HOCKEY NHL ARTICLES

For both the San Jose Sharks and St. Louis Blues the road to the Western Conference Final has been improbable, perilous, but also the ultimate thrill ride for those who had the nerves of steel necessary to watch. While neither team was a preseason favorite the quality of both squads has become apparent. It is no accident that San Jose and St. Louis are in hockey’s final four. They are deep, complete, well coached and have the most important element of all; Good Goaltending. Saturday night the Sh... 

Gamblers and sports fans could not ask for more when it comes to drama, unpredictability, and high wire acts in the Stanley Cup playoffs this spring. The top four seeds and defending Stanley Cup champion were bounced in the opening round. And it hardly ends there. The San Jose Sharks rallied from a 3-1 deficit in games to upend the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round. Meanwhile the Colorado Avalanche were not expected to make the post season but make it they did. And in the first round they killed off the top seed in the Western Conference, the Calgary Flames, in five games. Now the Avs and Sharks meet for a winner take all game seven. It just keeps getting better in the NHL post season! ... 

There could not be two teams that could be more opposite than the Columbus Blue Jackets and Boston Bruins. Boston is a classic blue blood old money Original Six team with a grand history and tradition. By contrast Columbus has struggled for two decades as an expansion team that had never won a playoff series until this year. Yet Columbus has gone toe to toe with the Bruins while showing no fear in their Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series. Perhaps its because they are led by a Bostonian ... 

In order to win a Stanley Cup championship a team must overcome adversity and setbacks along the way. There will be bad bounces, breaks and officiating mistakes. The championship teams will rise to the occasion with resiliency, determination, and resourcefulness to kill off the karma. The playoff teams that head to the golf links in failure whine, cry, and make excuses about luck not going their way. Such is the fork in the road that the New York Islanders now face. After a tough loss in game tw... 

At the beginning of the 2018-19 NHL season nobody was calling for the New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes to make the playoffs, let alone advance to the second round at the expense of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals. But that is exactly what has happened. Both the Islanders with Barry Trotz and the Hurricanes with Rod Brind’Amour were beneficiaries of superior coaching in their first round series. Both mentors got their respective lineups to plays team-first hockey wit... 

The Boston Bruins went the distance with the Toronto Maple Leafs and used home ice advantage to score a decisive 5-1 in game seven to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinal. Meanwhile the Columbus Blue Jackets have been practicing and scrimmaging in front of large crowds of eager fans thrilled with the franchise’s first ever playoff series win last week over the top seeded Tampa Bay Lighting. Now the immediate question for game one is if Boston can refocus and have enough in the tank after ... 

“There is nothing like playoff hockey.” That quote has been uttered over and over again the past two weeks and with plenty of good reason. The first round of this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs has been among the most unpredictable and entertaining in recent memory. And one of the best series so far has been between two Original Six teams with storied histories and large fan bases as the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins will be heading into a seventh and final game on Tuesday night. Toronto ha... 

The St. Louis Blues pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in NHL history as they were written off for dead in November after firing head coach Mike Yeo. The Blues were not only playing poorly but also without fire, desire or much effort. Enter Craig Berube. The man that served as Yeo’s assistant was promoted to interim head coach and, after a sluggish start, lit a fire under the team that saved their season and earned an unexpected playoff berth. On the whole the Blues finished 38-19-6 under ... 

The Calgary Flames may have won the Pacific Division going away but that does not take away from the fact that they had their share of skeptics and detractors. More specifically Flames goaltender Mike Smith has more than a few doubters in regards to his ability to backstop a team to the Stanley Cup. Smith’s save percentage of .898 in the regular season was considered far below par and a sign that Calgary could be had. With sharp shooting power forward Nathan MacKinnon, the Colorado Avalanche cer... 

The Columbus Blue Jackets stunned the hockey world when they rallied from a 3-0 deficit at the Tampa Bay Lighting to win game one by a score of 4-3. Certainly, a lot of gamblers had what they thought were winning tickets that turned as red as their faces come the end of the game. Now the question is if Tampa Bay can recover from blowing a sure win on their home ice to start the series. One of the big worries heading into the playoffs was that the Lighting had not faced any real significant adver... 

The Boston Bruins were the far more impressive in the regular season than the Toronto Maple Leafs and also have had the decided advantage in their head to head series. But more than any other sport the NHL Playoffs prove to be both the ultimate reset in which anything can happen. And a Toronto upset of Boston would not rank as one of the biggest of all time. Certainly, the Maple Leafs bring a considerable amount of skill and goal scoring ability. But Boston has what is considered the most import... 

The playoff series between the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins offers one of the starkest contrasts of teams and playing styles of any series on the board. For the Isles they are defense first and always. Head coach Barry Trotz arrived last summer after winning a Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals a few days before. Trotz more than made up for the fact that the Isles lost marquee man and superstar John Tavares to free agency and the Toronto Maple Leafs. As for the Penguins they ... 

The San Jose Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights will be having a playoff rematch from last year in which the then first year Vegas expansion team won impressively in six games. San Jose was one of the most impressive teams in the first few months of the regular season but faded badly down the stretch. By contrast the Golden Knights have been solid although not quite as consistently good as last year. Of major concern for the Golden Knights is the lower body issues of goaltender Marc Andre Fleury th... 

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins met in a spirited seven game series last year in which the Leafs rallied from a 3-1 deficit to force a seventh game before Boston put down the hammer in a 7-4 home win to save the series. This year the Leafs started off like gang busters but faded badly down the stretch. By contrast the Bruins got stronger as the season went on and have one of the top goaltending tandems in the NHL with Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak. Of great concern down the stretch wa... 

Playoff preparation is on the mind of the best NHL teams that are headed to post season. Among those teams getting ready for a Stanley Cup run are the St. Louis Blues who are hosting the Vancouver Canucks. The inconsistent Pittsburgh Penguins are looking to get playoff sharp and will host the New York Rangers. The Minnesota Wild are at the playoff bound Dallas Stars as Wild coach Bruce Boudreau could be facing the firing squad in a few days. The Vegas Golden Knights are determined to make anothe... 

The Tampa Bay Lightning will win the Presidents Trophy and have been flashing a Stanley Cup pose all season. The Bolts will face a tune up game at the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Montreal Canadiens simply have no margin for error at the Washington Capitals in a virtual do or die game. The Nashville Predators have been underwhelming at times and will prepare for the playoffs with a home game against the Vancouver Canucks. The Edmonton Oilers are facing an offseason of probable upheaval and will host... 

Last December when Scott Gordon was named head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers the franchise had reached rock bottom. In fact, the Flyers were written off for dead as they were buried at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. After a slow start upon Gordon’s arrival the Flyers picked up steam and made a strong push to gain one of the two Eastern Conference playoff spots. However, it has all proven to be a case of too little too late. Philadelphia’s lack of blue line depth and lack of s... 

The Philadelphia Flyers have run out of gas after a spirited attempt for a playoff spot and will be at the upstart and playoff bound Carolina Hurricanes. The Washington Capitals are at the Tampa Bay Lighting in a replay of last year’s Eastern Conference Final that could also serve as a playoff preview for this spring. The Columbus Blue Jackets face a do or die game at the Nashville Predators. And the Anaheim Ducks are at the Edmonton Oilers in a matchup of two teams playing out the string. The Let’s take a look at the best bets for Saturday in the NHL! ... 

The Washington Capitals are preparing for the playoffs and defense of their Stanley Cup championship. Thursday they will be at an upstart Carolina Hurricanes team that is the surprise of the NHL. The New York Islanders have former Caps coach Barry Trotz leading them into the playoffs and will be at a Winnipeg Jets team favored to win the Western Conference. The San Jose Sharks will be looking to get back into top form when they host the improved but out of the money Chicago Blackhawks. Let’s tak... 

The New York Islanders are a surprise playoff team that will be at a Philadelphia Flyers squad running out of runway towards a playoff spot. The Nashville Predators and the Winnipeg Jets will meet in a 2018 playoff rematch that could also serve as a preview for the Central Division title. The powerful Boston Bruins will face a pesky and at times dangerous Florida Panthers team while the Dallas Stars and Pittsburgh Penguins will meet with little margin for error. Let’s take a look at the best bet... 

The Boston Bruins were considered an afterthought to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division last September. But that perception has now flipped with the B’s steamrolling into a game at the lackluster New Jersey Devils. The St. Louis Blues have been one of the best teams in the NHL since New Year’s and will host the dreadful Detroit Red Wings. The Dallas Stars are trying to close out a wild card playoff spot against a Colorado Avalanche team that took a step back this year. And the Winn... 

The Chicago Blackhawks are one of the hottest teams in hockey but it may be a case of too little and too late when they face a Montreal Canadiens team under intense playoff pressure. The Calgary Flames have surprised all in their challenge for the Pacific Division lead and have a tough assignment at the Winnipeg Jets. Few teams have been as impressive lately than the Boston Bruins but they will host a dangerous and desperate Columbus Blue Jackets team. In what could be a preview of the Eastern C... 

The Montreal Canadiens are in a fight with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Philadelphia Flyers for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot and will face a tough task in at game at the New York Islanders. The defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals are also up against it at the red-hot Philadelphia Flyers. The Winnipeg Jets will host the Boston Bruins in what could be a preview of the Stanley Cup Final. And the San Jose Sharks will be hosting a pesky Florida Panthers team at the Shark ... 

The Boston Bruins have defied the concept that the National Hockey League is a young man’s game. Indeed, the veteran goaltending tandem of Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak have carried the Bruins to second place ahead of the much more ballyhooed Toronto Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division. For the Pittsburgh Penguins and their fans, a playoff spot has become an expectation, if not down right entitlement. Yet the Penguins are fighting for their playoff lives with the Montreal Canadiens and Columbu... 

The Buffalo Sabres and Colorado Avalanche are both suffering from letdown seasons in which they have failed to live up to expectations. The Ottawa Senators are the worst and most dysfunctional franchise in the NHL and will be up against the Boston Bruins juggernaut. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets will be fighting for their playoff lives Saturday in one of the biggest games of the year. The slumping Vancouver Canucks will host a resurgent Vegas Golden Knights team in the final ...