HOCKEY NHL ARTICLES

The Capitals have been the top team in the NHL since the season started back in October.They clinched the Presidents’ Trophy with two weeks to go in the season and are the overwhelming favorite at +418 to win their first Stanley Cup. Getting a win in the series opener with Philadelphia is a start.... 

The Red Wings backed into the playoffs after losing their final two regular season games. Still, Detroit extended its playoff streak to 25 seasons, but the Wings are looking to win a round for the first time since 2013.Tampa Bay came back from a 3-2 first round series deficit to knock off the Wings in seven games last season.... 

The Anaheim Ducks had better get ready for a physical war.

The Nashville Predators have promised to bring a lot of physicality and tough play into the postseason, and Game 1 is the perfect time to catch the Quack Attack napping just a bit.... 

The Los Angeles Kings blew the Pacific Division title in the last weekend of the regular season. Now, they've got to contend with the San Jose Sharks, who will know headed into Game 1 of this series that they've got what it takes to take out one of the toughest teams in the West.... 

It was a banner season for the Washington Capitals. They won 56 games, logged 120 points, won the Presidents' Trophy and helped Braden Holtby tie the record for the most wins ever by a goalie in a single season.... 

Many think the Minnesota Wild have virtually no chance in their series against the Dallas Stars. The two teams might've finished 22 points apart from each other, but everyone is 0-0 now in the postseason, a point which Minnesota will try to prove in Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals.... 

The St. Louis Blues know just how important it is to get a lead in a series against the Chicago Blackhawks.The Hawks are 16-1 at closing out foes after they take a lead at some point during the series, and if they steal Game 1 at the Scottrade Center, there's a good chance they're going to ultimately eliminate the Blues early.... 

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been ridiculously hot. They won 14 of their last 16 games overall, and it's really not fair to include a completely meaningless loss to the Flyers on the last day of the regular season when Sidney Crosby and a few others rested. In the playoffs though, everyone is 0-0, and the New York Rangers are going to hope to start off their new season in a winning way Wednesday night in the 'Burgh.... 

ODDS ANALYSISThe Blackhawks came through once again for their bettors in a big game situation during Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final Saturday night. Chicago beat Tampa Bay 2-1 in Florida to take a 3-2 series lead, which is something we’ve become accustomed to seeing. With Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane in the fold, the Hawks are now 7-1 in games when the series is tied 2-2.... 

The Chicago Blackhawks (63-34-4-3) might have a pair of Stanley Cups in the last five years, but they haven't clinched up a title on their home ice since 1938.They'll have a chance to break that seven-decade hex on Monday night when they try to finish off the Tampa Bay Lightning (64-35-3-5).... 

The Stanley Cup Finals this season has arguably been as close as any Finals prior to it in the history of the NHL.That's why many believe that it is almost a destiny of sorts that the Tampa Bay Lightning (64-35-3-5) beat the Chicago Blackhawks (63-34-4-3) in Game 6 of this fantastic series Monday night.... 

ODDS ANALYSISYou don’t get a chance to win a third Stanley Cup in six years by folding late in a playoff series and the Chicago Blackhawks have been nearly unbeatable in that situation. The Hawks are 17-4 in games 5 through 7 of a playoff series dating back to the 2012 season.... 

It shouldn't be all that surprising that the Chicago Blackhawks (62-34-4-3) and the Tampa Bay Lightning (64-34-3-5) are knotted at two games apiece through four games of the Stanley Cup Finals.What might be surprising though, is the determination of which team to bet on in live betting.... 

The Tampa Bay Lightning (64-34-3-5) came all too close to tying Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals. In the end, they didn't get the job done, but they’ve certainly continued to prove that they are game against the Chicago Blackhawks (62-34-4-3) in any situation.... 

ODDS ANALYSISWe’ve seen enough from the Chicago Blackhawks in the Jonathan Toews/Patrick Kane era to know that they can never be counted out. But just how good they are at coming back when trailing in the postseason may surprise you.... 

Nagging injuries are really starting to mount for both the Tampa Bay Lightning (64-33-3-5) and the Chicago Blackhawks (61-34-4-3) in the Stanley Cup Finals. These two teams will look to overcome their battle wounds on Wednesday in a pivotal Game 4 in the Windy City.... 

The Tampa Bay Lightning (64-33-3-5) and the Chicago Blackhawks (61-34-4-3) put on quite the show in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals in a fantastic 3-2 game which easily could have gone either way. More fantastic hockey could be on the horizon in Game 4, a game which is suddenly shaping up to be a must-win for the Blackhawks losing each of the last two in this series.... 

To say that Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals was anything but bizarre would be an understatement.
The Tampa Bay Lightning (63-33-3-5) stood toe-to-toe with the Chicago Blackhawks (61-33-4-3) in a third period which saw them change goalies three times over the course of about five minutes.
If they can put up with that, they might be able to steal Game 3 of this series in the Windy City as well.... 

The Stanley Cup playoffs make moments that players and fans will never forget. New stars are forged into our minds whom we might have never heard of before, and players who are goats today can be heroes tomorrow.... 

By all accounts, the Tampa Bay Lightning (62-33-3-5) probably should have beaten the Chicago Blackhawks (61-32-4-3) in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals.The magic from the Midway struck quickly in the third though, and that has given the Blackhawks huge momentum going into Game 2 Saturday night.... 

The Chicago Blackhawks (61-32-4-3) are officially three wins away from winning the Stanley Cup.For our money though, they will need to play better to ensure that they take Game 2 against the Tampa Bay Lightning (62-33-3-5).... 

The excitement of Stanley Cup hockey was evident in Tampa for Game 1 of the final but the Blackhawks put a damper on the celebration with a stunning 2-1 win, handing the Lightning their first playoff loss in 10 games when scoring the first goal.... 

The Tampa Bay Lightning have become the first team in NHL history to reach the Stanley Cup Finals after getting swept out of the first round of the postseason the year before. They're also becoming the first team to face four Original Six teams in the same postseason. But can they claim their second Stanley Cup in franchise history?... 

The Chicago Blackhawks have had a long and arduous road to reach the Stanley Cup Finals, but they bring a ton of experience into this last series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.Still, there are a lot of crucial factors which will stand between the Hawks and their third championship since 2010.... 

All too often in the NHL, we see top seeds end up getting cracked before the Stanley Cup Finals.
This year, we've got a pair of teams who didn't win their divisions battling it out for the most coveted trophy in sports, as the Tampa Bay Lightning collide with the Chicago Blackhawks....