9/21/2010

The Flyers 2009-10 regular season came down to a shootout in the 82nd and final game of the season. The Flyers won that shootout, earned a No. 7 seed and proceeded to shock everyone and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Read more about Philadelphia Flyers NHL Odds and Predictions.

2010-11 NHL Predictions: Pittsburgh Penguins Odds and Futures Picks for Betting
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 9/21/2010

Last time we saw the 2009 Stanley Cup champions they were skating off the Mellon Arena ice for the last time in disbelief after a 5-2 loss in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Montreal. It was a long offseason for hockey fans in Pittsburgh as the loss lingered. However, as October approaches anticipation is at a fever pitch for the Penguins, who will play in two new home venues this season: their new arena and Heinz Field for the Winter Classic.
Read more about NHL Predictions: Pittsburgh Penguins.

2010-11 NHL Season Predictions: New York Rangers Betting Picks and Futures Odds
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 9/21/2010

Their postseason fate came down to a shootout with Philadelphia in the final game of the regular season. The Rangers were on the wrong end and sent into the offseason to wonder ‘what if’ while the Flyers came out on the right side of things, reached the playoffs and eventually the Stanley Cup Finals.
Read more about NHL Season Predictions: New York Rangers.

2010-11 New Jersey Devils NHL Predictions with Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 9/20/2010

Be careful what you wish for, New Jersey Devil fans. The Devils got the players they sought last season at the trade deadline and the player they negotiated throughout the summer with, but at what cost? The Devils have their man: 27-year old forward Ilya Kovalchuk. But they also have salary cap headaches and plenty of future repercussions.
Read more about New Jersey Devils NHL Predictions.

Free NHL Picks: Chicago Blackhawks at Philadelphia Flyers, Game 6 Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 6/9/2010

The Blackhawks can bring the Stanley Cup back to suddenly hockey-mad Chicago tonight for the first time in 49 years, while the Flyers face their sixth elimination game since April 11 (five in playoffs and needing a win over the Rangers in the season finale just to reach the postseason).
Read more about Free NHL Picks.

Free NHL Picks: Chicago Blackhawks at Philadelphia Flyers, Game 4 Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 6/4/2010

Only two teams have overcome losing the first two games on the road to win the Stanley Cup, but the Flyers have looked like the superior team for most of the past two games. They are down 2-1 after Claude Giroux's deflection goal 5:59 into overtime of Game 3 before the largest hockey crowd ever in the state of Pennsylvania. Here’s an odd stat: Philly’s victory broke a four-game win streak for road teams in Stanley Cup Finals overtime games.
Read more about Free NHL Picks.

Free NHL Picks: Blackhawks at Flyers Game 3 Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 6/2/2010

The Hawks won one-goal games in Chicago, although the two games couldn’t have been much different. Now the Blackhawks are where they want to be: on the road. Chicago has tied an NHL record with seven consecutive playoff road wins in a row (Hawks won twice in Nashville, three times in Vancouver and twice in San Jose by a combined score of 31-13). Five other teams have done that and three of those won the Cup.
Read more about Free NHL Picks.

Stanley Cup Odds and Predictions - Blackhawks Vs. Flyers Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 5/27/2010

On one hand you have the Chicago Blackhawks, a team that is no surprise to be here. They are a young team that has built from within over the last few years of strong drafting and have added some nice free agent pieces to complete the puzzle. They were the second overall team in the Western Conference, but they were very easy to like.
Read more about Blackhawks Vs. Flyers Picks.

Free NHL Picks: Flyers at Canadiens Game 3 Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 5/20/2010

Yeah, I will take a few days off from baseball recommendations after a bad day on Wednesday as both the Yankees and Dodgers (my picks on the run line) got routed -- hey, it happens to the best of us. At least the NHL finally got its head out of its you-know-what as it has broken up the two series so we don’t have hockeyless nights and then two games the next.
Read more about Free NHL Picks.

NHL Handicapping: Can Flyers Continue Hot Play?
by Trevor Whenham - 5/17/2010

For only the third time ever, and the first time since 1975, an NHL team has come back from a 0-3 deficit to win a seven-game playoff series. Philadelphia not only found themselves down three games to none to the Boston Bruins, but they found themselves on the ropes twice after that - they needed overtime to win the fourth game, and they fell behind 3-0 early in the second game before fighting back to win it 4-3.
Read more about Handicapping the Philadelphia Flyers.

Free NHL Picks: Philadelphia Flyers at Boston Bruins Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 5/14/2010

Well, it should be an interesting 24 hours in Boston. Either the city will be rejoicing again – in the wake of the Celtics’ win over the Cavs, which I missed on the side but hit on the LeBron props – or it will be drowning its sorrows if the Bruins become the third team in NHL history and fourth in North American major sports team history to blow a 3-0 series lead.
Read more about Philadelphia Flyers at Boston Bruins Predictions.

San Jose Sharks vs. Chicago Blackhawks Series Odds and Predictions
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 5/13/2010

Unlike their counterparts in the East, the Western Conference playoffs has followed the script and the two top seeds are through to the Conference Finals. The Sharks silenced plenty of doubters with six wins in their last seven games after falling behind the Avalanche 2-1 in the first round. It took them five games to cruise past the Red Wings in the second round.
Read more about San Jose Sharks vs. Chicago Blackhawks Series Odds and Predictions.

Free NHL Picks: Canadiens at Penguins and Bruins at Flyers Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 5/12/2010

This could be the final game ever at Mellon Arena, as the Pens are moving to a new building next season. However, Pittsburgh has won its past four Game 7s, albeit all on the road. Pittsburgh definitely needs to shadow Montreal’s Mike Cammalleri. He has scored 11 goals in these playoffs (the most of anyone), including three two-goal games.
Read more about Free NHL Picks.

Jaroslav Halak of the Canadiens Taking Over NHL Playoffs
by Trevor Whenham - 5/6/2010

Quite simply, the Montreal Canadiens should not still be in the NHL playoffs. They limped into the playoffs, barely securing the last spot in the weak Eastern Conference. Virtually no one gave them any chance against the Washington Capitals - the best offensive team in the league by a wide margin. I thought that the Habs would be lucky to win a single game.
Read more about Jaroslav Halak in the NHL Playoffs.

NHL: Boston Bruins vs. Philadelphia Flyers Series Odds and Predictions
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 4/29/2010

The Boston Bruins may be as surprised as anyone they have home-ice advantage in the second round of the NHL playoffs. They entered the playoffs as a No. 6 seed and ran into the red-hot Buffalo Sabres and their goalie Ryan Miller. After one game they were already facing a 1-0 deficit. But thanks to a three-game winning streak, a 4-3 win at home to clinch the series in Game 6 and the first-round upset barrage that was the Eastern Conference playoffs, and now the Bruins are hosting Game 1 against the No. 7 seed Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.
Read more about Bruins vs. Flyers Series Odds and Predictions.

NHL: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens Series Odds and Predictions
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 4/29/2010

This is as lopsided of a series price you will see in the NHL Playoffs in the second round. There is a good reason for this: Pittsburgh is the defending Stanley Cup Champion while No. 8-seed Montreal played way above its head to beat the No. 1 Washington Capitals in Round 1 of the playoffs.
Read more about Penguins vs. Canadiens Series Odds and Predictions.

NHL: San Jose Sharks vs. Detroit Red Wings Series Odds and Predictions
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 4/29/2010

Plenty of respect continues to get heaped on the Detroit Red Wings. The defending back-to-back Western Conference champions are a No. 5 seed here, but just barely an underdog to the top-seeded San Jose Sharks. This was the same Detroit team that was a -225 favorite without even having home-ice advantage in the first round against Phoenix. This was the same team who was favored at Phoenix in the deciding game seven.
Read more about Sharks vs. Red Wings Series Odds and Predictions.

NHL: Chicago Blackhawks vs. Vancouver Canucks Series Odds and Predictions
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 4/29/2010

It is another year and another Chicago/Vancouver Western Conference semifinal matchup. Last season, with the Canucks holding home-ice advantage, the Blackhawks came back from a 2-1 series deficit to win three consecutive games and advance to the Western Conference Finals. This time the puck drops Friday at the United Center in Chicago
Read more about Blackhawks vs. Canucks Series Odds and Predictions.

NHL Playoffs: Crazy First Round
by Trevor Whenham - 4/21/2010

The first round of the NHL playoffs has been, in a word, haywire. Teams that shouldn't win are winning, and not a lot is making sense. To begin with, for the first time since the NHL started playing seven-game series in the first round all eight road teams - the underdogs in all but one series - won one of the first two road games. The surprising play of the lower-ranked teams has continued on since then.
Read more about NHL Playoffs.

NHL Playoffs Series With Best Chance for Upset
by Trevor Whenham - 4/14/2010

The first round of the NHL playoffs aren't always filled with upsets, but they certainly can be - in 2008 the lower-seeded teams won four of the eight series, and there were four upsets in 2006 as well. There are at least a couple of series this year in which the lower-seeded team looks strong, and one where that lower-seeded team is the favorite. This is how I would rank the eight series from the most likely to be upset to the least likely:
Read more about NHL Playoffs Series.

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs: Betting The Finals Matchup
by Matt Severance - 4/13/2010

When perusing through Bodog’s numerous NHL prop odds for the Stanley Cup Finals, one things certainly stuck out: if the Red Wings and Penguins meet for Lord Stanley’s Cup for the third year in a row, that pays out 18/1 if you get your money down now.
Read more about NHL Stanley Cup Finals Prop Betting.

NHL Playoffs: Handicapping Goaltenders
by Trevor Whenham - 4/13/2010

Handicapping goaltenders is always important in the NHL, but it is especially important in the playoffs. Playoff hockey is considerably more intense than the regular season, and the focus on defense intensifies, so goalies become the centerpiece of teams. Every year there are a few examples of teams that go farther than expected on the backs of their goalies. It's hard to know who is going to get hot and stay that way, but what we can do is look at the status of the goalies heading into the playoffs:
Read more about Handicapping NHL Goaltenders.

NHL: Vancouver Canucks vs. Los Angeles Kings Series Odds and Predictions
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 4/13/2010

No team in the Western Conference packs more of an offensive punch than the Vancouver Canucks. The last three seasons the team with the most regular season goals in the Western Conference went on to reach the Stanley Cup Finals.
Read more about Vancouver Canucks vs. Los Angeles Kings Series Odds.

NHL: San Jose Sharks vs. Colorado Avalanche Series Odds and Predictions
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 4/13/2010

If this were the Eastern Conference the Avalanche would be right in the mix with a group of teams as threats to reach the semifinals. But in reality it’s the Western Conference and the Avalanche are the only playoff team that’s not a part of the century club. With 95 points they are the only team not to reach 100 in the West.
Read more about San Jose Sharks vs. Colorado Avalanche Series Odds.

NHL: Buffalo Sabres vs. Boston Bruins Series Odds and Predictions
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 4/13/2010

Goals will be at a premium in this series. Boston has scored fewer goals than every team in the league with the exception of Calgary. The fact that they made the playoffs and earned a No. 6 seed tells you a lot about their defense and goalie Tuukka Rask.
Read more about Buffalo Sabres vs. Boston Bruins Series Odds.

NHL: New Jersey Devils vs. Philadelphia Flyers Series Odds and Predictions
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 4/13/2010

These two Atlantic Division rivals are reunited in the first round of the playoffs. The Devils fended off the Penguins for the division title and the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference while the Flyers had to win a shootout against the Rangers just to secure a playoff spot on the last day of the regular season.
Read more about New Jersey Devils vs. Philadelphia Flyers Series Odds.

NHL: Washington Capitals vs. Montreal Canadiens Series Odds and Predictions
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 4/13/2010

In most sports No. 1 seeds have an easy path to the second round. That is not the case in the NHL where No. 1 seeds have gone down many times in the first bracket. However, none of those top seeds had the talent or firepower of the Washington Capitals, the President’s Trophy winner with 121 points.
Read more about Washington Capitals vs. Montreal Canadiens Series Odds.

NHL: Chicago Blackhawks vs. Nashville Predators Series Odds and Predictions
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 4/13/2010

The Blackhawks enter these Stanley Cup Playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference just like last season. However, the similarities stop there. This Chicago team finished just one point out of a tie for first place with top-seed San Jose.
Read more about Chicago Blackhawks vs. Nashville Predators Series Odds.

NHL: Phoenix Coyotes vs. Detroit Red Wings Series Odds and Predictions
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 4/13/2010

What is the bigger surprise here, that Phoenix has the fourth best record in the entire NHL and the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference or that the Detroit Red Wings limp into this series as the No. 5 seed? On top of that, Detroit, without home-ice advantage in the first round for the first time in more than 15 years, is actually favored to win this series.
Read more about Phoenix Coyotes vs. Detroit Red Wings Predictions.

NHL: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Ottawa Senators Series Odds and Predictions
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 4/13/2010

Stop me if you have heard this one before but the Penguins and Senators will meet in the first round of the playoffs. It is the third time in four seasons this is happening. In 2007 the Senators took four of five games on their way to winning the Eastern Conference and the very next year the Penguins swept the Senators on the way to winning the Eastern Conference.
Read more about Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Ottawa Senators Betting Predictions.

Betting During the NHL Stretch Run
by Trevor Whenham - 4/1/2010

Like most major sports, handicapping the NHL in the last few games of the season is a very different challenge than it is for the rest of the season. In my experience, the NHL changes even more than most other sports do. If you aren't aware of the factors that make it different and fail to incorporate them not your handicapping then you are going to struggle to come out ahead at the betting window. Here are six factors you need to keep in mind to make sure you are actually betting on the team you think they are, and not just a very different version in the same uniform.
Read more about Betting the NHL Stretch Run.

Handicapping the NHL Playoff Race
by Trevor Whenham - 3/25/2010

We are right in the middle of the homestretch of the NHL season - no team has more than 10 games remaining from their 82-game season. There are some pretty decent playoff races remaining in both conferences. Neither involves as many teams as are a factor some years at this time, but in both conferences there is inevitably going to be a pretty good team or two left on the outside looking in. Here's a look both at how those playoff races shape up, and how to deal with handicapping playoff races in general:
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NHL Trade Deadline
by Trevor Whenham - 3/3/2010

The NHL trade deadline came and went on Wednesday afternoon. The NHL is typically the most active league at the deadline, and this year was no exception - about 35 deals took place in the 24 hours before the deadline. Unlike past years, though, the deals were mostly just the shuffling around of spare parts instead of anything that is likely to make a major impact.
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Betting on the Olympic Hockey Tournament
by Trevor Whenham - 2/10/2010

I would guess that if you were to track the amount of time the Canadian media has spent talking about the Olympic hockey tournament in the last year it would exceed the time they have spent talking about everything else combined. Canada is absolutely obsessed with the upcoming tournament. It takes place on home soil, so winning it is particularly important.
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NHL Handicapping: Olympic Break Impact
by Trevor Whenham - 2/10/2010

The NHL is presenting us with a challenging hockey handicapping proposition that is entirely unique to the league. Because many of their players will be playing for their countries in the Olympics, the league will be shutting down for two weeks. There are six games scheduled on Valentine's Day, and that's the last that we'll see until one game is played on March 1.
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NHL Handicapping: Calgary Flames Overhaul
by Trevor Whenham - 2/3/2010

In this cautious salary cap era of the NHL it's still common to see teams make changes at or near the trade deadline, but it's increasingly rare to see a team make a deal that really shakes up their roster - especially when a team is a legitimate playoff contender. It's truly surprising, then, that the Calgary Flames have not made one such deal in the last week, but two.
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NHL Betting System – Isolate Strong Underdogs
by Trevor Whenham - 1/28/2010

My favorite sport to bet on is hockey, and I like it so much because I never, ever have to bet on anything other than an underdog. Because hockey is bet on the money line instead of a point spread, that means that every bet on an underdog pays you more than you bet every time you win – this is why I use underdogs as my NHL betting system. That's an incredibly powerful thing.
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