Hockey Handicapping Articles
2017-18 Ottawa Senators Predictions and Futures Odds Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/11/2017
Except perhaps for the Nashville Predators, the Ottawa Senators were the biggest surprise of the playoffs last year. They beat Boston and the Rangers and then took the eventual champs from Pittsburgh to overtime in Game 7. It was a heck of a run. The biggest revelation of it all was Erik Karlsson. He'd won the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman twice, so I obviously knew he was very good, but in those playoffs he elevated his game to a whole new level and showed just how great he truly is. And he did it while dealing with a list of injuries a mile long.
2017-18 New York Islanders Predictions and Futures Odds Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/11/2017
For the first time in a long time there is a whole lot to talk about with this New York Islanders team. And, even better, quite a bit of it is positive. Good coaching situation, solid offseason, decent prospects - not bad. Of course, there are several problems, too - it is the Islanders, after all. We don't know where they are going to be playing next year, which isn't new, and if they can't convince John Tavares to stick around for a new contract then things could really get ugly in a hurry.
2017-18 Calgary Flames Predictions and Futures Odds Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/11/2017
After six mostly bad years where they were spinning their wheels, the Flames have made the playoffs in two of the last three years. Now they need to do two things - prove that they are a consistent playoff team and not just a fringe contender hoping for wild card scraps and become a legitimate threat once they get there instead of the team that Anaheim rolled over in four games in the first round.
2017-18 New Jersey Devils Predictions and Futures Odds Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/11/2017
The New Jersey Devils were bad last year. Bad enough to finish last in the Eastern Conference and win the draft lottery. And they will be bad this year. There is no real need to panic, though. The team is doing good rebuilding work under GM Ray Shero. They are moving in the right direction, and with another couple of years of patience they should be back to a solid level of performance.
2017-18 Arizona Coyotes Predictions and Futures Odds Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/11/2017
It's the Kings who play close to Hollywood, but the offseason had by the Arizona Coyotes has been like something out of a bad movie script. There were so many storylines out there that were interesting, unexpected, or just plain bizarre that I hardly know where to start. They made trades that were far more aggressive than you could have imagined.
2017-18 Winnipeg Jets Predictions and Futures Odds Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/11/2017
There isn't a fanbase that wants to win more than Winnipeg's does. They aren't obnoxious about it in the way that, say, Toronto or Edmonton is. Those cities expect to win and feel like their rights have been violated when they don't. Winnipeg's love is more pure and more earnest. This team is part of the DNA of the city in a way that is unique in the league. They felt violated when the team left, and now that they are back they want a winner - something they have never really had in a meaningful way.
2017-18 Detroit Red Wings Predictions and Futures Odds Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/8/2017
The most certain thing in sports for the last quarter century has been the Detroit Red Wings in the playoffs. Before last year they had made it in 25 consecutive seasons. That's a truly remarkable feat when you consider how competitive the league is and that they managed to reload through a couple sets of superstar players in that time. They were the model of consistency. They also had some incredible coaching, as Scotty Bowman, the greatest coach in league history, won three Cups with them, and less than three years later Mike Babcock took over and won another Cup himself.
2017-18 Buffalo Sabres Predictions and Futures Odds Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/8/2017
The Sabres were really lousy last year - missing the playoffs for the sixth straight year and finishing last in their division after heading into the season entertaining at least minor playoff hopes. In response, they did what so many teams do in similar situations - they cleaned house. Out are GM Tim Murray and head coach Dan Bylsma. And in their place come new GM Jason Botterill, who learned from the best in the Pittsburgh organization, and new head coach Phil Housley, who spent the first eight years of his 21 years as a defenseman playing for Buffalo and has spent the last four years as an assistant in Nashville.
2017-18 Florida Panthers Predictions and Futures Odds Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/8/2017
There are a lot of bad decisions made every year in the NHL, but the unquestionable winner last season as far as I am concerned was the move to fire Gerard Gallant as head coach of the Panthers in November. He was above .500 at the time, and he was a year removed from a very solid season. Not to mention that he is definitely one of the better coaches in the league - as was proven when the Vegas Golden Knights wasted no time before tabbing him to be the first coach in the history of their team.
2017-18 Toronto Maple Leafs Predictions and Futures Odds Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/6/2017
For the last decade (well, all my 40+ years, really) I haven't had to work too hard to summarize expectations for the Toronto Maple Leafs. They are a bad team run by morons that is going to fail to meet the bizarrely, delusionally-inflated expectations of the team's fans, who are among the least tolerable in all of sports. Short of making fun of Marvin Lewis and the Cincinnati Bengals, there is no target I have hit more consistently than the Leafs or worried about less that my prediction was going to be wrong.
2017-18 Philadelphia Flyers Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/4/2017
The Philadelphia Flyers are a team that has really struggled to remain relevant in recent years. They show flashes of real strength, but they can't sustain it. They have made the playoffs in three of the last six seasons but never two years in a row. And now they face a massive challenge. They have to maximize the careers of guys like Claude Giroux who aren't going to be big time players forever while at the same time breaking in a whole lot of young players and trying to figure out what they have and what kind of team they can be. They are attempting to retool on the fly without losing too much ground and to get back into the playoffs.
NHL Betting Impact of Wednesday's Expansion Draft
by Trevor Whenham - 6/20/2017
After years of speculation and hand wringing, major professional sports officially arrive in Las Vegas on Wednesday night. The Vegas Golden Knights will announce the roster they have selected through the NHL expansion draft. Now, the NHL is responsible for the affair, so it will surely be an annoying and frustrating event to watch. Between all the picks, the trades, and the promise of what else could happen down the road, though, it is a fascinating and important time for bettors who are interested in the NHL.
Vegas Golden Knights Expansion Draft Preview
by Chris Vasile - 6/20/2017
The time has finally come. Tomorrow all eyes will be on the Vegas Golden Knights and their management as they become just the first team in the last 17 years to take part in an exclusive expansion draft. The last teams to take part in an expansion draft like this one was the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets prior to the 2000-01 season.
Expert NHL Predictions: Ottawa Senators vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Series Odds and Betting Picks
by Chris Vasile - 5/12/2017
The NHL's Eastern Conference Finals gets underway Saturday at 7 p.m. in Pittsburgh as the defending Stanley Cup Champions take on those pesky Ottawa Senators. For the Penguins, it's rather quite simple - this is where they expected to be when the season started, and everything has gone according to plan. Crosby and Malkin are producing and the team is getting timely contributions from breakout star, Jake Guentzel.
Free NHL Picks: Nashville Predators vs. Anaheim Ducks Series Odds and Expert Predictions
by Chris Vasile - 5/11/2017
The NHL's Western Conference Finals gets underway Friday night at 9:00 p.m. EST when Nashville travels to Anaheim to tangle with the Ducks. At the beginning of the year, these two teams were in the bottom half of the league in terms of odds to actually make it this far. Fast forward seven months and the Predators are playing outstanding hockey, while the Ducks are getting timely contributions from their main guys. Unfortunately for the league, the only people who care about this series are the locals since neither team has a wide fan base. I'm sure Gary Bettman is already thinking about damage control once the network ratings come out for these games.
NHL Playoff Odds: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals Expert Betting Picks
by Chris Vasile - 4/26/2017
Ever since Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin broke into the league in 2004 and 2005, respectively, the two have been compared in just about every aspect of the game. The NHL quickly made these two superstars the faces of the league, and whenever they went toe-to-toe on the ice the national media attention nearly doubled. Despite all the Crosby haters who label him as a "whiney crybaby", he has had the better career than Ovechkin. No. 87 has won two Stanley Cups, one Conn Smyth Trophy (playoffs MVP), two Hart Memorial Trophies (regular-season MVP), two Art Ross Trophies (leading points getter), and one Rocket Richard trophy (most regular-season goals).
Expert NHL Series Picks: Edmonton Oilers vs. Anaheim Ducks Odds and Predictions
by Chris Vasile - 4/25/2017
With all due respect to the other Western Conference series, this matchup between the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks figures to be the series that draws the most eyeballs. In one corner you have the young, high-flying Oilers, who have finally put it all together thanks to phenom Connor McDavid. McDavid led the league in points with 100, and the 20-year-old captain has gotten his teammates to buy in and believe in the systems. In the other corner you have the Ducks, who are accustomed to playing deep into April.
Expert NHL Series Predictions: Nashville Predators vs. St. Louis Blues Odds and Betting Picks
by Chris Vasile - 4/25/2017
The second round of the NHL Playoffs gets underway Wednesday night at 8 p.m. EST with a matchup between the Nashville Predators and the St. Louis Blues. That game will be followed by the young-guns of Edmonton travelling to Anaheim to do battle with the Ducks. If the second round is half as exciting as the first round was, hockey fans will be in for a treat. The first round of the NHL Playoffs saw 18 games head to overtime, which set an NHL record, and there were several shocking outcomes that kept fans on the edge of their seats.
Expert Hockey Playoff Picks: Western Conference NHL Series Odds and Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 4/10/2017
The NHL regular season has ended and the playoffs are under way. We have two glorious months to look forward to. Things can and often do change in the playoffs, but where it sits right now it sure feels like the teams in the West are all just playing for the right to lose to Chicago. The Blackhawks, with endless amounts of experience, just seem to be head and shoulders above the rest. Of course, they - or anyone else - are still 12 wins away from the Stanley Cup final, so anything can happen, and it's not like the rest of the teams are pushovers.
Expert NHL Playoff Picks: Eastern Conference Hockey Series Odds and Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 4/10/2017
The NHL regular season has drawn to an end, and now the playoffs are about to get rolling. Hockey is a great sport, but it is never better than the two months of the postseason. The Eastern Conference doesn't feel nearly as deep as West does this year, but the top two teams - Washington and Pittsburgh - feel like the two best teams in the NHL right now.
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