HOCKEY NHL ARTICLES

For now, the Winter Classic in Minnesota between the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild remains on. But fans and gamblers will be holding their breath until the puck drop. The NHL has dumped a cargo ship worth of games off the board for the past two weeks because of Omicron. Canada and the United States have different protocols for the variant, which has thrown a monkey wrench into the NHL schedule and the future. It also doesn’t help that the NHLPA wags the dog in pro hockey. It’s no coincidenc... 

On Wednesday night TNT will present a hot new expansion team that sells a lot of merchandise. The expansion Seattle Kraken is a hit at the box office and the online gear store. But they aren’t reminding anyone of the 2017-18 Vegas Golden Knights on the ice. Meanwhile, the Anaheim Ducks are one of the big surprises in the NHL. The Ducks are showing impressive balance and the look of a 200-foot team. Anaheim has stuck with coach Dallas Eakins and is being rewarded for their patience. Anaheim is in... 

TNT offers a potential Western Conference playoff preview of inconsistent teams on Wednesday night. Specifically, the Vegas Golden Knights will host the Dallas Stars. Following a slow start, the Stars are cranking into gear. The missing goal-scoring in the season’s first month is finally lighting the lamp. On the other hand, the Golden Knights struggle to keep the puck out of their own net. Vegas may regret the trade of Marc Andre Fleury to the Chicago Blackhawks. Cause by Fleury and Robin Lehne... 

The Pittsburgh Penguins visit the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night in a game that can be seen on TNT. The Penguins have dominated this series of late, winning 8 of the last 10 meetings, but Edmonton did break a six-game losing streak in the series, winning 2-1 two years ago. The teams have not met in two years when the Penguins won 5-2 in Edmonton.This is the second game of a four-game road trip for the Penguins, as they began the trip in Calgary on Monday. The Oilers have not played since win... 

The St. Louis Blues visit the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday in a game that can be seen on ESPN+. The Blues started the season strongly but they have not played that well of late with just three wins in their last ten games. The Blackhawks are almost the opposite, as they started the season very poorly but they have played much better of late, winning six of their last ten. St. Louis has done really well in this series of late, winning the last five meetings. Let’s look at the matchup between the Blues and Blackhawks and NHL picks. ... 

The Chicago Blackhawks visit the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday night in a game that can be seen on TNT. Chicago struggled early in the season but they are now playing well having won three straight games, while the Kraken have dropped four straight contests. Chicago comes into this game at 4-9-2, while Seattle is 4-10-1. This will be the first-ever meeting between the Blackhawks and Kraken. Let’s look at the matchup between the Blackhawks and Kraken and NHL picks. ... 

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The St. Louis Blues visit the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night in a game that can be seen on TNT. The Blues have gotten off to an excellent start this season and look like a serious contender in the Western Conference, as the Blues are 6-1 on the season and lead the Central Division. The Kings have struggled early in the season but they did finally break their losing streak, winning against Montreal on Saturday. The Blues and Kings have split their last ten meetings but St. Louis has won the last three. Let’s look at the Blues and Kings and NHL picks. The St. Louis Blues will visit the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. This game will take place on Wednesday, November 3, 2021, at 10 p.m. ET, with television coverage on TNT. Odds Analysis The Blues have been one of the best teams early in the season, while the Kings have struggled, so there is little doubt that St. Louis will be favored. St. Louis has also won six of the last ten in Los Angeles with six of the ten going under the total. ... 

On Wednesday night, TNT gets a gem matchup between two teams that got off to promising starts. The Edmonton Oilers have been a source of frustration for gamblers. Cause by not making enough hay with the NHL’s best player, Connor McDavid. Meanwhile, Philadelphia is on a redemption tour after unexpectedly flopping last year. Of course, the Flyers have always had goal scoring. That is again the case this year. If Philadelphia can simply put an average defense on the ice, they can be a serious threa... 

Last week TNT was a smash hit for its NHL debut. The rookie hockey network brought personality and fun to the telecast. Yet, they were sure that everyone had all of the important facts about the game. Fans will be coming back for more on Wednesday night. And it's not just to enjoy the banter of the star-studded studio show. In fact, the matchup of the Blues and Golden Knights will light up the marquee. These two perennial powers are again expected to contend for the Western Conference championship. Vegas’ playoff flop last spring remains a rallying cry. ... 

At the onset of the 2021-22 NHL season are plenty of questions. Specifically, about the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals. New York stunned the hockey world last spring by firing its entire front office. Now Chris Drury is the general manager with Gerard Gallant as head coach. Rangers’ chairman James Dolan believes it's time for the Broadway Blueshirts to make the playoffs. Thus, the pressure is on full blast. Meanwhile, gamblers ask if the Caps are dedicated to winning another Stanley Cup or more to Alex Ovechkin breaking the NHL goal-scoring record. ... 

Two of the NHL’s most successful franchises will open a new era Tuesday night. Namely, the Penguins and Lightning are synonymous with Stanley Cup success. Meanwhile, ESPN is renowned as the “World Wide Leader in Sports.” Following a 17-year separation, the NHL and ESPN have buried the hatchet. Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh are the first game on the network since Game-7 of the 2004 Stanley Cup Final. Thus, there is going to be both significant anticipation and curiosity for a major landmark event. Fans and gamblers are thrilled with two top contenders to hail the start of the NHL season. The Tampa Bay Lightning will host the Pittsburgh Penguins Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. This game will take place on Tuesday, October 12, 2021, at 7:30 p.m. ET, with television coverage on ESPN. ... 

The long NHL season could end Monday night. The Tampa Bay Lightning are just one game away from clinching their second consecutive Stanley Cup championship. In the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, the Lightning has completely and mercilessly outclassed the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal began the Final as a dream NHL betting Cinderella team. But the Stanley Cup Final has proven to be a reality check. In the first three rounds, the Canadiens faced teams that lacked will or skill. By contrast, Tampa Bay has both in spades. So far, the Lighting has blown apart Montreal’s discipline and structure. ... 

The Montreal Canadiens have already beaten three heavy favorites to get to the Stanley Cup Final. Consider that the most impressive by Le Bleu-Blanc-Rouge was over a Vegas Golden Knights team favored at -550. Montreal fears nothing nor anyone. And with Carey Price in goal, they can beat anyone they play. However, Monday's Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final was a stark reality check. The Tampa Bay Lightning are in a class by themselves. Tampa Bay lit up the Habs and Price in an impressive 5-1 win. ... 

On the whole, there could be an element of gambling karma taking place in the series between the Vegas Golden Knights and Montreal Canadiens. When Vegas opened as an absurd -550 favorite to win the series, it was as if gamblers were defying Hermes himself. And Hermes doesn’t seem amused. Vegas faces elimination on Thursday night at Montreal. What is most shocking is that the Canadiens are doing to the Golden Knights what the Golden Knights did to the Colorado Avalanche in the previous round. Mon... 

For anyone that thinks the Vegas Golden Knights romping over the Montreal Canadiens is a forgone conclusion, that conclusion is now long gone. Les Canadiens were the team that romped in game two, with a 3-2 win that was not nearly as close as the score indicated. Le Bleu-Blanc-Rouge could have been arrested for charges of suffocation. The Golden Knights were out of sorts all game as the Habs carried much of the play. Montreal was the more steady and fundamentally sound team. The Canadiens forced VGK into continuous mistakes. Now the series heads to Montreal for games three and four. ... 

On the whole, the New York Islanders are considered to be greater than the total sum of their parts. Head coach Barry Trotz commands structure, defense, and fundamentals. Yet in their six-game playoff win over the Bruins, the Islanders lit the lamp bright with regularity. New York has more goal scoring than anyone cares to admit. But the Isles’ third round matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning is no bargain. Cause by the defending Stanley Cup champions flashing the deepest lineup of any playoff team. Tampa Bay steamrolled opponents in the first two rounds. ... 

Home ice advantage has actually been a detriment to this point in this series. Tampa Bay went into Carolina to win the first two games, but the Hurricanes were able to upend the Lightning in Florida for Game 3. The Lightning still have a chance to take a commanding lead in this series if they win Game 4 though. That would put Tampa Bay up 3-1 and give the Lightning a great chance of advancing to defend the Stanley Cup.... 

After nearly a week off, the Boston Bruins will finally be back on the ice this Saturday. The Bruins closed out the Washington Capitals last Sunday, and they have been waiting to see whether they would play the Pittsburgh Penguins or New York Islanders since that win. The Islanders’ win means that the Bruins will have home ice advantage in this series, and the winner will go on to the Stanley Cup semifinals.... 

The Minnesota Wild might be playing their final home game of the season on Saturday night. Minnesota is currently down 2-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Golden Knights have looked great in their last two wins over the Wild. If the Wild want to even the series and potentially upset the favored Golden Knights, they will have to score some goals as they have found the back of the net just four times in three games this series.... 

Since opening operations in 2000, the Minnesota Wild quickly developed the reputation for being the most boring team in the NHL. Defensive hockey has been Minnesota’s Marquee for the past 20 years. But head coach Dean Evason is changing all of that. Following his appointment as interim coach one year ago, Evason sought to open up the offenses. And the NHL betting results have impressed observers and gamblers. Minnesota is winning big while entertaining fans in the process. By contrast, the St. Louis Blues are a disappointment. St. Louis bears little resemblance to their 2019 championship team. ... 

On the whole, the 2021 campaign proves the Rangers are a team of the future. Most observers see New York as a regular playoff team beginning next season. Ranger management is executing a masterful rebuild that will last for years to come. In fact, New York is exceeding expectations. Meanwhile, Washington is in the thick of the race for first place in the East Division. However, they lost both games at home to the Penguins last week. Now Pittsburgh leads the Caps by two points. Washington's defense remains a perpetual NHL betting concern. ... 

New expansion teams are supposed to gush red ink on the NHL betting board when it comes to major league sports history. But the city of Las Vegas has its own unique way of doing things. Three seasons ago, the Vegas Golden Knights made the Stanley Cup Final for the most successful debut campaign of all time. Now, Vegas is better than ever, proving it was not a fluke. Vegas is fighting for the West Division lead with the Colorado Avalanche. Many observers think that Colorado should have won the 2020 Stanley Cup. Both the Avs and Knights are printing money and stampeding towards a potential championship run.... 

While the 2021 NHL season is compressed at 56 games per team, there is still time for radical adjustments. The Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins are proof of that. Pittsburgh jumpstarted what looked like a lost season when it hired Brian Burke as team president and Ron Hextall as the general manager. In like manner, the Bruins made a splash at the trade deadline by acquiring Taylor Hall from the Buffalo Sabres. Since those moves, the NHL betting landscape has changed dramatically for both clubs. Gamblers are increasing bets on both teams to win the East Division. ... 

Two years ago, the Boston Bruins were a machine that many NHL observers and gamblers believe should have won the Stanley Cup. Instead, the Bruins blew a seven game Stanley Cup Final on home ice to the St. Louis Blues. Things have not quite been the same since that epic heartbreaker. Three years ago, the Washington Capitals won the first and only Stanley Cup of their franchise history. Then head coach Barry Trotz departed for the New York Islanders hours after that triumph. Since Trotz left town,...