FreeSportsInfo :: NHL news

Sunday's NHL Plays-

Pittsburgh Penguins at New Jersey Devils (108, 5) No Sidney Crosby, no problem. At least for the moment. The Penguins had won eight in a row prior to Wednesday's 1-0 los...

Hockey Upcoming Games.................

Toronto Maple Leafs at Ottawa Senators (-135, 5.5) Precious points are on the line in the home of the All-Star Game. The Eastern Conference playoff race is headed for the ho...

Saturday's NHL Plays

New Jersey Devils at Philadelphia Flyers (-160, 5.5) The Philadelphia Flyers began their recent hot streak by defeating the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 21. The 4-1 triumph in...

The Edmonton Oilers entered Thursday

night’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks a +145 underdog, but came out of it with the first player to score eight points in a single game in 23 years. Edmonton’s Sam Ga...

Friday's NHL Plays

New York Islanders at Ottawa Senators (-160, 5.5) The Ottawa Senators are at a breaking point in their season. Not long ago, they were just two points out of top spot in the ...

Thursday's NHL Plays

Nashville Predators at Philadelphia Flyers (-130, 5.5) So far, the Nashville Predators are doing a good job of keeping Ryan Suter’s contract status from being a distracti...

As a general rule, special teams

are critical to a team’s long-term success in the NHL. While most of the game is played 5-on-5, the teams that capitalize on those precious moments when they have the man adv...

The All-Star break provided a

few NHL playoff contenders some extra rest to get healthy and make a run at the Stanley Cup in the second half of the season. The Chicago Blackhawks are one of those teams, an...

Wednesday's NHL Plays

Washington Capitals at Florida Panthers (-130, 5) The Capitals and Panthers have spent much of this season trading places at the top of the Southeast Division, but at some ...

The Pittsburgh Penguins entered

the NHL All-Star break with the league’s longest winning streak of seven straight games, and they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second time in two nights Wednesday ...

Tuesday's NHL Plays

Anaheim Ducks at Phoenix Coyotes (-135, 5.5) The Anaheim Ducks finally put some points on the board ahead of the All-Star break, going 8-1-1 in their last 10. That surg...

The second half of the NHL

season gets underway with a nearly full slate of 13 games Tuesday, following a five-day break that featured a 12-9 win for Team Chara over Team Alfredsson in the 59th annual Al...

This week's best NHL bets:

HOT TEAM: Anaheim Ducks There haven’t been many opportunities this season to put the Ducks in this tax bracket, so let’s give them the honor this week as we turn toward ...

We’ve hit the All-Star break,

and though you have a neat, little contest to play on Sunday in Ottawa, if you like, it’s probably time to start looking ahead to the second half. Will the Rangers slow down?...

It’s hard to believe that

scoring 10 goals was not enough to win either of the past two NHL All-Star Games. But defense has simply not been a priority in hockey’s version of the midseason classic ove...

While each team in the NHL

has played over half of its 82 games at this point in the season, the all-star break always serves as a faux halfway point of the season for teams and bettors alike. With that ...

Wednesday's NHL Plays

Detroit Red Wings at Montreal Canadiens (-155, 5.5) Some of the names and faces have changed, but the Detroit Red Wings can be just as dominant as they were when they were ...

The Detroit Red Wings will try

to head into the NHL All-Star break on an eight-game winning streak and stay atop the Western Conference when they visit the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. (ET). ...

Tuesday's Wagering Tips

Anaheim Ducks at Dallas Stars (-115, 5.5) The Anaheim Ducks still have a lot of work to do to get back in the playoff picture, but their recent run is giving their supporte...

With the NHL’s all-star festivities

scheduled for this weekend, 26 of the league’s 30 teams are in action this Tuesday night in what will be their final game until action resumes after the all-star break next w...

Monday's NHL Plays

Columbus Blue Jackets at Nashville Predators (-255, 5.5) The Nashville Predators are going to experience the NHL's version of "Groundhog Day." After facing the Columbus Blu...

This Week's Best NHL trends

HOT TEAM: Detroit Red Wings The Western Conference has been a bastion of activity when it comes to the “it” team. There are several clubs who have carried that label at ...

Sunday's NHL Plays-

Washington Capitals at Pittsburgh Penguins (-165, 5.5) The Penguins are one heck of a streaky team at the moment. From December 13 through December 27 they won four in a r...

NHL Preview:

Montreal Canadiens at Toronto Maple Leafs (-155, 5.5) One of the great rivalries renews at the Air Canada Centre. It’s one of those feuds where you can throw out the recor...

Saturday's NHL Plays

Philadelphia Flyers at New Jersey Devils (-105, 5.5) This is the third of six meetings this season between these Atlantic Division rivals. The Devils won the latest cont...

Considered by many to be the

best team in hockey, the defending Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins take on two elite Eastern Conference foes this weekend as each team battles for the conference’s top spo...

Friday's NHL Plays

Tampa Bay Lightning at Dallas Stars (-140, 5.5) The injury-plagued Tampa Bay Lightning showed some life with a 5-3 victory over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, snapping a seven...

There are several close divisional

races going on in the NHL right now, but none better than in the Central where the Chicago Blackhawks are locked in a three-team tussle with the Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis...

Thursday's NHL Plays

Ottawa Senators at San Jose Sharks (-180, 5.5) If the Sharks think they’re going to waltz past the Ottawa Senators Thursday, they have another thing coming. Ottawa has ...

A pair of Atlantic Division

matchups highlight a nearly full slate of NHL betting action on Thursday night as the New York Rangers host the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Islanders visit the Philade...

Betting on totals is one

of the most efficient ways that veteran hockey bettors turn a profit over the course of the season. Analyzing how teams play the game – their tendencies towards offense or de...

Wednesday's NHL Plays

Buffalo Sabres at Chicago Blackhawks (-220, 5.5) The Sabres have dropped two straight and 11 of their past 14 to fall out of the top eight in the Eastern Conference. Enteri...

There are only four games on the NHL

betting card this Wednesday night, and while none of them would be considered a marquee matchup, each does feature at least one team fighting for points in the NHL playoff race...

Tuesday's NHL Plays

Edmonton Oilers at Columbus Blue Jackets (-120, 5.5) The Edmonton Oilers have been struggling with consistency and injuries for the better part of this season. There was no...

Late last Thursday night, the

Calgary Flames (21-20-5) made a trade with the Montreal Canadiens to bring back left winger Michael Cammalleri in hopes of igniting the team for a playoff run. Cammalleri enjoy...

Monday's NHL Plays

Nashville Predators at New York Islanders (100, 5.5) Pekka Rinne and the Nashville Predators are as stingy as a conservative uncle, but there is no discounting their success ...

This week's best NHL trends:

HOT TEAM: Ottawa Senators There have been many in and around the Eastern Conference -- players, coaches, fans -- simply waiting for the Senators to come back to life. Expect...

NHL Weekend Action

New York Rangers at Toronto Maple Leafs (112, 5.5) While things are getting tight in the Eastern Conference, the surprising Rangers are still tops in that league and will br...

Saturday's NHL Plays

Chicago Blackhawks at Detroit Red Wings (143, 5.5) The Blackhawks have won two straight to move back atop the Central Division with 57 points. They’re doing it witho...

The Chicago Blackhawks (26-13-5)

snapped a four-game losing streak with a 5-2 win over last-place Columbus Tuesday, and topped the reeling Minnesota Wild with the same score Thursday. Are the Blackhawks back o...

Friday's NHL Plays

Pittsburgh Penguins at Florida Panthers (-125, 5) Good news has been few and far between for the Pittsburgh Penguins lately. They fell 1-0 to Washington on Wednesday, ...

Only one NHL matchup between teams

with winning records will take place on Friday the 13th, as the Pittsburgh Penguins visit the Florida Panthers, highlighting a five-game slate of hockey betting action before a...

Thursday's NHL Plays

San Jose Sharks at Winnipeg Jets (+130, 5.5) Third-period comebacks were the story for both the San Jose Sharks and Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night. The Sharks were unable to ...

Thursday night's NHL betting

action is going to be significant for a number of teams, as the trade deadline of February 27 draws near. There are a slew of squads that you wouldn’t think of as traditional...

The always-intense rivalry between

the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins highlights a light two-game NHL schedule on Wednesday night. The Capitals started the season 7-0 before a November slump led to...

Wednesday's NHL Plays

Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals (N/A) The only thing consistent about the Washington Capitals this season is their maddening inconsistency. Just when it looks like...

Tuesday's NHL Plays

Winnipeg Jets at Boston Bruins (-255, 5.5) The Boston Bruins find themselves in an unfamiliar position – attempting to rebound from a loss – as they prepare to host the W...

The Chicago Blackhawks lost

their fourth straight game Sunday, losing at home to the Detroit Red Wings on a Pavel Datsyuk game-winner in overtime. With the overtime win, Detroit is now in first place in t...

Monday's Wagering Tips

Vancouver Canucks at Florida Panthers (130, 5.5) The Vancouver Canucks exacted a bit of revenge by besting the Boston Bruins in a chippy rematch of last summer's Stanley Cup ...

NHL Betting This Week :

HOT TEAM: New York Rangers The big-bucks, big-news signing of Brad Richards this summer reminded many of the old days in New York, where marquee free agents would land with ...

Sunday's NHL Plays-

Philadelphia Flyers at Ottawa Senators (104, 5.5) The Senators still aren't anywhere near catching Boston in the Northeast Division, but they are heating up. Ottawa has won f...

NHL betting preview:

Detroit Red Wings at Toronto Maple Leafs (137, 5.5) If you believe the buzz and the NHL rumor mill, these two Original Six franchises could well be headed toward a collisio...

Saturday's NHL Plays

Ottawa Senators at Philadelphia Flyers (-174, 5.5) The Flyers got goals from all four lines in their 5-4 win over Chicago on Thursday. They racked up 46 shots, including se...

Friday's NHL Plays

Buffalo Sabres at Carolina Hurricanes (100, 5.5) If the Buffalo Sabres are going to get on a run to get back in the playoff picture, they can’t waste much more time. Th...

The Chicago Blackhawks visit

the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday for the first time since hoisting the Stanley Cup there in 2010, setting the table for an exciting weekend of NHL betting action. The Black...

Thursday's NHL Plays

Chicago Blackhawks at Philadelphia Flyers (-110, 5.5) If it weren’t for Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, the Philadelphia Flyers probably would have ended their stint a...

Wednesday's NHL Plays

Winnipeg Jets at Montreal Canadiens (-125, 5.5) After six straight road games, most teams would be happy to get back on home ice. But the Montreal Canadiens aren’t your ave...

Tuesday's NHL Plays

New York Islanders at Carolina Hurricanes (-130, 5.5) The chance to escape the Eastern Conference basement is on the line when the Carolina Hurricanes host the New York Islan...

While the true halfway point in

the NHL season is still a few weeks away, the turn of the calendar into a new year tends to serve as a visual reminder that the playoffs are quickly approaching. The month of D...

NHL Winter Classic:

New York Rangers at Philadelphia Flyers (-135, 5.5) The NHL could not have dreamt this one up any better, as the top two teams in the Atlantic Division, and two of the top fo...

Monday's NHL Plays

New Jersey Devils at Ottawa Senators (-130, 5.5) With both teams holding tenuous playoff spots, the Ottawa Senators and New Jersey Devils will look to distance themselves fro...

This week's best NHL bets:

HOT TEAM: Colorado Avalanche For a snapshot of just how difficult it's going to be to make the playoffs in the Western Conference this season, look no further than Colorado....

NHL Preview:

Toronto Maple Leafs at Winnipeg Jets (-127, 5.5) The race at the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff bracket figures to be a dandy from here on out, and -- health permit...

Saturday's NHL Plays

Boston Bruins at Dallas Stars (150, 5.5) The red-hot Bruins have won seven straight, outscoring opponents by an incredible 32-8 margin. The defending Cup champs lead the NH...

Friday's Wagering Tips

Detroit Red Wings at Chicago Blackhawks (-135, 5.5) When you have the talent that Pavel Datsyuk has, it’s only a matter of time before the points start piling up. That�...

Thursday's NHL Plays

Montreal Canadiens at Tampa Bay Lightning (-120, 5.5) Coaching in Montreal is a pressure cooker at the best of times, but for an Anglophone, it’s even tougher. Randy Cu...

Wednesday's NHL Plays

Boston Bruins at Phoenix Coyotes (+150, 5.5) After a sluggish start to the season, Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien hasn’t had much to complain about since. They lost seve...

Tuesday's NHL Plays

Winnipeg Jets at Colorado Avalanche (-130, 5.5) We’re about to find out what the Jets are made of. The franchise, still in the honeymoon stage since relocating from Atlanta...

As the month of December winds

down, the NHL continues to close in on the halfway point of the 2011-12 season. The cream has risen to the top in both the Eastern and Western Conferences. The Boston Bruins c...

This week's best NHL bets

HOT TEAM: Chicago Blackhawks The Blackhawks have a tendency to rack up ridiculous streaks, then they come back to earth a bit, only to do it all over again. So be careful wit...

Monday's NHL Plays

Colorado Avalanche at Minnesota Wild (-135, 5) The Wild emerge from Christmas break trying to break an 0-4-2 skid. They’ve scored one or zero goals in five of their last si...

We are a week away from the

fifth annual Winter Classic, which means before long, we’ll be taking a turn for the second half of the NHL season. Let’s look back at some of the storylines from the first...

Friday's NHL Plays

Philadelphia Flyers at New York Rangers (-120, 5.5) As far as appetizers go, this one should be hearty. HBO’s hit show 24/7 has done a fantastic job of setting the stage...

Thursday's NHL Plays

Minnesota Wild at Edmonton Oilers (-125, 5) Something has to give when the Minnesota Wild visit the Edmonton Oilers Thursday. Minnesota is 0-3-2 in its last five games as...

Wednesday's NHL Plays

Tampa Bay Lightning at San Jose Sharks (-180, 5.5) When you travel as much as the San Jose Sharks do, you have to make the most of extended home stands. That’s what the...

Tuesday's NHL Plays

Chicago Blackhawks at Pittsburgh Penguins (+110, 5.5) With the news that Sidney Crosby had been returned to the injured reserve hovering over the Pittsburgh Penguins, Evgeni ...

The Los Angeles Kings fired

head coach Terry Murray a week ago and will reportedly hire Darryl Sutter to replace him on Tuesday. In the meantime, interim coach John Stevens will get to lead the Kings (14...

NHL Preview:

HOT TEAM: New Jersey Devils The low point hit in a four-game span that bridged November to December. Legendary goaltender Martin Brodeur was shaky, at best, the goals on the...

Monday's NHL Plays

Detroit Red Wings at Edmonton Oilers (+125, 5.5) The Detroit Red Wings won their 10th consecutive home game Saturday at Joe Louis Arena, slamming the Los Angeles Kings 8-2. N...

Sunday's NHL Plays

Carolina Hurricanes at Florida Panthers (-177, 5.5) The Panthers have cooled off just a bit, but they are still 17-9-6 overall. Although Friday’s shootout win over Calgary ...

NHL Preview:

Vancouver Canucks at Toronto Maple Leafs (N/A) The resurgent Canucks continue a road trip at the Air Canada Centre and they’ll have the good fortune of meeting a potentia...

Saturday's NHL Plays

Tampa Bay Lightning at Columbus Blue Jackets (-115, 5.5) Injuries have forced Columbus to use defenseman Aaron Johnson as a wing recently. The Blue Jackets have scored five...

Friday's NHL Plays

Toronto Maple Leafs at Buffalo Sabres (-125, 5.5) Now that Ryan Miller is back between the pipes, things are starting to get back to normal for the Buffalo Sabres. They still...

Thursday's NHL Plays

Washington Capitals at Winnipeg Jets (+105, 5.5) We mentioned a little while ago that the Jets were turning into a heck of a home team in front of their crazed fans at the MT...

The top two teams in

the Western Conference square off Wednesday as the league-leading Minnesota Wild host the Chicago Blackhawks. Minnesota returns home following a 4-1-0 road trip that conclu...

Wednesday's NHL Plays

Boston Bruins at Ottawa Senators (+150, 5.5) The Senators will probably catch a major break as Bruins captain Zdeno Chara will likely sit out another game with knee injury, b...

Tuesday's NHL Plays

Los Angeles Kings at Boston Bruins (-175, 5) In one of the worst-kept secrets in the NHL this season, the Los Angeles Kings finally got around to firing coach Terry Murray Mo...

With every team in the NHL

right around the 30-game mark, the halfway point of 41 games is rapidly approaching. The standings are starting to take shape, and a surprising team currently sits at the top. ...

Monday's NHL Plays

New Jersey Devils at Tampa Bay (-120, 5.5) The reality of Martin St. Louis’ absence is setting in for the Lightning. St. Louis, who was hit in the face with the puck at...

This Week's Best NHL trends:

HOT TEAM: Detroit Red Wings The numbers are starting to remind people of the glory days in Hockeytown. An easy 7-1 victory over Winnipeg Jets on Saturday was Detroit’s nin...

The NHL has seen its share

of surprises at both ends of the standings through the first quarter of the season. Teams like Minnesota and Florida have exceeded preseason expectations while clubs like W...

Sunday's NHL Plays

San Jose Sharks at Chicago Blackhawks (-125, 5.5) Is there a goalie controversy brewing in Chicago? Ray Emery, the backup to Corey Crawford for most of the season, has pla...

NHL Weekend Notes

Vancouver Canucks at Ottawa Senators (130, 5.5) Though they must be surprised to look up and see Minnesota ahead of them in first place in the Northwest Division, the second...

Saturday's NHL Plays

Tampa Bay Lightning at Philadelphia Flyers (-200, 5.5) The last time these two teams got together, there was a whole lot of standing around going on. The Flyers refused t...

Friday's NHL Plays

Carolina Hurricanes at Winnipeg Jets (-145, 5.5) The MTS Centre may never have been louder than it was on Tuesday night when the hometown Jets dropped the defending Stanley C...

Thursday's NHL Plays

Minnesota Wild at Los Angeles Kings (N/A) If you haven’t already, it’s time to start taking the Minnesota Wild seriously. With Tuesday’s win over the San Jose Shark...

Wednesday's NHL Plays

Philadelphia Flyers at Buffalo Sabres (-110, 5.5) Everything was supposed to get back to normal when Ryan Miller settled in between the pipes for the first time in weeks on S...

Tuesday's NHL Plays

Detroit Red Wings at St. Louis Blues (-115, 5.5) It’s not uncommon to see a team get on a bit of a run following a coaching change. That’s exactly what happened to the Bl...

As the NHL season rolls into

December, three teams will do so with a new coach. Shortly after Thanksgiving, the Washington Capitals, Carolina Panthers and Anaheim Ducks decided to move in a different direc...

This week's best NHL bets

HOT TEAM: Philadelphia Flyers Defenseman and captain Chris Pronger is again out for a good little bit, this time with a shoulder injury, but the Flyers just keep rolling alo...

Monday's NHL Plays

Tampa Bay Lightning at Ottawa Senators (-115, 5.5) It’s probably just a matter of time before the Tampa Bay Lightning come around. They fell apart in the third period o...

Sunday's NHL Plays-

Detroit Red Wings at Colorado Avalanche (133, 5.5) After a relatively slow start, the Red Wings are positively on fire. They have won seven in a row and now have 33 points...

What's hot on the cold ice...

Toronto Maple Leafs at Boston Bruins (-199, 5.5) Most Bruins fans would say their best Canadian rival is in Montreal. But this year, the Maple Leafs have something brewing i...

Friday's NHL Plays

Detroit Red Wings at Buffalo Sabres (-105, 5.5) The thing about the Detroit Red Wings is that no matter how bleak things look, you know it’s only a matter of time until the...

Today's Hockey Previews:

Pittsburgh Penguins at Washington Capitals (-110, 5.5) If this date with the Penguins can’t wake up the Caps, their newly-named coach Da...

Wednesday's NHL Plays

The New Jersey Devils are coming off a tough 3-2 loss against the Islanders to split their home-and-home series and even though that was four days ago, they’re still fuming ab...

You have to feel for Paul Maurice.

He could be one of the smartest hockey guys around, but for whatever reason, it just wasn’t working out. However, likely the most significant reason is lack of talent. Ou...

Bruce Boudreau isn’t exactly known

as a hockey genius. He’s probably a good guy and is generally known as a players’ coach but it was obvious his team had turned a deaf ear to his tirades. That won’t h...

The second quarter of the NHL

season is underway, and the Dallas Stars will have to press on without the services of starting goalie Kari Lehtonen, who was placed on injured reserve Sunday with a groin inju...

After a blazing start to the season,

the Dallas Stars have come back down to earth a bit. They have dropped seven of their last nine overall and now could be without starting goaltender Kari Lehtonen for a while. ...

When the Los Angeles Kings

brought Mike Richards over from Philadelphia last offseason, they thought he would go a long way in helping generate some offensive consistency. A quarter of the way through th...

This week's best NHL bets:

HOT TEAM: Boston Bruins Well, it took awhile but is looks as though the Boston Bruins have finally shook their Stanley Cup hangover. Boston has strolled through November...

The Wild will have to start a new

streak on Sunday. Minnesota had won five in a row but finally slowed down on Friday and lost 5-2 at home to Edmonton. Despite the setback, the team is still 13-6-3 and in f...

Insert Curtis Sanford.

Hello, winning streak (relatively speaking). A puck to the head on Monday has sidelined starting goaltender Steve Mason and has paved the way for the unheralded Sanford to ...

Here’s another situation in which

a rested home team welcomes a visitor playing the second of a back-to-back. Nothing, however, has kept the Blackhawks from dominating the Kings lately. Chicago has won six s...

The Avs will be far more rested

than the Oilers, who beat Minnesota 5-2 Friday night. But that’s about the only advantage Colorado has. This team has lost 22 of its last 28 home games, and the offense i...

NHL Weekend Action:

Pittsburgh Penguins at Montreal Canadiens (115, 5) A few more firsts for Sidney Crosby in his comeback week. This will be his first road game, his first game in Canada in ne...

This was supposed to be a rebuilding

year for the Sens and it may still turn out that way. But for now at least, they’re in the mix in the Eastern Conference. They have picked up seven of a possible eight po...

When your team gets ripped

7-1 on home ice, there’s only so much you can say about it. So after Tampa Bay was hammered by the Maple Leafs Tuesday, Lightning head coach Guy Boucher chose his words care...

Things are just getting nasty

in Washington and Bruce Boudreau had better get his club going before it’s too late. Not that he isn’t trying. Washington’s bench boss banished Alex Semin to the pres...

Making too much of Chicago’s 9-2

blowout loss to Edmonton over the weekend is probably a mistake. Then again, not making enough of it would also be a problem. A team with Chicago’s talent should never ge...

The Tampa Bay Lightning normally

don’t have many issues on offense. Their problems normally stem from a lack of depth on the back end. They have dropped three of their last four, but Victor Hedman is bac...

The St. Louis Blues caught

flack for dumping Davis Payne in favor of Ken Hitchcock so early this season but it seems to have lit a spark under the club. The Blues haven’t lost in regulation since H...

As we come up on about a

quarter of the NHL season in the books, the hockey world received some great news this week; Sidney Crosby is finally making his return. Out since early last January with a co...

You know things are going well

for the Coyotes when Paul Bissonnette is finding the back of the net. The NHL’s undisputed Twitter king and one of its most feared heavyweights isn’t exactly known for ...

These young Oilers are

giving their supporters 1980s flashbacks. With Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle leading the charge, Edmonton hammered Chicago 9-2 Saturday night despite b...

This week's best NHL bets

HOT TEAM: Minnesota Wild They still play tight defense, they can still slow it down with the best of them, and they still have solid goaltending, all staples of the original...

Ottawa has to be the streakiest

team in the NHL heading into Sunday's game at Vancouver. The Senators have not gone win-loss-win or loss-win-loss since the second, third, and fourth games of the season. Th...

Someone will have to find the

back of the net at some point in this one, either in regulation, overtime, or during a shootout. Perhaps the latter is most likely based on the way Toronto and Carolina have fa...

Today's Hockey Previews:

Washington Capitals at Toronto Maple Leafs (128, 5.5) Similarity Central here at the Air Canada Centre. Teams that were red hot out of the box but have since cooled, square ...

Dating to last season, the Pens

have won five straight over the Panthers. Most recently Pittsburgh posted a 4-2 home win over Florida on Oct. 11. The Pens enter this one angry after going 0 for 7 on the po...

Phoenix has mustered nine goals

in its past four games, including one overtime game and another that went to the shootout. The under is 3-0-1 in that span. But Coyotes goalie Mike Smith, who replaced Ilya ...

Sometimes it’s better

to start an extended road trip with stiff test and set the tone for the rest of the swing. The Blackhawks jumped all over the Canucks in their first game of a six-contest r...

Patience is running very

thin in Carolina. The Hurricanes have dropped seven of their last eight and were absolutely terrible in Wednesday’s listless 4-0 loss to Montreal. They were outshot 36-25...

It’s almost time to start

getting a bit concerned about Henrik Zetterberg if you’re a Red Wings supporter. While Detroit’s defense has been great all season, the offense has been spotty at best ...

Ducks, King cross town thing.......

This isn’t exactly the way either the Kings or Ducks expected to start the season, but a home-and-home between the two clubs should at least light a spark. Los Angeles has...

Canucks in scorefest...

There’s no love lost between these clubs and both are rounding into form ahead of Wednesday’s date. They combined for 56 minutes in penalties in Vancouver’s 6-2 win at...

It’s hard to complain about

Toronto’s 10-6-1 record, but Leafs bettors should be cautious. Toronto has dropped three of its last four and some disturbing trends are surfacing. The Leafs had no busin...

The Boston Bruins have shaken their...

Cup hangover. They got out of the gate slow and had a lot of problems in their own end and on the forecheck on a nightly basis, but now they head into Tuesday’s date with...

The Buffalo Sabres begin

a tough stretch of four games in six days on Monday when they visit the Montreal Canadiens at 7:00 p.m. (ET). But it could be even more difficult for the Sabres (10-6) without...

The Buffalo Sabres have

to be worried about Ryan Miller. He snapped at the media after looking shaky in Buffalo’s 6-2 loss to Boston on Saturday. Miller gave up three goals on 22 shots and then ...

Hockey Upcoming Games.................

HOT TEAM: New York Rangers They had to open the season overseas, and even when they came back to North America, the ...

Don’t look now, but the

Florida Panthers are contending for first place in the Southeast Division. In fact, they had sole possession of the lead for about 24 hours between Thursday and Friday (Washing...

With fans waiting for the other shoe

to drop, Toronto still owns first place in the Northeast Division as the Maple Leafs prepare to host the up-and-down Senators at the Air Canada Centre. ...

If there’s one thing that last

season’s HBO 24/7 series taught us it’s that Bruce Boudreau isn’t afraid to let his team have it on occasion. After a listless 5-2 loss to Dallas, Boudreau put his cl...

Under new coach Ken Hitchcock,

the Blues blanked Chicago 3-0 on Tuesday as they killed all nine Blackhawks’ power plays. Goalie Jaroslav Halak earned his first shutout since last season’s finale again...

The New York Rangers had

to endure an epic road trip before playing their first home game at MSG, but they made their first home stand of the season count. The Rangers went 4-1-1 at Madison Square ...

Forgive us for not falling

head-over-heels in love with the Capitals just yet. So far this season they’ve been hard to read. Some nights you see a solid commitment to defense and an offense that ju...

It’s been a season packed with

surprises in the NHL this year, and with so of the teams playing so well early on that were afterthoughts on the futures odds, the playoff race already seems to be underway jus...

Maybe the Boston Bruins have

finally snapped out of their post-Cup funk. Boston hammered the Maple Leafs 7-0 in Toronto Saturday night, winning consecutive games for the first time all season. Tyler Se...

This week's best NHL bets

HOT TEAM: Nashville Predators When you have good goaltending and defense, and your forwards begin to play with confidence, teams can be capable of anything in this league, a...

What a difference a year makes.

Indeed the tables are turned as this Original Six rivalry resumes at Air Canada Centre. Toronto is back in first place and, as the wins continue to stockpile, the legions of Ma...

After a tough start to the season,

the Jets have won four of six and three of four to improve their record in their first season back in Winnipeg to 5-6-1. This will be the Jets’ fifth installment in a sea...

Young hockey teams often play

much better on the road than they do at home. They don’t have the pressure of playing in front of their home crowd and get a chance to bond while on the highway. That’s...

Ryan Smyth was the heart and soul

of the Oilers for years and if he had it his way, he never would have left Edmonton. But now that he’s back with the Oil, it seems like he never left. Smyth, who has five...

The Philadelphia Flyers are

a hard bunch to figure out early this season, though maybe that’s to be expected. They’re trying to get used to Ilya Bryzgalov starting most nights in goal and reshaped...

After a spotless start

to the season, the Washington Capitals hit a couple of speed bumps on their western road swing. They ran into a hot Oilers team Thursday night and fell 2-1 even though they ...

The Ottawa Senators enter this week

as the hottest team in the NHL, getting back on track with six straight wins following a poor 1-5 start. The Sens (7-5) beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on Sunday night to mov...

Finally getting back to Madison

Finally getting back to Madison Square Garden was supposed to help the Rangers get their game together but so far it looks as though the team is regressing on home ice. New ...

This week's best NHL bets:

HOT TEAM: San Jose Sharks The Sharks usually wait until the postseason to disappoint their fans, but this year, with perhaps as much talent as any team in the Western Confer...

The Blue Jackets are not just

The Blue Jackets are not just the worst team in the NHL. They are looking like by far the worst team in the NHL. Columbus owns a mere three points through 10 games, at least ...

The Red Wings hope a date

with the rival Sharks is what they need to turn it up a notch. Detroit has dropped two straight heading into Friday’s game against San Jose, a team that has ended its pla...

If you offered Ottawa coach

Paul MacLean a 4-5-0 start before the team’s opening game, he would have been a dummy not to take it. The Sens got out of the gate slowly, losing five of their first six,...

Much like past seasons,

the 2011-12 NHL campaign has commenced in a familiar fashion in that we’ve seen a hangover of sorts for teams that advanced the deepest in the Stanley Cup playoffs a season a...

With the Montreal Canadiens

off to their worst start in 70 years, the last thing they needed was more bad news. Turns out their leading scorer, Max Pacioretty, is going to be on the shelf for a while....

So far the Los Angeles Kings

are living up to their preseason hype. Even with Drew Doughty out of the lineup, the Kings have jumped out to a 5-1-1 record thanks to balanced scoring and strong team defe...

This week's best NHL bets:

HOT TEAM: Los Angeles Kings There are plenty of hot teams out of the gate, and while it’s tough to look past the 7-0 Capitals, we did go with Washington in this real-est...

All the New York Rangers want

at this point is a good sleep in their own beds. New York began the season in Europe and then went on a five-game road trip as the renovations at Madison Square Garden near...

The 4-2 Ducks have been getting

it done with defense so far this season. They are fifth in the NHL as of Saturday night allowing only two goals per game. A big reason for that is goalie Jonas Hiller, who ...

Perhaps a three-game homestand

will help kickstart the Canadiens, who along with Winnipeg have the fewest points in the Eastern Conference (3). Toronto won’t make it easy, as the improved Maple Leafs try t...

Most teams would have loved

to start the season playing three of their first four games on home ice, but it hasn’t worked out for the struggling San Jose Sharks. The Sharks have just one win on thei...

Sure it’s still very,

very early in the NHL season, but how good do the Caps and Flyers look? Neither has suffered a regulation loss and the two clubs look like they have a chance to run up the s...

Winnipeg Jets coach

Claude Noel read his team the riot act in the days leading up to the club’s home game against Pittsburgh on Monday and finally got the result he was looking for. After dr...

The Boston Bruins look like

they’re still feeling the hangover of their summer-long Stanley Cup celebration. Boston managed to pick up a 3-2 shootout win over the Blackhawks on Saturday, but the clu...

The NHL season only

started a week and a half ago, but some teams are already separating from the pack while others stumble out of the gate. Some of the teams pegged as preseaso...

The Winnipeg Jets were

one of the NHL’s feel-good stories to start the season but things could get ugly unless they pull it together quickly. Winnipeg dropped a 4-1 decision to Phoenix on Satur...

Best NHL bets this week:

HOT TEAM: Washington Capitals Critics will be quick to say what we all know about the Capitals, right? “Let’s see i...

After a solid regular season

with 99 points in 2010-11, the Ducks are off to a respectable start for their 2011-12 campaign. They are 2-1 and riding a two-game streak into Sunday's contest against St. Loui...

West meets East in a rare matchup

as the Flames try to build off an impressive 4-1 win over Montreal Thursday, while the Maple Leafs look to remain unbeaten. Buoyed by Bourque Calgary certainly didn’t...

It’s back to reality for

the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres were one of four teams that began the regular season in Europe last week and were the most successful club that made the trek by picking up f...

This time there won’t be any HBO

cameras hanging around as the Capitals and Penguins meet for the first time of the season and the matchup sounds like it will be without considerable star power too. Pittsbu...

Things were supposed to be

different for the Blue Jackets this season after they made some major moves in the offseason. Jeff Carter was the biggest fish they landed and the club he’ll mesh well ...

The Minnesota Wild have added

some pieces this season and should be much better than last year once everything comes together. That hasn’t happened yet. They were asleep at the wheel early in Monday�...

Last year’s Stanley Cup finalists

have just one win between them in three games while five teams have won their first two games heading into the first full week of regular-season action. The defending NHL cham...

The last time these two teams

hooked up, the Tampa Bay Lightning sent the Capitals to the golf course by winning the Eastern Conference semifinal. Both teams look set to make another run into the postseason...

Welcome back to Winnipeg, NHL.

The last NHL sighting in Manitoba was on April 28, 1996, when the Jets lost to Detroit in Game 6 of a first-round playoff series. They moved to Phoenix and became the Coyotes ...

Two fan bases thirsty for

playoff appearances, two franchises desperate for better showings this season. The Senators pop into Air Canada Centre on the tail end of back-to-back games after losing to Det...

The Rangers are stewing

in Sweden about a missed opportunity Friday against Los Angeles. New York gave the Kings a power play in overtime (4-on-3), and Jack Johnson scored with 52 seconds left for a 3...

If you’re looking for a team

that has a lot to play for early in this NHL season, look no further than the Nashville Predators. Their top defensive pairing – and likely the best duo in the league –...

Opening Night in the NHL:

Montreal Canadiens at Toronto Maple Leafs (-120, 5.5) THE STORY: Two of hockey's most historic rivals meet to open the season Thursday wh...

The Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to start strong this season after putting together a strong stretch in the second half last season, just missing out on the postseason. H...

It seems just about every sports fan

gets a kick out of predicting breakout teams before they breakout. Of course, by the end of a long season, no one remembers who you picked as you anyway. Nevertheless, you c...

The Vancouver Canucks were

the class of the Western Conference last season, but returning to that lofty perch will prove difficult in 2011-12. The core of the club that reached the Stanley Cup final ...

The 2011-2012 NHL regular

season gets underway on Thursday with a trio of games, including the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins hosting the Philadelphia Flyers in a playoff rematch. The Eas...

The post-Stanley Cup honeymoon

didn't last long for the Boston Bruins, who learned over the offseason that they might have to do without forward Marc Savard for good. While the Bruins (+450 to win the East t...

After playing 106 games,

the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins will have one contest to determine which team will hoist Lord Stanley's Cup. Every shift will be magnified and every goal will be crucia...

Well, now what?

One of the craziest NHL Finals in recent memory comes to an end Wednesday when the Canucks host the Bruins in Game 7 and if you feel like you honestly have a good handle on ...

For the second time

in three years and the sixth time over the past 10 seasons, a Game 7 will decide the winner of the Stanley Cup Final when the Boston Bruins visit the Vancouver Canucks on Wedne...

The Vancouver Canucks

are one win away from claiming their first Stanley Cup championship in their 40-year franchise history. Coach Alain Vigneault's club has won three games in the series - all in ...

If the Vancouver Canucks

win the Stanley Cup on Monday night, you’d better believe they’ll deserve it. After being outscored 12-1 in two losses in Beantown, the Canucks rallied to book a 1-0 vi...

Home ice has played a

major role in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final so far with the host team winning all five games. Of course that means the Boston Bruins will have the edge in Game 6 on Monday back a...

The Canucks left Vancouver

in control and return home in tatters. Two disastrous games in Boston have the Canucks level with the Bruins at two games apiece in the Stanley Cup Final. Game 5 goes Friday ni...

The books posted Vancouver

as a -150 favorite for Game 5 and that number was already up to as high as -175 by Thursday evening. If you caught the last two games of the series in Boston, you have to be wo...

When the Vancouver Canucks left

for Boston after beating the Bruins 3-2 in overtime in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday, they had all the momentum on their side to go along with a 2-0 series lead. ...

Canucks bettors, relax

Take two deep breaths and realize that getting trounced 8-1 in Game 3 wasn’t all bad. For one thing, it serves as a major wakeup call and the final scored didn’t do the...

With Nathan Horton laying

motionless on the ice, convention wisdom wondered if the Boston Bruins could pick themselves up in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Boy, did they ever. Mark Recchi collected a...

The Vancouver Canucks made

a huge mistake that nearly kept them from advancing in their Western Conference quarterfinal series against the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks. The Canucks ...

Alex Burrows was not suspended

for his actions in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. In Game 2 on Saturday, Burrows took another bite out of the Boston Bruins by scoring 11 seconds into overtime to give the V...

The Boston Bruins suffered

through their worst nightmare in losing Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final to the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 in overtime. They will now try to pick up the pieces upon their return hom...

The Vancouver Canucks took

a bite out of the Boston Bruins in more ways than one in the opener of the Stanley Cup final. The Canucks seized the upper hand Wednesday, earning a thrilling 1-0 win in what l...

The Boston Police Department

is putting out an all-points bulletin for the Bruins’ power play. The unit was non-existent in Game 1, failing to convert on six chances, including a lengthy 5-on-3 opport...

The goaltending battle

certainly lived up to its billing in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins. Now bettors and fans alike will wait and see if the rest ...

Rested or rusty?

That's the question the Vancouver Canucks face as they prepare for Wednesday's opening game of the Stanley Cup final against the visiting Boston Bruins. Vancouver enjoyed a wee...

No Canadian team

has won the Stanley Cup since way back in 1993 when the Montreal Canadiens lifted the most prized piece of hardware in sports. The Vancouver Canucks looked like a team that cou...

NHL betting fans have

been waiting for this all season long. The 2011 edition of the Stanley Cup will either be heading to Beantown for the first time since 1972 or Western Canada for the first time...

No. 1 (West) Vancouver

Canucks vs. No. 3 (East) Boston Bruins SERIES PRICE: Vancouver -225, Boston +201 SEASON SERIES: Boston won the only meeting with Vancouver, 3-1, as a +134 road underdog o...

The Vancouver Canucks

expect to have the services of defensemen Christian Ehrhoff and Aaron Rome for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals on Wednesday. Ehrhoff and Rome were injured on hits from San ...

The Tampa Bay Lightning

are tough to put away. After falling into a 3-1 hole in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series, the fifth-seeded Lightning electrified the fourth-seeded Pittsburgh Pengui...

If there’s one thing

the Lightning know how to do, it’s win when their backs are against the wall. Tampa Bay improved to 4-0 this season when facing elimination, including a thrilling, 5-4 win in...

The Eastern Conference

Championship and a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals are on the line this Friday night at the TD Garden when the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Boston Bruins wrap up their best-of-se...

The Lightning have more

questions than answers heading back to Florida trying to win Game 6 and send the series back to Boston. Tampa Bay first must find a way to replace the impact of forward Sean...

Tim Thomas won the

Vezina Trophy two years ago and is once again up for the award in 2011. After denying Steve Downie on a point-blank opportunity in the third period on Monday, Thomas will have ...

When goaltender Tim Thomas

has played like the Vezina Trophy favorite in the playoffs, the third-seeded Boston Bruins are nearly unbeatable. Thomas was brilliant again in Game 5 on Monday at home, leadi...

The Vancouver Canucks

used a sensational two-minute surge to earn a 4-2 win in Game 4 and seize control of their Western Conference final series with the San Jose Sharks. Armed with a 3-1 lead in th...

Right now the Western Conference

finals are telling a tale of two very different teams. If there is any good news for the Sharks, however, it’s that the story is about to end and they will soon be out of the...

The top-seeded Vancouver

Canucks can advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1994 with a victory in Game 5 on home ice Tuesday against the second-seeded San Jose Sharks. Game time is...

The Bruins are wondering

how in the world they aren’t heading back to Boston with a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals and a chance to clinch the series on Monday. But they only have themse...

The Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay

Lightning split the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals at the TD Garden, and then split their next two games at the St. Pete Times Forum. Now, with momentum ridi...

Penalties were the story

Friday night as the San Jose Sharks held on for a 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks in Game 3 of the NHL's Western Conference final. The Sharks will look to even the best-...

The Sharks made this

a series by defeating Vancouver 4-3 on Friday night, pulling within 2-1 in the Western Conference Finals. But let’s not overreact to the victory. Nor should there be any r...

It wasn't the prettiest game

in the world, but the San Jose Sharks were able to topple the Vancouver Canucks in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals to keep their season from moving to the brink of elim...

After two high-scoring games

that soared ‘over’ the total of 5½ goals, the third-seeded Boston Bruins blanked the fifth-seeded Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0 on the road Thursday in Game 3 of the Eastern Con...

After scoring five times

in both Games 1 and 2 of the Eastern Conference finals, the Tampa Bay Lightning suffered a power outage on Thursday. Tim Thomas is to blame - well, from Tampa Bay's point of vi...

The San Jose Sharks hope

a return to California will put them back on the right track as they host the surging Vancouver Canucks on Friday in Game 3 of the NHL's Western Conference final. The Canucks s...

San Jose is simply running

out of gas late in games. The Sharks have no answer for opponents in the third period the past two weeks, coughing up an absurd 15 goals combined in the final frame of the l...

The top-seeded Vancouver

Canucks could not solve goaltender Antti Niemi last year when he was in the midst of leading the Chicago Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup. This year, the Canucks have absolutely ...

The Tampa Bay Lightning

scored 13 seconds into Game 2 on Tuesday and the collective groan let out by the TD Garden faithful suggested that the hometown Boston Bruins might be in for a long night. As i...

The Tampa Bay Lightning

have found their offensive stride – and it’s at a bad time for the Bruins. Boston has ridden the white hot goaltending of Tim Thomas this season, but now must go on the ...

The third-seeded Boston Bruins

found a way to even the Western Conference Finals at 1-1 with a 6-5 win over the fifth-seeded Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 2 on Tuesday thanks to a monster second period led by ...

A late rally helped the

Vancouver Canucks secure the opening game of the Western Conference final. They'll look to build on that third-period momentum Wednesday when they entertain the San Jose Sharks...

Antti Niemi might

finally be getting a little gassed. The Shark’s outstanding goaltender has seen miles of rubber the past two weeks. Over that span, San Jose has been outshot in five of th...

The second-seeded San Jose

Sharks have not had problems getting leads in the postseason. The Sharks have had issues maintaining leads and translating them into wins recently. They will try to break tha...

The Tampa Bay Lightning

didn't show any rust as a result of their lengthy layoff between playoff rounds. As for the Boston Bruins, well ... they better liberally apply some WD-40 prior to Game 2 of th...

Sure, the Tampa Bay

Lightning are on fire. They have won eight consecutive games since trailing Pittsburgh 3-1 in the first round of the NHL playoffs and they destroyed Boston 5-2 on Saturday. ...

The fifth-seeded Tampa Bay

Lightning are the lowest seed remaining in the NHL playoffs, and they are also the hottest team left following a 5-2 rout of the third-seeded Boston Bruins in Game 1 of the Eas...

The Vancouver Canucks

and San Jose Sharks have both survived near-collapses so far in the postseason. That perseverence will lead one of the two clubs to a berth in the Stanley Cup as the West Coast...

Vancouver and San Jose

successfully made their ways—albeit just barely—to a showdown between the top two seeds in the Western Conference finals. The Sharks are trying to bounce back from a sev...

Do you remember the Boston Bruins

and Tampa Bay Lightning? You know, the teams who made a clean sweep of the two top-ranked clubs in the Eastern Conference semifinals? The third-seeded Bruins avenged last year'...

No. 1 Vancouver Canucks

vs. No. 2 San Jose Sharks Series odds: Vancouver -150, San Jose +125 OFFENSE Hockey bettors have yet to see the offensive strengths of either team produce consistently...

Something has to give

in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference because neither team is accustomed to losing. Since trailing Pittsburgh 3-1 in a first-round series, the Lightning have won seven consecu...

The Boston Bruins have

gone 18-3-4 in their last 25 meetings at home with the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, the Bolts have been blasting all sorts of NHL betting trends out of the water in the playof...

Unlike the Eastern Conference,

the two best teams from the regular season will meet in the NHL’s Western Conference Finals. The series between the top-seeded Vancouver Canucks and second-seeded San Jose Sh...

The conference finals

are upon us as the chase for the 2011 Stanley Cup has been narrowed dow to four teams. Bodog.com is carrying a wide array of NHL prop odds for the third round of the postseaso...

San Jose has lost

its confidence. "Just refocus. Get ready for Game 7 at home. Forget about tonight," San Jose captain Joe Thornton said after his team’s Game 6 defeat. "We didn’t play ve...

There is no lack of impressive

accomplishments in the storied history of the Detroit Red Wings. They are now are just one step away from completing their most remarkable feat and taking a place beside the 19...

If you don't learn from

your mistakes, you're bound to repeat them. It was only the grace of a single stroke of genius that kept the Vancouver Canucks from being the fourth team in NHL history to blo...

Seeing the San Jose Sharks

post impressive regular seasons only to fall flat in the playoffs has become the norm lately. The Detroit Red Wings are halfway to making this postseason the ultimate failure f...

The Sharks are finding

out that it’s going to take something special to finish off one of the proudest franchises in NHL history. San Jose led 3-0 in this Western Conference semifinal series but...

Doesn't it seem like strange

things are happening in the Eastern Conference every single year in the playoffs? One year after the Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens squared off for the right to go ...

The San Jose Sharks

closed out the Detroit Red Wings last year in Game 5 at home in the playoffs when they had the chance after going up 3-0 under similar circumstances. The Red Wings made sure t...

With their backs to

the wall Saturday, the Nashville Predators took advantage of the opportunities given them to stay alive in the Western Conference semifinals. If they continue to capitalize on ...

Tampa Bay Lightning

vs. Boston Bruins Series Price: Bruins -140, Lightning +120 OFFENSE: The Bruins can come at you in waves, and are receiving some offensive punch from unlikely sources...

Nashville’s offense finally

heated up when it mattered most—facing elimination for the first time this postseason. Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo had not allowed more than two pucks past him in his pre...

The Vancouver Canucks had

the opportunity to close out the Chicago Blackhawks at home in Game 5 in the Western Conference quarterfinals and found out how quickly the momentum swung in that series. Whil...

The San Jose Sharks and Detroit

Red Wings are following the script they wrote during their Western Conference semifinal series last year. Detroit is hoping to write a different ending as they try to extend th...

The Detroit Red Wings are

still alive, but just barely. Facing elimination down 3-0 in the series, Detroit survived at home on Friday night by scoring a late goal in a 4-3 victory over San Jose. Of c...

Hockey moms will

get a late Mother’s Day present Sunday when the San Jose Sharks host the Detroit Red Wings in Game 5 of this Western Conference semifinal series. The puck drops from San Jose...

The Vancouver Canucks failed

to put away the Chicago Blackhawks in the Western Conference quarterfinals when they had the chance and were forced to win in overtime in Game 7 to advance. Coach Alain Vigneau...

There’s a reason why

the Canucks are -208 for Saturday’s contest. It’s because they are going to win. They have won four of their last five games dating back to Game 7 against the Blackhawks...

The San Jose Sharks have

a chance to make history Friday when they take on the third-seeded Detroit Red Wings in Game 4 of their Western Conference semifinal series at Joe Louis Arena. After winning th...

If the Red Wings have

any chance of making history against San Jose, somebody other than Pavel Datsyuk has to step up. The European star has registered a point in all but one postseason contest a...

The brooms will be out

at TD Garden this Friday night when the Philadelphia Flyers try to avoid a four-game sweep at the hands of the Boston Bruins in their Eastern Conference semifinal matchup. Game...

The San Jose Sharks

can sweep away the Detroit Red Wings in this Western Conference semifinal series with a victory in Friday’s Game 4. The Sharks took a commanding 3-0 series lead thanks to Wed...

The top-seeded Vancouver Canucks

look to take a stranglehold on their Western Conference semifinal series against the fifth-seeded Nashville Predators on Thursday when the teams face off in Game 4 at Bridgesto...

At least one of the Sedin twins

is coming alive. Daniel Sedin chipped in an assist on his team’s second goal in a 3-2 overtime win over Nashville in Game 3. The point was his first in four games. Over h...

The lone game on Thursday’s NHL

playoff slate features a Western Conference semifinal matchup between the heavily favored Vancouver Canucks and the pesky Nashville Predators. The puck drops from Nashville’s...

With all due respect

to David Krejci, Vezina Trophy finalist Tim Thomas was truly "The Story" on Monday. Thomas turned aside a career-high 52 shots - including 32 after the second period - as the B...

Don’t expect the Sharks

to be intimidated by Joe Louis Arena. The team got a split there last year after taking a 2-0 lead following a pair of games in California. Now, San Jose will look to be eve...

Fewer than 20 percent of teams down

2-0 in the Stanley Cup playoffs go on to win the series. In fact, the Detroit Red Wings have lost six of the last seven series when they trailed 2-0. But that is a reality the...

The Philadelphia Flyers

and the Boston Bruins have a heck of a lot of history between them. The Bruins are making their 66th appearance in the Stanley Cup playoffs and have five titles to their credit...

The Tampa Bay Lightning

are having such a good time on the road that they might not want to come home. After winning five straight away from the Sunshine State - including the first two of their Easte...

It does not look good for

the Capitals right now, having lost the first two games of this series at home. Tampa Bay won 4-2 in Game 1 and 3-2 on Sunday. Still, at least Washington has been competitiv...

They say that lightning doesn’t

strike twice in the same spot. The Tampa Bay Lightning proved that theory wrong over the weekend by registering road wins in the first two games of their best-of-seven Eastern ...

After failing to close out

a 3-0 advantage in the 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals series, the Boston Bruins made sure to put their best foot forward in this year's edition. David Krejci collected two ...

Despite having home ice,

Philadelphia got off to a shockingly bad start in its Eastern Conference semifinal series against Boston. The Flyers had played arguably their best hockey of the season in a 5-...

Boston and Philadelphia

resume their Eastern Conference semifinal showdown with Monday’s matchup. The third-seeded Bruins are trying to avenge last year’s painful playoff ouster, while the second...

The Detroit Red Wings look

to gain a split of the first two contests of their Western Conference semifinal series with the San Jose Sharks when the teams collide in Game 2 on Sunday afternoon at the HP P...

Detroit came close in Friday’s

series opener, but the visitors squandered a one-goal lead in the third period and lost in overtime. The Red Wings have now lost four in a row to San Jose after winning the sea...

The Tampa Bay Lightning will

look to take a 2-0 series lead this Sunday in their best-of-seven matchup against the Washington Capitals in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Game time from DC's Verizon Cent...

Everyone knows the story,

regardless if you live in Beantown or the City of Brotherly Love. Of course, the tone of the tale will take an interesting turn whether one prefers chowder or cheesesteaks. Las...

The Bruins earned points

in all four regular-season meetings with Philadelphia and won three of them, but they still have a long way to go to avenge what happened in 2010. At the same stage of last yea...

For the second year in a row

the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers will square off in the Eastern Conference semifinals with Game 1 scheduled for Saturday afternoon at the Wells Fargo Center. The p...

The second round of the NHL

postseason is underway, and we'll be seeing a coast-to-coast, international battle in the Stanley Cup Final if updated futures odds are spot on. Bodog.com released its newest ...

Washington Capitals vs. Tampa Bay

Series odds: Washington -220, Tampa Bay -150 Season series: 4-2 for the Capitals The Southeast Division gets a bad rap more than it should. In the first decade of the...

The Lightning are making

a quick turnaround, having prevailed in Game 7 at Pittsburgh on Wednesday and now paying a visit to Washington on Friday. On the other hand, the Capitals took care of the Range...

The Detroit Red Wings and San Jose

Sharks will meet in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the second straight season. It will also be the fifth time these two Western Conference foes have met in th...

The Vancouver Canucks survived

one of the most grueling playoff series in franchise history. They won't have much time to either savor or recover from their win over Chicago, as they host the Nashville Preda...

Canucks vs. Nashville Predators

Series odds: Canucks -240, Predators +180 Season series tied 2-2 Now that they’ve finally solved the Chicago Blackhawks, how will the Canucks react? Will there be a l...

The Vancouver Canucks

averted disaster and finally got past Chicago with a Game 7 win in overtime on Tuesday but the team still has to wonder, what will it take to get the Sedin twins going? The dyn...

The Stanley Cup postseason

chase continues with the conference semifinals set in the Western Conference. The first-round was devoid of some major upsets, with the top three seeds advancing past the open...

The Montreal Canadiens are very

familiar with the situation in which they've put themselves, as are the Boston Bruins. Only one is hoping for a familiar outcome Wednesday as the Original Six rivals square off...

The Penguins might be thinking

about petitioning the league to make all their power plays a 6-on-4 advantage, because having just one extra man surely isn’t working for them against Tampa Bay. Pittsburg...

One of the age-old questions

for hockey handicappers during the playoffs concerns teams that have made quick work of the opposition in the opening round and must wait more than a week to find out which tea...

This is what NHL betting

fans live for. There's absolutely nothing in the world like playoff hockey, especially when you're talking about a do-or-die Game 7, when one team will survive and one will go ...

The Boston Bruins bucked

the trend Saturday by becoming the first home team to post a victory in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal must follow suit t...

So much for the vote of confidence

given to Vancouver goaltender Roberto Luongo. After coach Alain Vigneault said he still had the utmost faith in his netminder, he turned around and started backup goaltender...

So much for Tampa Bay players

getting ready for an early tee time this week. The Lightning turned the tables on Pittsburgh, smacking the Pens for the second time in the series in Pennsylvania and taking ...

It is now a one-and-done series

as the Chicago Blackhawks and the Vancouver Canucks meet in Game 7 of their first round Western Conference playoff matchup. Game time is set for 7 p.m. (PT) Tuesday at BCPlace ...

Losing the first two games of

a best-of-seven playoff series is not usually a recipe for success, especially when those setbacks are on your home ice. However, the Boston Bruins may be an exception. The Mo...

The Tampa Bay Lightning proved

Saturday they were not yet ready to have their season end, coming up with a franchise record-setting offensive performance. Now they must find a way to win at home in the playo...

So much for Tampa Bay players

getting ready for an early tee time this week. The Lightning turned the tables on Pittsburgh, smacking the Pens for the second time in the series in Pennsylvania and taking ...

For a team that was left for dead

going into Game 5 of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Los Angeles Kings looked awfully solid on Saturday night against the San Jose Sharks. The boys from Tinse...

A sudden and troubling collapse

has the Vancouver Canucks scrambling to close out their Western Conference first-round series with the red-hot Chicago Blackhawks. Vancouver burst out to a 3-0 lead in the best...

The Philadelphia Flyers have

no shortage of problems heading to upstate New York. Forward Jeff Carter and defender Chris Pronger are expected to miss the rest of the series with various ...

The Tampa Bay Lightning fizzled

at home after stealing home-ice advantage from the fourth-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series. Now they must pull out a victory on the ro...

The Rangers must find a way

to rally after blowing a three-goal lead in Game 4 and losing the game in double overtime on an atrocious miscommunication on defense that allowed Jason Chimera to chip the win...

The home team has lost each

of the first four games in this Eastern Conference quarterfinal series between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens. The ‘under’ has cashed twice in Boston, while the �...

Last season, the Boston Bruins

were the team that choked away a 3-0 lead in the playoffs when they were beaten by the eventual Eastern Conference champs, the Philadelphia Flyers. We're not quite at the choki...

When Ryan Miller is on his game

he can render an opposing team powerless. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner recorded his second shutout in four contests as the seventh-seeded Buffalo Sabres pulled even with t...

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff

can’t wait to see if his gamble will continue to pay off. The coach reshuffled his lines ahead of Game 4 against the Flyers and his team wound up with a 1-0 victory while for...

The Ducks will be waddling

back to Anaheim with their beaks held high for Friday’s Game 5 against the Nashville Predators after registering a 6-3 victory in Game 4. The win tied this best-of-seven West...

The home teams have been awful

through three games of this series, and while that may be bad news for Boston in the long run, it benefited the team on Monday. The Bruins’ offense finally woke up and they e...

The San Jose Sharks will look

to take a commanding 3-1 lead in Game 4 of their first round, best-of-seven Western Conference playoff matchup with the Los Angeles Kings this Thursday night at Staples Center....

The Washington Capitals have

not had an easy time thus far in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against the eighth-seeded New York Rangers. They can expect the crowd at Madison Square Garden to ...

The Rangers opened the series

by dropping a pair of road games to Washington, but they got back on track with a 3-2 home victory Sunday. The Capitals simply did not deliver a strong performance with a ch...

Boston and Montreal continue

their first-round series where the home ice has been a disadvantage. The sixth-seeded Canadiens quickly took a 2-0 series lead on enemy ice, and figured on having a strangleho...

Avoiding as many grueling

seven-game series as possible is critical to a club’s chances of making a deep postseason run. The Detroit Red Wings have an opportunity to end their quarterfinal series agai...

The Blackhawks are one loss away

from not just failing to defend the Stanley Cup, but also getting unceremoniously bounced from the playoffs without earning even a single win. Chicago dropped a pair of cont...

The first round, best-of-seven

Western Conference playoff matchup between the No. 3 seed San Jose Sharks and the No.6 seed Los Angeles Kings shifts to Staples Center for Game 3 on Tuesday night with the seri...

One more Chicago setback

and the NHL will have its defending champion dismissed via a four-game sweep in the first round. The Blackhawks will attempt to avoid that scenario Tuesday night when they host...

The Phoenix Coyotes will be fighting

for their playoff lives when they host the powerful Detroit Red Wings on Monday night. The Coyotes trail this best-of-seven series 2-0. The puck will drop from Jobing.com Aren...

The Capitals won four of their last

The Capitals won four of their last five outings going into the playoffs and they kept that momentum in Games 1 and 2 against New York. Washington prevailed 2-1 in overtime on W...

The Vancouver Canucks will look

to take a commanding 3-0 lead in their first round playoff series against the Blackhawks when the series shifts to Chicago's United Center this Sunday for Game 3. The puck is s...

The Phoenix Coyotes can pin

some of the blame for their loss in the opener of their Western Conference quarterfinal series on missed opportunities. They're hoping for a few more opportunities to redeem th...

The Red Wings earned a 4-2 victory

in Game 1 on Wednesday despite not playing their best hockey. They killed six penalties, including four in the first period, and overcame a one-goal deficit after one period to...

Montreal Canadiens goaltender

Carey Price entered this best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal series against Boston with eight straight playoff losses. Price snapped that slump in Thursday’s Game 1...

The Blackhawks have to start

wondering if Roberto Luongo simply has their number. The Vancouver goaltender has stopped 109 of the past 106 Chicago shots he has faced, racking up three straight wins agai...

No one, least of all bookmakers,

is mistaking this year’s Chicago Blackhawks with last season’s Stanley Cup champions. The Blackhawks opened their first-round Stanley Cup series against Vancouver as 190 u...

If it’s true that a hot goaltender

can steal a playoff series, the Pittsburgh Penguins could be primed for a long playoff run. Pittsburgh netminder Marc-Andre Fleury completely stymied the Tampa Bay Lightning en...

If there is one thing the Bruins ca...

it’s score. Boston has scored two or more goals in each of its past eight games. Over that span, the team has a record of 5-3 and not surprisingly, is averaging nearly 2.8...

The Philadelphia Flyers will begin

their attempt at a second consecutive run to the Stanley Cup finals when they host the red-hot Buffalo Sabres in Thursday’s Game 1 of this best-of-seven Eastern Conference qu...

San Jose (48-25-4-5) takes

the postseason ice Thursday versus Los Angeles (46-30-4-2) in an effort to exercise some playoff demons in the Western Conference. The fact that the Sharks are the biggest fav...

The Capitals are finally

healthy. But it might have come a bit too late. Top defenders Tom Poti and Mike Green each have missed a ton of time with various injuries and are expected to both take the ...

After 82 games of grinding

it out in the regular season, the New York Rangers and the Washington Capitals are finally ready to get started in the chase for Lord Stanley's Cup. On Wednesday night, the po...

WASHINGTON CAPITALS vs. NEW YORK R...

Series odds: Caps -315, Rangers +245 Season series: 3-1 for the Rangers. Call it luck vs. loot. The team that needed everything to break right for them on the season’...

Vancouver Canucks vs. Chicago Blac...

Series odds: Vancouver -265 The last time a Stanley Cup champion was the No. 8 seed was in 1995 when the New York Rangers responded by bumping off the No. 1 seed in the open...

Good goaltending, good health

and a little positive momentum are three key ingredients for a National Hockey League team to have a long playoff run. The Vancouver Canucks, the top seed in the Western Confer...

The annual chase for the Stanley Cup

is finally here, and there are 16 teams hoping to raise the National Hockey League’s trophy in early June. One of the many things that make the hockey postseason special is ...

NHL Playoff tips

Best sleeper pick to win the East: Boston Bruins OK, so you may not buy the fact that a division winner could classify as a sleeper, but hear us out. Of the East Elite -- th...

The NHL Playoffs are here

That means it’s time to get cozy in front of your favorite big screen and settle in for two months of sheer excitement. There’s nothing like the NHL postseason, not only...

The Western Conference is deep

from top to bottom and is home to both the defending Stanley Cup champions (Chicago) and the current Presidents’ Trophy winner (Vancouver). Here’s a snapshot look at wha...

Two Original Six rivals battle for

the second time in less than 48 hours with playoff implications and positioning abound in the final game of the season. The game means more to Chicago, but Detroit would lov...

Why is Chicago a -193 favorite

against Detroit on Sunday? Well, quite frankly, all signs point to a Blackhawks' victory. While Detroit has already locked up a playoff spot and home-ice advantage in the fi...

Dallas has beaten the Wild

three times this season, including two shutouts. Prior to Saturday night’s action, the Dallas Stars were two points behind Anaheim and Chicago for the eighth and final Weste...

Tradition reigns supreme in

Hockey Night in Canada's final regular season installment, as two of the league’s most bitter rivals, one headed to the postseason, one not, collide in the Air Canada Centre....

As of Friday afternoon,

Tampa Bay still had a chance to overtake Pittsburgh for the No. 4 seed and home-ice advantage in the first round. Carolina is aiming to sneak into the playoffs at the expense o...

The National Hockey League’s regular

season concludes this weekend, and two Canadian teams face vastly different futures. Vancouver (53-19-4-5) is armed with the league’s best record, and has already clinched t...

Patrick Sharp is finally

healthy and Jonathan Toews is rounding into form. Look out for the Blackhawks. Chicago snapped a two-game losing streak thanks to the play of their talented forwards in a 4-...

The Philadelphia Flyers

and Buffalo Sabres very well could be first round opponents in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and if that's the case, Friday night's NHL betting affair will be a great appetizer for...

The Chicago Blackhawks and

Detroit Red Wings are going to be plenty tired of each other by the end of the weekend. That’s because these two Original Six franchises will conclude the regular campaign wi...

It’s experimenting time for the R...

That’s not what the team wants to hear as it comes down the playoff stretch. New York is coming off a surprising, 5-3 win over Boston, but will be without sparkplug Ryan C...

The Dallas Stars will attempt

to keep their flickering playoff hopes alive Thursday night when they host the Colorado Avalanche in the front end of a home-and-home series that concludes Friday in Colorado. ...

The NHL is looking into

an incident in which Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Marty Turco made a bet with a fan during a game, multiple news outlets reported Wednesday. ...

The goal judges should get

their thumbs loose before this one faces off. San Jose has been on a tear the past 10 games. The Sharks have won four straight and eight of their past 10 overall thanks to a...

Phoenix and Los Angeles are

Phoenix and Los Angeles are two Western Conference playoff teams that figure on really getting to know each other the next week or two. The Coyotes (42-25-7-5) and Kings (45-28...

The Anaheim Ducks look to move

a step closer to a postseason berth when they host their Pacific Division rival San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night. This is the second meeting in four days. The puck will drop...

Tampa Bay has a score to

settle with Buffalo, as these two teams faced each other on Feb. 8 and the host Lightning got hammered 7-4. They should have a good chance of avenging that loss on Tuesday i...

The Tampa Bay Lightning will try

and extend their current winning streak to six games when they tangle with the Buffalo Sabres this Tuesday at HSBC arena. Game time is set for 4 p.m. (PT) and it will be broadc...

Two Original Six teams fighting

for the eighth and final playoff spot in their respective conferences hook up Tuesday when the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks travel to Montreal to meet the Canadiens. T...

Boston's Michael Ryder had not

scored a goal in more than a month, but the end of his drought was worth the wait. Ryder's successful penalty shot in the third period of Saturday's game against Atlanta gave t...

A late-season matchup between a pair

of Pacific Division rivals highlights Monday’s National Hockey League action when Los Angeles (45-27-4-2) visits San Jose (46-23-4-5). The Kings are currently locked in a ti...

The question is which team will

come to play on Sunday: the one that got momentum from clinching a playoff berth, or the one that still needs every single point as it fights for a postseason spot? Tampa Ba...

Neither team is going to make

the postseason at this point. Neither team lived up to their expectations this year, no matter how realistic they may have been. But this is still a rivalry and both teams are ...

Vancouver is running away

with the Western Conference, but there is a logjam behind the Canucks. It includes third-place Detroit (98 points) and sixth-place Nashville (94 points). But the Red Wings a...

After weeks of wondering

just how close the playoff race was really going to be this season, NHL betting fans can now safely identify the 16 teams that are going to be in the playoffs. Sure, the Carol...

With 82 games on the schedule,

every team is going to be involved in a few weird ones that bettors need to shrug off. Chalk St. Louis’ 10-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday night as one of t...

One more loss could serve

as the final gust of wind to douse the Flames’ flickering playoff hopes. Calgary will try to avoid that fate Friday when it travels to St. Louis to play a Blues team that is ...

If you're an NHL betting fan

on the West Coast, you've enjoyed some amazing hockey this season. Even now, going into the last two weeks of the regular season, all five teams in the Pacific Division can sti...

The battle for the eighth and final

Eastern Conference playoff spot heats up Wednesday when the New York Rangers make the short trip to Buffalo for their fourth regular season meeting against the Sabres. The Veri...

Not that it’s overly shocking or ...

but the Columbus Blue Jackets are probably going to miss the playoffs again this year after showing a little bit of fight earlier in the year. What is surprising is just ho...

The top spot in the Atlantic Division

will be up for grabs Tuesday when the first-place Philadelphia Flyers and the second-place Pittsburgh Penguins hook up for their sixth and final regular season meeting. The puc...

HOT TEAM: Vancouver Canucks

So much for complacency down the stretch. The Canucks, who hit a bit of rough patch a few weeks back, have smoothed everything out and are in position to make a deep playoff ru...

The Chicago Blackhawks’ path

to a possible playoff berth heads directly through Motown. This will be the first of three meetings between the two clubs and Chicago is desperately trying to hold on to the ei...

Over the course of the last couple

of seasons, the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks have battled it out atop the Central Division. This year's race is becoming a bit more one sided, and the Nashville Pre...

For the Canucks, success breeds suc...

Vancouver is a phenomenal 7-1 in its past eight games following a victory. But winning really hasn’t been hard for Vancouver this year. The team is among the best in the l...

Points have become precious for the...

who are making things interesting down the stretch as they battle for the No. 8 seed in the East. The Red Wings don’t have those concerns, but should be eager to snap a late-...

After a terrific run,

the New Jersey Devils’ margin for error is down to just about zero. They lost for the third time in four games on Tuesday, falling 4-1 to the Bruins. The Devils came out ...

The National Hockey League’s regu...

season only has a couple of weeks remaining before the annual run to the Stanley Cup. Teams are more concerned right now with finishing strong, improving their playoff positio...

The Toronto Maple Leafs,

fighting for their playoff lives, bring a three-game winning streak into Detroit on Saturday night to play an injured Wings squad that is in the midst of a three-game losing sk...

The last thing the Tampa Bay

Lightning have had to worry about for most of this season is scoring goals, but they’re in a bit of an offensive drought heading into Friday’s game. The Lightning have ...

The New Jersey Devils have won 19

of their last 26 games at Pittsburgh. New Jersey (34-35-3-1) continues a four-game road trip with Friday’s matchup against a Pittsburgh (42-23-5-3) squad playing on back-to-...

Last season, despite

Henrik Lunqvist’s best efforts, the New York Rangers missed out on a playoff berth when they lost in a shootout to the Philadelphia Flyers in the last game of the regular sea...

The Montreal Canadiens travel to

TD Garden this Thursday to face the Boston Bruins in what could very well be a preview of a first-round matchup in this year’s NHL playoffs. Game time is set for 4 p.m. (PT) ...

With Sid the Kid

and the Great 8 absent from their respective lineups, the NHL is currently without two of its brightest stars. One injury appears more serious than the other: Pittsburgh Pen...

The Ducks and Stars head

into this game in a three-way tie with Calgary for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference, so the postseason implications here are pretty obvious. Anaheim is the ho...

The top two teams in the Western Co...

will tangle Wednesday when the league-leading Vancouver Canucks mosey over to Motown for a meeting with the Central Division-leading Detroit Red Wings. The Verizon network will...

Even though the Devils

have won 24 of their last 31 games, it looks like they’re going to need a lot of help to make the playoffs even if they can keep up their impressive run. But don’t expe...

Two Eastern Conference teams

take to the ice Tuesday in Boston under different circumstances. New Jersey (34-34-3-1) is quickly running out of time as the regular season starts to near its end. The Devil...

HOT TEAM: Phoenix Coyotes

Anyone who has watched them play at any point in the season’s second half should not be surprised. While there are more prominent teams with more name power in the Western C...

The Detroit Red Wings are easily

one of the NHL’s deepest teams and they’ve needed that depth during a recent rash of injuries. They dropped a 3-1 decision at Nashville on Saturday as they dressed just...

The National Hockey League’s regu...

only has a couple of weeks remaining, and two playoff teams square off Monday night hoping to improve their postseason seeding. Pittsburgh (41-22-5-3) has the daunting task of...

Even if Henrik Lundqvist plays

for the Rangers, he will most certainly be at less than 100 percent. The team’s elite goalie has guided the squad to three straight wins, but suffered a neck injury late i...

Because there is an average of

just 5.7 goals per game scored during the average NHL contest this season, handicappers would be wise to study which teams do well when scoring first and which are proficient w...

If the Hurricanes are going to

stay in the middle of the Eastern Conference playoff race, they’re going to have to give goaltender Cam Ward some help. The ‘Canes dropped a 3-1 decision to the Toronto...

An Original Six matchup will

be on display Friday night at Madison Square Garden when the New York Rangers meet the Montreal Canadiens for the fourth time this season. The puck drops at 4 p.m. (PT). Montr...

New Jersey continued its

incredible run with a win over the Atlanta Thrashers on Tuesday night to move above .500 for the first time this season. However, sharp Devils supporters saw another streak end...

The Philadelphia Flyers and

Atlanta Thrashers have had an odd history between them, and these two will renew ties in NHL betting action at Phillips Arena on Thursday. The puck drops in Hotlanta at 4:00 p....

Randy Carlyle’s Ducks don’t

take well to getting embarrassed – especially in front of their hometown fans. That’s why the Blues are in major trouble in this one. St. Louis shook off its season-lon...

The season is starting to fade

away for both the St. Louis Blues and the Anaheim Ducks. The two are on the outside of the playoffs looking in at the moment, but can take a big step in the right direction whe...

The Coyotes are a tough team

to get a read on this year. They followed up an eight-game winning streak by promptly dropping five straight and are now 3-0-1 against some of the hottest teams the West has to...

Eight is great,

but nine would be fine. That might be the thought process Tuesday night when the Washington Capitals attempt to extend their eight-game winning streak by traveling to Montreal ...

The numbers say it all

and they are really not surprising in the grand scheme of things. To think that the high-octane Capitals woke up on Sunday with 88 points and in first place in the Southeast Di...

The numbers say it all and they

are really not surprising in the grand scheme of things. To think that the high-octane Capitals woke up on Sunday with 88 points and in first place in the Southeast Division wo...

Suffering back-to-back 4-0 shutout

losses is certainly not the way the Minnesota Wild wanted to begin a four-game road excursion. Things definitely won’t get any easier Monday night when the Wild continue thei...

Two of the NHL’s best collide

in what could be a Stanley Cup final preview. The Blackhawks come into Sunday’s game on a two-game losing streak after putting together eight wins in a row. The Capitals ...

Somewhere on the plane ride

from Colorado to Ottawa last month, goaltender Craig Anderson rediscovered his talent. All it took was getting traded from one of the worst teams in the Western Conference to o...

Pro hockey bettors who are looking

to hedge their future book wagers have quite a few large line moves on their radar. Let’s examine four teams that have seen their future book odds dramatically increase, and ...

Playoff implications aplenty

at Air Canada Centre this weekend as both the Maple Leafs and the Sabres are alive in the hunt for the final seed in the East. So, an already heated rivalry has a little more s...

The Red Wings may be ice cold,

but the Blues are running out of warm bodies. St. Louis will is expected to be without forwards David Perron, Vladimir Sobotka and Alexander Steen, along with stud defensema...

The New York Rangers wrap up

a quick two-game West Coast swing this Saturday night when they tangle with the San Jose Sharks at the HP Pavilion. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. (PT) and it will be broadcast...

When Anaheim has its top line

of Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan rolling, there aren’t many teams in the NHL that can match their firepower. The trio combined for eight points and finished pl...

The Carolina Hurricanes will

try and slow down the red-hot Washington Capitals when these two Southeast Division foes face off against one another this Friday night at DC's Verizon Center. Game time is set...

The Canadiens are one of the

the hottest teams in the NHL having won five games in a row, so why will they be playing like men possessed against St. Louis on Thursday? Montreal is coming off a 4-1 win o...

Both the Vancouver Canucks

and San Jose Sharks hope that this is the season that they'll be able to lift Lord Stanley's Cup. Both are in good shape right now to challenge for the push to the postseason, ...

Two words on why you

should back the Blues: Jaroslav Halak. The goalie was activated from injured reserve on Tuesday and is expected to make his return to the ice on Wendesday as he has finished...

The Los Angeles Kings have

dropped three of their last four games and are clinging to the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot. Though the Detroit Red Wings are in the midst of a three-game l...

A month into the season, the

Buffalo Sabres sat dead last in the NHL and a couple of days before Christmas they looked left for dead when sniper Derek Roy suffered a season-ending injury. But they didn�...

The Vancouver Canucks will

look to expand their lead in the Western Conference standings over Detroit when they face off against the Phoenix Coyotes this Tuesday night at the US Airways Arena. Game time ...

HOT TEAM: Chicago Blackhawks

It all started back on Feb. 20, in what seemed like a harmless, little 3-2 victory over the punchless Pittsburgh Penguins. Sure, it was a national television game featuring the...

The Columbus Blue Jackets

can’t afford to let their recent slump go on any longer, especially considering the number of chances they’ve had lately. They couldn’t convert on two penalty shots in...

The NHL’s Southeast Division

is in the spotlight this Monday when the Washington Capitals battle the Tampa Bay Lighting for first place in the standings. The puck drops at the St. Pete Times Forum at 4 p.m...

The Flyers aim to stretch

their lead in the Atlantic Division while the Rangers are trying to keep themselves in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. These teams met two Sundays ago, with Philade...

With goalie Semyon Varlamov

suffering a knee injury that will keep him out for up to 10 days, the Capitals will be forced to turn to Michal Neuvirth full-time. But that might not be so bad. Neuvirth ha...

Nearly 55 percent of NHL games

this season have remained ’under.’ The 2010-11 NHL regular season is entering the final full month of the regular season and with less than 20 games left to play, the Phil...

Tom Renney is a coach known

for building a strong team concept within his dressing room and inspiring his players to play above their potential. So he wasn’t surprised when 19-year-old rookie sniper...

The Detroit Red Wings are

the oldest team in the NHL. That fact won’t bode well Saturday against the Phoenix Coyotes when the weary Wings play their third game in four nights at the end of a long road...

The Blackhawks are scoring

lots and lots of goals. As it just so happens, that is translating to lots and lots of wins. Chicago is averaging just a hair under four goals per game over its past eight, ...

Two Pacific Division teams

fighting for a playoff berth, the Anaheim Ducks and Dallas Stars, meet up in a huge Friday night clash in Southern California. The Western Conference playoff race is extremely...

The Ottawa Senators are already

looking to the future with this season lost long ago and many staples of the club now playing in other cities following the trade deadline. But the worst may be over for Senato...

The Pacific Division is one

of the craziest divisions that NHL betting fans have seen in years. Coming into play Wednesday night, the first place San Jose Sharks and the last place Anaheim Ducks are separ...

A lot has gone wrong for

the Pittsburgh Penguins since they lost to the Washington Capitals in the Winter Classic on New Year's Day. Sidney Crosby suffered a concussion during that game and not long af...

The Anaheim Ducks are hoping

to get a much needed boost from their four new acquisitions Wednesday night at Honda Center when they host the Central Division-leading Detroit Red Wings. The puck drops at 7:0...

Montreal is getting some

good news between the pipes, while the Thrashers could use a little of their own. The Canadiens expect No.1 Carey Price to be back in the cage on Tuesday night after battli...

The Rangers have won both

both encounters with the Sabres this season. Monday marks the NHL's trade deadline, when teams are usually flip-flopping picks and players all over the map. The Buffalo Sabres...

Columbus enters Sunday’s tilt

Columbus enters Sunday’s tilt vs. Nashville riding a three-game winning streak. The Blue Jackets have won five of six, they have points in all six on that stretch, and are gua...

The Blackhawks are finally

getting healthy – and the team is netting the results. Literally. With the majority of its top skaters back in uniform for the first stretch of the season, Chicago has fou...

Detroit (38-18-4-2) begins

the western portion of its five-game road trip firmly entrenched near the top of the standings. The Red Wings currently have a comfortable 12-point lead atop the Central Divis...

If there is one thing

the Lightning have done well this season, it’s dominate the Rangers. Tampa Bay is 3-0 against the Blue Shirts this season, winning twice in Florida and once more in Manhatt...

We are just a matter of a few days

away from hockey's trade deadline, and this season has already been a particularly active one for NHL betting fans to digest. There are just so many teams, particularly in the ...

Are you old enough to remember

yearbooks and game programs, picking one up on your way to your seats so you knew who played for who? Well, you may have to go old school for this one, because many names and f...

There is a log-jam in the

Western Conference, and both the Predators and the Stars are smack in the middle. As of Friday evening, places five through 12 are separated by just six points. It's a five-...

Two of the best goaltenders

in the NHL square off Saturday night when Roberto Luongo and the Northwest Division-leading Vancouver Canucks host Tim Thomas and the Northeast Division-leading Boston Bruins. ...

The Devils are on fire

and so are the Flames. The Maple Leafs aren't falling and the Isles are no longer in danger of sinking into the Atlantic. What’s a hockey bettor to do with all these teams...

It looks like Columbus

has finally found a way to score goals. The team has propelled itself into the thick of the playoff hunt thanks to a reinvigorated offense that has enabled the team to win six ...

The Phoenix Coyotes will look

to extend their current winning streak over the Columbus Blue Jackets to six games when the two teams clash Friday night at Nationwide Arena. Game time is set for 4 p.m. (PT) a...

Raise your hand if you have

any idea how the Predators are going to score goals. Exactly. The team has scored a mere six goals in its past four games, including getting shutout in a 4-0 defeat to the B...

Defending Stanley Cup champion

Chicago (31-23-2-4) concludes a brief two-game road trip searching for its third straight victory. The Blackhawks are one of four teams currently with 68 points, but they woul...

The Kings might have a pop gun

offense, but it really hasn’t mattered the past three games for Ducks opponents. Anaheim has been horrid since All-Star goalie Jonas Hiller was placed on IR with fatigue o...

The San Jose Sharks have utilized

a stingy defense to win 12 of their last 15 games, which has helped them move within one point of first-place Phoenix in the Pacific Division. The Sharks will attempt to take o...

The Blue Jackets are just

finding ways to score goals. Despite injuries to forwards Kristian Huselius (lower body), Derek Dorsett (concussion) and Derick Brassard (hand), Columbus has managed to keep li...

The New York Rangers will

try and double their slim two-point lead over the Carolina Panthers in the Eastern Conference when the two teams face off against Tuesday at the RBC Center in Raleigh. Game tim...

Last year’s surprise story

is back, and they appear to be even better this time around. The Coyotes, who burst onto the playoff scene last season before losing to the Red Wings in the first round, wo...

The Capitals haven’t been able to

do much right lately, but beating the Penguins in the second half of the season is one of them. In the New Year, Washington is 2-0 against the Penguins, winning both by a co...

A pair of second-place teams in

their respective divisions meet for the fourth time this season when the Washington Capitals travel to Pittsburgh for a Monday matchup against the Penguins. Though both teams ...

If there is one thing the Flyers

know how to do, it’s beat the Rangers. Philadelphia is 3-0 against New York this season, scoring a pair of 4-1 victories before the New Year and a 3-2 win last month in th...

The Pittsburgh Penguins top the NHL

with the most penalty minutes. Identifying which teams spend an exorbitant amount of time in the penalty box and which are adroit at killing penalties are two important ingred...

The Avalanche had a huge goaltending

issue the team decided to rectify before the trade deadline. Too bad, the team likely got worse between the pipes. Colorado swapped starter Craig Anderson to Ottawa on Frida...

There have been sassier, more

star-laden matchups in this heated rivalry. But if the old cliché that says “you can throw the records away when these two teams get together” holds, the primetime audienc...

Dallas (31-21-6) concludes

a three-game Canadian road trip against Vancouver (37-13-9) Saturday night trying to get back on the winning track. The Stars have dropped their last three games and are now j...

Jaroslav Halak is on the shelf.

St. Louis announced on Thursday that the stud goalie is expected to miss a week with a hand injury and has been placed on IR. This season he is just 19-17-6, but his 2.63 GAA a...

The Eastern Conference-leading

Philadelphia Flyers will be playing their third road game in four nights when they travel to Carolina for a Friday night meeting against the Hurricanes. But don’t feel too so...

The Tampa Bay Lightning

and Detroit Red Wings will have more in common than sitting atop their respective divisions with an identical 74 points when the two clubs meet Thursday at St. Pete Times Forum....

This matchup could actually

This matchup could actually resemble an old version of the Playstation game NHL Hitz: lots of big checks and gaudy scoring. Colorado has fallen from contending with the Vanco...

The Washington Capitals will

be looking to snap a three-game losing streak when they travel to the West Coast for a Wednesday night tilt at the Honda Center with the Anaheim Ducks. The puck drops at 7 p.m....

It will be an interesting flight

to Edmonton for the Stars. Dallas coach Marc Crawford must find a way to revamp his entire offense as star forward Brad Richards will be out of the lineup for at least this gam...

The San Jose Sharks will be

looking to snap a two-game skid when they invade Bridgestone Arena to face off against the Nashville Predators this Tuesday night. Game time is set for 4 p.m. (PT) and it will b...

HOT TEAM: New Jersey Devils

Now, here's a team that's a tenant in this real-estate district for the first time this season. After all, it's kind of hard to get here when you're the worst team in the league...

The Avalanche finally scored

some goals this weekend – too bad they still can’t keep them out of their own net. Colorado folded late in a 5-3 loss at Nashville on Saturday, but the three goals equal th...

The Washington Capitals are still

trying to find their long-lost offensive game as they start a five-game road trip Monday night at the Phoenix Coyotes. The Capitals (29-17-10 for 68 points) are in second plac...

God might not hate Pittsburgh,

but you couldn’t tell that to the Penguins. After getting their brains beat in literally and figuratively during a 9-3 loss to the Islanders, the team then suffered a minor b...

The 2010/2011 NHL regular season

is entering the stretch run with less than 30 games left to play. Philadelphia leads Pittsburgh the Eastern Conference standings by just three-points, while Vancouver has opened...

The realization is beginning

to sink in for the Chicago Blackhawks: Start playing better or have no chance for a second consecutive Stanley Cup. The Blackhawks conclude a six-game road trip Saturday at 5:0...

No Ed Jovanovski?

No problem for Phoenix. The Coyotes have done just fine without Jovo-Cop the past four games, posting a 3-1 record minus one of their top defenders. In those victories, the bac...

The Calgary Flames might not be

the sexiest team in the league, but their wide-open style is paying huge dividends. Since a 6-0 loss to Minnesota about three weeks ago, the team is on an 8-0-1 tear thanks to ...

Two Eastern Conference teams

gunning for a playoff spot collide Friday night when the New York Rangers (29-23-2-2) travel to Atlanta (24-22-4-6). These two squads are currently separated by just three poi...

The Devils are, well… hot

New Jersey was in such a deep hole that the team still has plenty to fight through just to get back to .500. However, the team has been gold for bettors the past few weeks, rac...

The Los Angeles Kings continue

their season-high 10-game road excursion Thursday night (4 p.m. PT) with a stop in Pittsburgh to play a Penguins squad that has seen nine of its last 10 outings dip ‘under’...

The Predators couldn’t

score at a frat party full of freshman girls right now. Nashville has cracked three goals only once in the past seven games and is coming off a pitiful, 4-0 loss to the lowly E...

The Boston Bruins and Montreal

Canadiens have already gotten quite familiar with one another, meeting three times this season. The Habs have swept the series to date, but Boston is out to get its revenge in...

The top two teams in the

Pacific Division renew their rivalry Wednesday night when the Phoenix Coyotes travel to Dallas to play a first-place Stars squad that is trying to snap a three-game losing skid...

The Islanders aren’t going

to make the playoffs, but they are starting to put together a consistent effort every night. New York has won two of his past three games, including a 4-1 win over Atlanta a...

The San Jose Sharks

have captured seven of their last eight games to move into second place in the Pacific Division, three points behind Dallas. The Washington Capitals have dropped three of their...

Two teams fighting for postseason s...

in the Western Conference collide on the ice Monday night when Colorado (25-21-6-0) visits Phoenix (26-19-6-3). The Avalanche presently reside four points out of the eighth an...

The road is the last place that the...

The road is the last place that the Blues want to be. St. Louis is 7-20 in its past 27 road games as it struggles to play defense away from the “Show Me State.” Over its pas...

Boston’s Tim Thomas is helping

NHL bettors turn a profit this season. NHL betting action can be a little bit more difficult for the casual bettor because it seems so easy for a team to win games by more tha...

At long last, a little controversy

brewing in New York now that the Rangers are slumping. That’s familiar in their city, but not necessarily with this team. Will they respond north of the border? Calling o...

The Toronto Maple Leafs

would rather see pretty much any other team on their schedule other than the Buffalo Sabres. And who can blame them? Buffalo has won nine of the past 10 meetings, including a pa...

Two teams wallowing in the basement

of their respective division’s faceoff Saturday at 4:00 p.m. (PT) when the Ottawa Senators bring their eight-game losing streak into New York to face the Islanders. The Sena...

It’s not the return of Sidney Cro...

but the Penguins got some great news this week. Center Evgeni Malkin is expected to return from a sinus infection that has kept him sidelined the past several days. And that’...

The Chicago Blackhawks are

the defending Stanley Cup champs, but find themselves struggling this season. The Vancouver Canucks own a league-leading 75 points and are in the midst of a four-game winning s...

Excuse the joke,

but the Flames are hot. Calgary has won five straight and seven of its past 10 games thanks to a balanced scoring attack. The team has be...

Two division leaders with identical

point totals face each other Thursday night when the Pacific Division-leading Dallas Stars travel to Boston for a meeting against the Northeast Division-leading Bruins. The puc...

With both these teams playing

on Tuesday night, there are sure to be weary legs on the ice. And that means the most talented team should have an edge. Hello, Vancouver. The Canucks are 5-1-2 in the secon...

There isn’t much time

before the Feb. 28 trade deadline and teams will be evaluating what they have over the next few weeks to figure out whether they’ll be buyers or sellers. In the Western C...

OK, so Jamie Langenbrunner

hasn’t exactly ripped through the Western Conference since being traded back to Dallas by New Jersey, but the veteran forward, who has been a captain at both the NHL and Olym...

It’s safe to say

It’s safe to say that the Avalanche might not be able to keep a beach ball out of their net at this point. No. 1 goalie Craig Anderson has been hampered by injuries this se...

Two of the best teams in the

National Hockey League collide Tuesday night when Vancouver (31-10-4-5) visits Dallas (30-15-1-4). The Canucks are currently atop the Western Conference standings with 71 poin...

Two Atlantic Division teams with

a propensity to play ‘under’ contests hook up Tuesday when the Pittsburgh Penguins travel to Madison Square Garden for a meeting with the New York Rangers. The Verizon net...

The NHL season shuts down

this weekend for the league’s All-Star Game in Raleigh, North Carolina. Here are a few things you need to know if you are interested in betting on hockey's midseason class...

Carolina is known as a hotbed

of basketball. However, the state will switch gears Sunday when the NHL comes to town for its annual All-Star game. The puck will drop at 1:00 p.m. (PT) in Raleigh's RBC Cente...

The NHL All-Star break

is this weekend and with a little more than 30 games left on the regular season schedule, the Philadelphia Flyers have opened-up a four-point lead over Tampa Bay in the Eastern...

Seven years ago, the Lightning

appeared on the verge of a dynasty. They had just won the Stanley Cup over Calgary, and with a young nucleus of forwards – Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, and Brad Rich...

Lofty playoff expectations finally

came to fruition last season when the San Jose Sharks went all the way to the Western Conference Finals before being eliminated by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Chicago Bla...

Putting the puck in the other

team’s net is a good thing, but keeping it out of your own goal is usually a recipe that Stanley Cup contenders possess. Participating in high-scoring games doesn’t necessa...

One point. That’s all that sits

between the Hurricanes and a playoff berth. Carolina has won six of its past 10 games as the young club is playing its best hockey of the season. The 'Canes are led by star ...

The suddenly hot San Jose Sharks

look for their fifth win in a row when they visit the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night. This Pacific Division battle is the last game for both teams before the All-Star bre...

Anaheim is converting

23.7 percent of its man advantages, notching 11 power-play goals over its past 10 games, including a 2-1 win over the Senators where it failed to draw a penalty. Both Corey Per...

The Philadelphia Flyers are now

leading the league in points thanks to some stingy defense, timely goaltending and the league’s top-rated offense. The Flyers will attempt to extend that lead Tuesday at 4:30...

Raise your hand if you thought

the 3-1 victory over the Penguins in the Winter Classic was – finally – going to jumpstart this team. Yeah, us too. We were wrong. ...

The Predators have been on

a tear thanks to the inspired play of forward J.P. Dumont. The key to re-energizing the struggling 32-year-old forward? Putting a pair of youngsters next to him. Dumont had ...

The New York Rangers are 7-6

in their last 13 games, with the ‘under’ going 11-1-1. John Tortorella’s troops complete a three-game road trip with Monday’s duel against the Washington Capitals, who...

It’s tough to find a team

It’s tough to find a team that needs a win as bad as the Buffalo Sabres. The resurgent squad from upstate New York was 7-2-1 in its past 10 games, clawing to within 7 point...

The Nashville Predators look to

continue their ascent to the top of the Western Conference with a road victory over the Edmonton Oilers this Sunday afternoon. Game time from Rexall Place is set for 5 p.m. (PT...

Washington’s superstars, Alexander

Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, seem to be waking up offensively. Does that spell trouble for the Leafs? The roller-coaster ride continues A week ago, things looked like ...

If the Avalanche get

If the Avalanche get any worse injury news, the team will get a M*A*S*H* unit number. The team took another huge hit this week when it was announced center Tomas Fleischmann wou...

Los Angeles and Phoenix conclude

a home-and-home series with Saturday’s contest. The Coyotes (24-15-6-3) snapped a two-game losing skid while extending the Kings’ (24-22-1-0) current slide to three after ...

What’s so special about the Dallas

Stars? Why it's the special teams. You won’t find a hotter team in the league when up or down a man. Dallas has gone 6 for 10 on the power play the past two games and ...

When the Stanley Cup future book odds

were released prior to the current NHL season, the Chicago Blackhawks were installed as 5/1 favorites to defend their title. With less than two weeks to go before the annual Al...

The last time the Thrashers

met the Lightning and walked away with a victory, kids across the country were still a month away from going trick-or-treating. In 2009. Tampa Bay has won nine straight game...

The Pittsburgh Penguins

and New Jersey Devils are on opposite ends of the NHL betting world right now, but they are going to be locking horns with one another at the Prudential Center on Thursday night...

After a goal-scoring flood,

in which the Maple Leafs netted 22 total goals over a four-game winning streak, the well has gone dry in Toronto. The Leafs have mustered only two goals in their last two ou...

The Toronto Maple Leafs will

look to even the season series with the New York Rangers at two games apiece this Wednesday night when the two teams face off against one another in a 4 p.m. (PT) start at Madi...

The Philadelphia Flyers are rolling

right now, having won six of seven and scoring 27 goals in the process. Danny Briere is showing his unhappiness with being snubbed for All-Star game, with six goals and five...

Vancouver, armed with the league’s

best record at 29-10-3-3, concludes a five-game road trip against possible first-round postseason opponent Colorado (23-16-6-0). The Canucks have split the first four games of...

Two Eastern Conference division

leaders square off Tuesday when the Washington Capitals begin a three-game road excursion with a stop in the City of Brotherly Love to take on the Philadelphia Flyers. The puck...

While a repeat performance

of last year’s surprising postseason run is probably not going to happen this year, let’s hand it to Montreal for hanging tough in an ultra-competitive Eastern Conference. ...

Sometimes it's tough being

a goalie. Just ask Carolina’s Cam Ward. The Hurricanes have allowed 30 or more shots in seven of their last 10 games but it’s not like Ward can complain, not when his team ...

Los Angeles (24-19-1-0) begins

a two-game, two-day road trip with Monday’s matchup at Dallas (27-13-1-4). The Kings are just 2-7 their last nine outings overall, while the ‘under’ is 7-3 the previous 1...

The Ottawa Senators look like

they have used up all their goals for the next few weeks following a 6-4 win over the Islanders on Thursday. That victory is Ottawa’s only bright spot in an eight-game str...

Identifying National Hockey League ...

that are successful after scoring the first goal in a game can go a long way in helping handicappers turn a profit. Recognizing squads that go on to register a victory after en...

The Maple Leafs look to continue

their strong play, while further burying Calgary in the NHL standings. Signs of life in Leaf land? ...

The Anaheim Ducks may have lost

star center Ryan Getzlaf, but his loss hasn’t slowed the ducks at all. Anaheim has won three straight and six of seven. One of the biggest reasons for the hot streak is the s...

The New York Rangers will look

to increase their lead over the Canadiens in the Eastern Conference when the two teams lock horns this Saturday at Montreal's Bell Centre. The puck drops in a 4 p.m. (PT) start...

Ryan Kesler used to be one of

the top penalty killing forwards in the NHL. But now, the leading candidate for the Selke Trophy is adding some pop to the Canucks top power play unit. "I have never really ...

The struggling New Jersey Devils sh...

have legendary goalie Martin Brodeur in net when they play the Tampa Bay Lightning at St. Pete Times Forum on Friday night. This is a rematch of a game last Sunday. New Jersey...

The injury-riddled Detroit Red Wings

conclude their five-game road trip Friday by traveling to Columbus for the first part of a home-and-home series with the Blue Jackets. The two Central Division rivals will fly ...

This matchup could be crowned

the toilet-bowl game on Thursday’s schedule. These two NHL bottom feeders collide in New York, with both clubs hoping to snap losing skids. The Islanders’ two-game slide ...

The Vancouver Canucks will bring

their league-leading 62 points into Madison Square Garden for a Thursday showdown with a New York Rangers squad that has seen the ‘under’ cash in seven straight outings. Th...

Just how desperate are the

St. Louis Blues at this point as they take a four-game losing streak into Wednesday’s date in Anaheim? Desperate enough to sign Kyle Wellwood. Wellwood was playing in the ...

The Anaheim Ducks are 4-1 in the

first five games of their present homestand, with two straight shutout wins. Randy Carlyle’s crew finishes its stretch at Honda Center with Wednesday’s duel against the St....

Saturday’s 2-1 win over Phoenix

was typical Buffalo. Tight checking, solid goaltending from Ryan Miller, and timely goal scoring. Not pretty, just productive. The Sabres have been doing a lot of that lat...

The Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators are a streaky team, but right now they’re white hot. The Predators have won five straight, allowing more than one goal just once, when they yielded ...

Atlantic Division-leading Philadelphia

(26-10-2-3) embarks on a four-game road trip with Tuesday’s matchup at the Buffalo Sabres (18-18-5-0). The Flyers jumped ahead of second-place Pittsburgh by a point complimen...

Life without Sidney Crosby

Life without Sidney Crosby hasn’t been kind to the Penguins. They’re 0-2 since Crosby went on the injury shelf with a concussion after suffering two blows to the head in les...

The Boston Bruins and

Pittsburgh Penguins have both struggled in their last five games, going 1-1-3 (5 points) and 1-2-2 (4 points), respectively. Monday’s league slate has the Eastern Conference ...

The defending Stanley Cup champs

are finally healthy after being plagued by injuries for most of the year. But even with big guns like Marian Hossa, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews in the lineup, the Blackhawks...

There have been 317 ‘under’ games

compared to 269 ‘over’ contests through the first 15 weeks of the current National Hockey League campaign. The ‘under’ is also 72-62 in games that were decided in an ove...

Montreal announced on Thursday

that defenseman Josh Gorges will miss the rest of the season following knee surgery. The 26-year-old blueliner was second on the team in ice time and is the latest defenseman to...

The Tampa Bay Lightning were

playing fantastic hockey; winning seven of nine and jumping into second place in the Eastern Conference, with a date against the top-dog Pittsburgh Penguins. Then the Lightni...

The Nashville Predators will look t...

their current winning streak to five when they tangle with the San Jose Sharks this Saturday in a 5 p.m. (PT) start at the HP Pavilion in San Jose. Nashville has started the Ne...

The Blue Jackets may be starting

to throw in the towel. The team waived veteran defenseman Mike Commodore and rookie center Kyle Wilson, placed left wing Ethan Moreau on the injured list and recalled left wi...

The Central Division-leading Detroi...

will play the second game of a five-game road trip Friday with a stop in Calgary to meet a Flames team they are 3-0 against this season. Additionally, the Wings are on a four-ga...

When you’re as bad as the Toronto

Maple Leafs, accountability can be wide spread. The most recent set of wagging fingers are pointing at Toronto’s blueliners for not chi...

The Toronto Maple Leafs certainly

haven't had the holiday season that they envisioned. They have lost seven of their nine NHL betting affairs since December 14, and are probably too far out of the playoff race t...

If past trends are any indication

, the goal judge at United Center might be working overtime lighting the lamp during Wednesday’s NHL contest between the Dallas Stars and Chicago Blackhawks. After all, the �...

NHL Notes

HOT TEAM: Columbus Blue Jackets In the topsy-turvy world that is the Western Conference this season, hot and cold teams change like the weather. Just a few short weeks ago, ...

Coyotes and Blue Jackets clash

Columbus (20-16-2-1) continues a four-game West Coast road trip in Phoenix where they will try to get back on the winning track. The Blue Jackets are a dismal 111-262-15 their ...

NHL weekly trends finds

the HOT TEAM to be Columbus Blue Jackets In the topsy-turvy world that is the Western Conference this season, hot and cold teams change like the weather. Just a few short we...

Boston Bruins travel to face Maple ...

The Boston Bruins are 2-0-2 (6 points) in the first four games of their present road trip, with all of the contests decided by one goal. Claude Julien’s crew completes its jo...

Sunday's NHL Plays

Earlier this season Sergei Bobrovsky was considered a frontrunner for the Calder trophy but now that Mike Leighton and Brian Boucher are in the goaltending picture for the Flyer...

Winter Classic

The biggest opponent for the Capitals and Penguins likely won’t be the opposing team – it will be the weather. For a game played outdoors in Pittsburgh in January, the we...

Penguins, Capitals love home ice and

New Year’s Day features the NHL Winter Classic from Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field, showcasing the hometown Penguins against Washington. This new tradition of featuring a hockey g...

Sharks, Kings meet again

The San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings usher in 2011 five days after Jonathan Quick and the Kings blanked the Sharks in San Jose as 140 road underdogs, 4-0. Both squads enter...

Canadiens continue road trip at Tam...

The Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning have something in common when they meet Thursday in an Eastern Conference showdown. Both clubs are sitting in second place in thei...

Devils host NY Rangers

To say the New Jersey Devils have fallen on hard times would be a huge understatement. The once proud franchise, owners of the league’s worst record, will attempt to snap a fi...

Flyers open trip in Vancouver

Philadelphia embarks on a grueling five-game road trip with Tuesday’s tilt against the Vancouver Canucks. The Flyers (22-8-2-3) currently find themselves in second place in th...

NHL Trends

The questions among hockey diehards won’t truly surface regarding the Canucks until the postseason. That’s when goaltender Roberto Luongo will have the chance to prove his c...

Bruins begin NHL road trip in Florida

The Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers have both had three days off for the holidays, resuming action against each other as part of Monday’s league schedule. Boston begins a ...

Kings and Ducks resume NHL slate

Pacific Division rivals Anaheim and Los Angeles hit the holiday ice Sunday battling for playoff positioning. The Kings (20-12-1-0) leapfrogged the Ducks (18-16-2-2) compliments...

Special teams that are truly special

Mikael Samuelsson has five power play assists for the Canucks. Hockey betting fans would be wise not to forget about special teams when doing their handicapping work. Clubs tha...

Predators, Senators set for Thursday

The Ottawa Senators will face an unfamiliar foe when they travel south to take on the Nashville Predators this Thursday night in the only regular season matchup between the two ...

Red Wings host Canucks

The Northwest Division-leading Vancouver Canucks have allowed five goals during their current four-game winning streak. However, the Canucks will have their hands full Wednesday...

Stars, Canadiens headline NHL slate

A pair of first-place teams tussle Tuesday when the Pacific Division-leading Dallas Stars host the Northeast Division-leading Montreal Canadiens at American Airlines Center. Dal...

Avalanche host LA Kings

The Colorado Avalanche might be the hottest team on the NHL odds in the league coming into Tuesday night. They've won six in a row and look to continue their great play at Pepsi...

Avalanche cashing 'overs'

Hockey’s regular season is quickly approaching the midway point, and playoff positions are slowly starting to come into focus. But while most of the focus is on the chase for...

Bruins and Ducks open NHL week

The Anaheim Ducks continue a lengthy seven-game road trip with Monday’s matchup at Boston. The Ducks (17-15-2-2 straight up, 18-18 against the spread) started the trek with a...

NHL Weekend Notes

Toronto Maple Leafs at Vancouver Canucks (-200, 5.5) Vancouver has to play at an abnormal time to accommodate the visiting Maple Leafs. Will one of the Western Conference’s...

Canucks chalk to take down Maple Leafs

The Northwest Division-leading Vancouver Canucks will be licking their chops Saturday when they host a Toronto Maple Leafs squad that is sitting in the basement of the Northeast...

Red Wings host battered Blackhawks

When a team is getting a little long in the tooth, and starts losing, they get called old. When that same team is winning, they are called experienced. The Detroit Red Wings, th...

Toronto visits Calgary

The young Toronto Maple Leafs could be growing up before our eyes as they play the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome on Thursday night. This is the first return game for ...

Blue Jackets travel to Vancouver

The Columbus Blue Jackets will be in the Great Northwest this Wednesday night to take on the Vancouver Canucks for the first time this season. The matchup from Rogers Arena in V...

Value in red-hot Rangers

HOT TEAM: New York Rangers Clearly, they do not possess the talent that their Atlantic Division rivals from Pennsylvania do. Clearly, with a roster light in the experience d...

Penguins at Philadephia Flyers

The battle of hockey supremacy in Pennsylvania continues Tuesday when the soaring Pittsburgh Penguins take their 12-game winning streak to Philadelphia to meet the Flyers for th...

LA Kings at Detroit Red Wings

The Los Angeles Kings are 3-1 in their last four games, with all four decided by one goal at home. Terry Murray’s troops begin a five-game road trip with Monday’s matchup a...

Sunday's NHL Plays

The Capitals had lost four in a row heading into Saturday night's game against Colorado. Especially concerning is that Washington is in the midst of a considerable scoring slump...

Home and away trends

The universally accepted theory for success in the NHL is to play .600 hockey at home and break even on the road. A look at the standings going into weekend action proves that f...

NHL Notes

Montreal Canadiens at Toronto Maple Leafs P.K. back on the blueline Only in a hockey crazy city lik...

Boston Bruins host Flyers

One of the most heated rivalries in the Eastern Conference continues Saturday when the Philadelphia Flyers travel to Boston for a matchup against the Bruins. The Flyers eliminat...

Thrashers, Avalanche open weekend

Colorado (13-10-4-0) continues a five-game road trip trying to snap a four-game losing streak with Friday’s matchup at Atlanta (15-10-1-2). Three of those setbacks have occur...

Senators host Rangers

The offensively challenged Ottawa Senators hope to break out of a miserable goal drought Thursday when they host the New York Rangers in an Eastern Conference matchup. The Sens ...

Blackhawks host Dallas Stars

The defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks begin life without Patrick Kane on Wednesday when they host a hot Dallas Stars squad that just had its six-game winning str...

Ice Heating Up

HOT TEAM: Philadelphia Flyers They still have a revolving door in net. They still have questions about offensive consistency. And they still are in a highly competitive, hig...

Buffalo Sabres host Boston Bruins

The Buffalo Sabres will be looking to avenge last month’s 5-2 loss to the Boston Bruins on their home ice when they travel to the TD Garden for a Tuesday night matchup with th...

Sharks at Red Wings

The San Jose Sharks are 3-6 in their last nine games, with the ‘over' going 6-3. Todd McLellan's team plays the third contest of a five-game road trip in Monday's matchup agai...

Betting Totals in the NHL

Pro hockey bettors who have a propensity to wager on the ‘over/under' numbers have surely noticed the numerous teams playing games that have slithered ‘under' the closing to...

NHL Weekend Action

Two teams struggling to find consistency battle it out in a Saturday matinee. Montreal is 6-2 in its last eight games at home, while San Jose has struggled on the road, going...

Capitals host Thrashers

Despite the NHL season just barely passing the quarter pole, some quirky scheduling has the Atlanta Thrashers and Washington Capitals meeting Saturday night for the fifth time t...

Sabres hosting Columbus

The Columbus Blue Jackets will try and gain some ground on Chicago and Detroit in the Western Conference Central Division this Friday night when they face off against the Buffal...

Islanders host Rangers in NHL

The New York Islanders had a 14-game losing streak come to an end with Friday’s 2-0 triumph as 103 home dogs against the New Jersey Devils. Jack Capuano’s crew remains at N...

Bruins at Philadelphia

The Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers are have been battling each other for 44 years now. The two will meet in NHL betting action for the first time this season in the City ...

Red Wings, Sharks meet Tuesday

The Western Conference-leading Detroit Red Wings have played the fewest road games in the NHL, but that is about to change. The Wings begin a three-game West Coast trip starting...

NHL Notes

HOT TEAM: Columbus Blue Jackets And you thought that Ohio State football was the only thing that mattered this time of year in the capital of the Buckeye State. But the ...

Kings at Ducks in key NHL matchup

The Los Angeles Kings travel down I-5 for a Monday night matchup with the Anaheim Ducks in a Pacific Division showdown. This 7 p.m. (PT) contest at the Honda Center will the fir...

Bruins in Atlanta

A trip to Atlanta to play the Thrashers might be just what the doctor ordered for a slumping Boston Bruins squad that has dropped three of its last four outings. After all, the ...

Toronto Maple Leafs at Ottawa Senators

These Ontario rivals clash on Canada’s big stage. The Maple Leafs had won three of their last four prior to a 3-1 loss at Buffalo on Friday night. The Senators are just 1-...

NHL season heating up

Horse racing bettors certainly are aware that a nag taking the lead at the quarter pole doesn’t necessarily guarantee a winning ticket. When the 2010-11 NHL season reaches its...

Leafs a live 'dog Friday

The Toronto Maple Leafs head south across the border to tangle with the rival Buffalo Sabres this Friday night in a classic Northeast Division showdown. The puck drops at 4:30 p...

Chicago visits San Jose

Defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago and San Jose collide for the first time this season after meeting last year in the Western Conference Finals. The Blackhawks swept throug...

Oilers at Coyotes

The Edmonton Oilers will try to win their second game in a row for the first time this season when they take on the Phoenix Coyotes this Tuesday night at the Jobing.Com Arena in...

Flyers, Canadiens collide

Division leaders and rivals with almost identical records collide Monday night when Montreal (13-6-1-0) travels to Philadelphia (13-6-2-0). However, both teams have enjoyed the...

Flames open trip in Detroit

The Western Conference-leading Detroit Red Wings conclude a successful six-game homestand with a Sunday matinee against a flickering Calgary Flames team that has dropped seven o...

Chicago, Calgary in Friday NHL battle

The defending champion Chicago Blackhawks hope to maintain their recent shooting spree Friday when they continue a six-game road trip with a stop in Calgary to play the Flames. ...

Canadiens host Predators

The ‘Price is Right’ for the Montreal Canadiens as they host the Nashville Predators at the Bell Centre on Thursday night. The Canadiens (12-5-1) have a six-point lead over...

Rangers, Bruins clash

Don’t expect the goal judge to be very busy Wednesday when the Boston Bruins travel to Madison Square Garden to take on a New York Rangers squad that is riding a three-game wi...

Ducks travel to Stars

The Anaheim Ducks have already gotten the best of the Dallas Stars and the NHL odds twice this season, winning 4-2 at home on November 12 and 5-2 in "Big D" on October 26. Act t...

Rangers, Penguins battle Monday

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 3-1 in their last four games, with the ‘over’ cashing at 2-0-2. Dan Bylsma’s club plays its third game in four nights as part of Monday’s le...

Tampa Bay Lightning host the Minnes...

A pair of NHL teams attempting to snap short two-game losing skids meet in a Sunday matinee when the Tampa Bay Lightning host the Minnesota Wild. Special teams should be a key h...

Leafs host Canucks

The Leafs try to snap a seven-game winless streak on Saturday night but it won’t be easy hosting the surging Canucks. Vancouver is 7-1 over its last eight games and 3-1 in its...

Special teams key in hockey handica...

One of the most important variables of handicapping an NHL game is researching how a club fares on special teams. Identifying a hockey team’s success rate on the power play an...

Flames at hard-luck Coyotes

The hard-luck Phoenix Coyotes will be hoping to avoid overtime when they host the Calgary Flames at Jobing.com Arena on Friday night. The Coyotes (5-5-5) have played five overt...

Kings host Stars

The Los Angeles Kings are 6-0 in their first six home dates, with the ‘under’ cashing at 5-1. Terry Murray’s squad puts its streak on the line at Staples Center in Thursd...

Boston Bruins host Penguins

Marc-Andre Fleury has posted a dismal 1-6 mark in net for the Pens. Hockey bettors planning to make a wager on Wednesday’s Eastern Conference clash between the Boston Bruins ...

Rangers host Capitals

A couple of streaks will be on the line Tuesday night when the New York Rangers host the Washington Capitals at Madison Square Garden. The Caps bring a four-game winning streak ...

Red Wings at home against Coyotes

Mike Babcock's squad returns home for Monday night's matchup with the Phoenix Coyotes, who are on a 2-6 slide in their last eight games. Detroit ended its road journey with Sat...

Blackhawks Favored Over Oilers

The Hawks are the defending Stanley Cup champs and are expected to win the Central Division once again. The Oilers are just going to be happy to even remotely contend for a play...

Senators at Canadiens and more........

It was a good win, we had four lines playing," coach Mike Babcock told the Detroit News following the win over the Flames. "Worked out well. We had the puck tonight, came in her...

Penguins waddle into Anaheim

The slumping Pittsburgh Penguins go to Anaheim on Friday night to play the Ducks in a battle of two teams that are off to disappointing starts. The Pens have dropped four of the...

Canucks attempt to extend streak

The Vancouver Canucks will attempt to extend their four-game winning streak Thursday night when they make a stop in Colorado to face the Avalanche for the second time this seaso...

Sabres host Bruins

The Boston Bruins eliminated the Buffalo Sabres during last season’s grueling seven-game Eastern Conference quarterfinal series. The Sabres will get a chance to avenge that se...

Sharks, Wild clash

After starting the season by dropping four of their first five games, the San Jose Sharks have righted the ship by capturing four of their last five outings. The Sharks will att...

Rangers in Chicago

The Chicago Blackhawks are 2-1 in their last three games, with the ‘under’ also going 2-1. Joel Quenneville’s club finishes a two-game road journey as part of Monday’s ...

NHL Weekend Action

New York Rangers at Toronto Maple Leafs These Original Six rivals clash for the third time this season, having split the first two meeting of the schedule. New York, whi...

NHL Weekend Action

It had to happen eventually. The Nashville Predators became the last NHL team to suffer a regulation loss Thursday when they were blanked by the Blues as 100 home underdogs, 3-0...

Oilers in Chicago

Western Conference foes will collide in the Windy City for an NHL betting battle, as the Chicago Blackhawks meet the Edmonton Oilers. This is a big game for C...

Calgary versus Avs

The Calgary Flames will attempt to extend their three-game winning streak Thursday night when they host a Colorado Avalanche squad trying to snap a three-game losing skid. It wi...

San Jose Sharks host Devils

The New Jersey Devils will attempt to give their goaltending some offensive support Wednesday night when they continue their season-high six-game road trip with a stop in San Jo...

Stars versus Ducks

Pacific Division rivals Anaheim and Dallas meet for the first time this season with Tuesday’s tussle in Texas. The Ducks currently find themselves tied for third place in the...

Kings at Wild

Todd Richards' club returns home after a two-game road trip for Monday's matchup against the Los Angeles Kings, who are 4-1 in their last five contests. Minnesota was spanked, ...

Weekend NHL Trends

Four teams will have the unenviable task of playing back-to-back games this Saturday and Sunday as the National Hockey League enters its third weekend of action. The Predators ...

Blackhawks on a roll

After starting the season by dropping three of their first four games, the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks have reeled off four straight victories. The Blackhawks will att...

Maple Leafs host Rangers

The Toronto Maple Leafs began the season with four straight wins before suffering a 2-1 overtime loss in Monday’s home game against the Islanders. The Leafs hope to get back o...

Kings host Hurricanes

The Los Angeles Kings are one of the hottest teams in the NHL at this point, as they have won three of their first four games this season and are stalking the Dallas Stars for t...

Capitals at Bruins

The way Alex Ovechkin has been playing lately, it’s hard to see anyone beating the Washington Capitals on home ice this year. The Boston Bruins and goalie Tim Thomas take t...

Bruins and Caps go at it

The Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals will get to know each other very well the next few days, as the two Eastern Conference foes will play a home-and-home series starting T...

Stars and Leafs still unbeaten

The Toronto Maple Leafs, owners of the worst record in the Eastern Conference last season, are 4-0 for the first time since they won 10 straight to start the 1993-94 season. The...

Carolina at Vancouver

The Carolina Hurricanes continue their season-high five-game road excursion Sunday night with a trip to Vancouver to play a Canucks squad they haven’t had too much success aga...

Blues at Dallas Stars

The Dallas Stars are off to a 3-0 start this season, with the ‘over’ cashing at 2-1. Marc Crawford’s club puts its streak on the line in Saturday night’s home matchup a...

NHL Trends and angles this weekend

It is rather surprising that the Nashville Predators, Dallas Stars, Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning are the teams that have skated off to those perfect 3-0 starts. ...

Buffalo Sabres host Canadiens

Montreal plays Buffalo Friday night in a matchup of Northeast Division rivals. This contest will mark the Canadiens’ third road outing in just four games to start the season,...

Thursday's best NHL bets

One of the main reasons the Ottawa Senators signed Sergei Gonchar in the offseason was to help a power play that hit on just 16.9 percent of its opportunities with the man advan...

Flames host Panthers

The Calgary Flames will try to shake off a rash of injuries when they host the Florida Panthers at Pengrowth Saddledome on Thursday night. Left winger Rene Bo...

Penguins host Leafs

The Pittsburgh Penguins host the Toronto Maple Leafs, a team that has captured its first two games of the young season. The Penguins, picked by many hockey handicappers to reac...

Kings play home opener

After splitting their first two games of the new NHL campaign, the Los Angeles Kings return to Staples Center on Tuesday night for their home opener against the new-look Atlanta...

Flames host Kings

The Calgary Flames started season being shut out in Thursday’s 4-0 road loss as minus 104 choices against the Edmonton Oilers. Brent Sutter’s club looks for its first goal ...

Weekend NHL Trends

Here are some trends and angles to look for in this weekend’s top games featuring all 30 teams that are in action this weekend. Sabres at Senators Friday, Oct. 8 - 4:30 p.m....

Oddsmakers rate Leafs

hey may not know the intricacies of the penalty kill or defensive-zone coverage, but when it comes to predictions, oddsmakers are paid to be right. So let’s start with them...

Covers NHL Predictions

Stanley Cup champion Jon Campbell, Covers.com senior editor: Chicago Blackhawks (+600) The 'Hawks shipped a lot out the door, but what remains isn't too shabby. They still...

Canucks favored

It’s been a long time, 13 years to be exact, since any NHL team has won back-to-back Stanley Cup titles, and there hasn’t been a team from Canada to capture the Cup since 19...

NHL Western Conference Breakdiwn

Here’s a look at the NHL’s Western Conference heading into this Thursday’s season opener: Last year’s lowest scoring team Phoenix Coyotes – With Ilya Bryzgalov b...

NHL Division Futures

Five of the six teams that captured their respective divisions last season have been installed as favorites to repeat this year. The defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blac...

Atlantic Division questions

In the post-lockout era, no division has sent more teams to the playoffs than the Atlantic. More importantly, the last three Eastern Conference Stanley Cup representatives have ...

NHL Eastern Conference Preview

The Philadelphia Flyers kept a postseason lineup together with bubble gum and band aids just six months ago. Injuries, scratches, roster moves, coaching changes, it made no diff...

New coaches in the NHL this year

There will be six new coaches calling the shots behind the bench during the upcoming 2010-11 NHL season. That might signify a change in how those teams play, which will result i...

NHL Betting

Starting a new season on the road is simply a fact of life for NHL teams. However, starting the season in a continent other than North America is a relatively new experience. Ho...

Western Conference Is Wide Open

The NHL futures market for the Western Conference champion is as murky as a muddy puddle, and that’s a good thing for the betting public. There are at least six good teams to ...

League not Devils advocate

Despite making some very expensive additions to their roster during the offseason, the New Jersey Devils are still an 18/1 long shot to capture the Stanley Cup and an 8/1 choice...

Biggest questions heading into the ...

Consider the blows that the New Jersey Devils had to endure to eventually sign Ilya Kovalchuk: 1. They were put on hold by the Kovalchuk Camp for weeks, while the All-Star wi...

Sharks bite back

The San Jose Sharks captured the Western Conference title last season, but were swept in four games by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks in the conference fin...

NHL Odds: Cup champs make net change

Antti Niemi was 16-6 with a 2.63 GAA during Chicago’s Stanley Cup title run. The defending champion Chicago Blackhawks have made quite a few changes during the offseason, but...

Five NHL teams who've improved the ...

Overshadowed by the NBA “free-agent frenzy”, the NHL free-agent signing period resulted in a few big names changing sweaters. Here are the top 5 NHL teams who’ve improved...

NHL Odds: Salary cap hinders Chicago

Power forward Dustin Byfuglien is one of Chicago’s salary cap casualties. The thrill of winning their first Stanley Cup title since 1961 might not last long for the Chicago B...