Hockey Handicapping Articles

2015 Montreal Canadiens Predictions and Futures Odds with Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/23/2015

Carey Price was heavily-decorated last year - not just the Vezina Award for top goalie but the Hart Trophy as MVP. He deserved it all. This is a team that really struggled to score and was laughably hopeless on the power play. That should be a recipe for disaster, but they managed to tally 110 points. The reason for the success was simple - you don't have to score that much when other teams consistently can't score on you. Price is the best goalie on the planet right now and the biggest key for this team.

2015 Vancouver Canucks Predictions and Futures Odds with Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/23/2015

Need proof that karma is real? In 2011 the Vancouver Canucks were up 3-2 in the Stanley Cup Finals against Boston. The Cup, a first for the organization, was theirs for the taking. But then they lost a lopsided 5-2 game in Boston in Game 6 and then didn't even show up for the deciding game and lost 4-0. In one of the worst shows of sportsmanship in recent memory, the citizens of Vancouver responded by trying to burn their city to the ground. It was a riot for the ages.

2015 Nashville Predators Predictions and Futures Odds with Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/23/2015

Last year the Predators were one of the biggest surprises in the league. They were easy to count out heading into the season, but when the dust cleared they were second in the Central Division - and could have been even higher if they hadn't slumped down the stretch and lost their last six games. The regular-season momentum didn't stretch into the playoffs, though - they lost to the Blackhawks in six games in the opening round.

2015 San Jose Sharks Predictions and Futures Odds with Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/23/2015

The window hasn't slammed shut for the eternally-competitive-but-never-successful Sharks just yet, but it isn't exactly wide-open. In the spring of 2014 they collapsed like few teams ever have, coming from way ahead to lose to the Kings. Last year they pouted through the whole season and weren't even a legitimate threat to make the playoffs. It was a fairly aggressive offseason for the team, so now we have to see if they can pretend that last year never happened and become a strong contender again or if last year was a sign that this team needs to start over.

2015 St. Louis Blues Predictions and Futures Odds with Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/23/2015

If it weren't for those pesky playoffs, this would be the team of the decade so far. They have been very good in the regular season for the last four years. In the playoffs, though, they have just one series win over that time and have found unique ways to disappoint each year. Now they have no excuses, and they sit at the crossroads. Will they cross the threshold and become the serious contender they should be, or are they just going to be the like the San Jose Sharks and content themselves with being very good until it matters?

2015 Toronto Maple Leafs Predictions and Futures Odds with Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/23/2015

I write hundreds of articles each year. Perhaps my favorite annually is this one. The reason is simple - it's so easy to write, and I have a near certainty of being right. See, my preview every year contains basically the same phrase - the Toronto Maple Leafs suck, and they are going to continue to suck this year. It's that easy - succinct and always right.

2015 New York Islanders Predictions and Futures Odds with Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/22/2015

It's a time of significant change for the Islanders. After a long history in Uniondale, including a stretch when they were one of the best teams to ever play the sport, the team is leaving the decrepit Nassau Coliseum for the shiny Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It's a huge upgrade in so many ways, but it will still take a while to get used to the Islanders playing elsewhere.

2015 New Jersey Devils Predictions and Futures Odds with Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/22/2015

Seeing this team without Martin Brodeur between the pipes has been hard enough to get used to. Now, for the first time in 28 years, we also have to get used to the idea of Lou Lamoriello not being the GM of this team. He's in Toronto now - for reasons that make no sense at all - and a new era begins under Ray Shero. I would not want to trade places with Shero right now.

2015 Pittsburgh Penguins Predictions and Futures Odds with Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/21/2015

It's not time to panic yet in Pittsburgh by any means, but things are getting a little more desperate for the squad. Crosby and Malkin are inching towards 30, and the team has made a science lately of two things -- bad luck with injuries and wasting potential in the playoffs. With two of the four or five best offensive players in the world on the same team, they really should have more to show for it than they have.

2015 Tampa Bay Lightning Predictions and Futures Odds with Betting Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 9/21/2015

Last year I was bullish on this team from the start. I picked them as my Stanley Cup Champion before the season and stuck with them the whole way. And how close they came to making me look really good. They made it all the way to the Finals before falling short to the Chicago Blackhawks. Now they are back to do two things - to take one more step up the ladder and to prove that nothing they accomplished last year was a fluke.

Betting Odds and Free Picks for NHL Player and Team Props for Monday
by Dave Schwab - 6/15/2015

The Tampa Bay Lightning head to the United Center this Monday night to face the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 6 of this season's NHL Stanley Cup Finals. The Blackhawks are on the verge of laying claim to their third Stanley Cup title since 2010 with a 3-2 series lead in this best-of-seven clash, so the action should be fast and furious on the ice.

Betting Odds and Free Picks for NHL Team Props for Monday
by Dave Schwab - 6/8/2015

Chicago has been listed as a -149 home favorite on BetOnline's betting odds for Monday night, and the total has been set at five. Sportsbook.ag has added even more betting action to this crucial matchup with a number of NHL team prop bet odds in conjunction with the game. The following are my top three picks for these team props.

2015 Stanley Cup Finals Odds, Lines and Predictions
by George Monroy - 6/2/2015

The Stanley Cup Finals are set to begin tomorrow at 8 p.m. EST with an intriguing matchup between two stylistically similar teams in the Chicago Blackhawks and Tampa Bay Lightning. Chicago is on the verge of winning its third title in five years and capturing a piece of history for the city and its players. Coach Joel Quenneville has built a mini dynasty with the Blackhawks, and another title would solidify the team as one of the greatest teams over the last 20 years.

NHL Stanley Cup Betting Odds: Conn Smythe Trophy Series MVP Predictions
by Alan Harris - 6/1/2015

With the Stanley Cup Finals getting underway on Wednesday night in Tampa Bay, let's take a look at the odds to win the Conn Smythe Trophy (Series MVP) from our friends over at Bovada. In this article I will go over some favorites as well as long shots and try to provide readers with the best value bets to make for what should be a great series starting later this week.

Tracking the Calgary Flames: Season-Long NHL Picks and Handicapping for Hockey
by Trevor Whenham - 5/8/2015

What a difference a game can make. After the first game, a lopsided blowout by the Ducks, it seemed that there was no way this series was going more than four games. Heck, after that first game it seemed possible that the Flames would just forfeit and go home. The first period of the second game wasn’t any better, either. Since then, though, the Flames have started playing with more confidence.

Tracking the Calgary Flames: Season-Long NHL Picks and Handicapping for Hockey
by Trevor Whenham - 4/29/2015

Well, what a strange trip it has been so far. The Flames were expected by many — including me — to be serious contenders in the Connor McDavid sweepstakes. The playoffs seemed, back in September, to not only be unlikely but impossible. Yet here we are. Calgary not only made the postseason, but they won a series — and did it in reasonably commanding fashion with a crazy eventual blowout in Game 6 against Vancouver.

NHL Hockey Odds and Picks: Scouting the Week Ahead
by Alan Matthews - 4/28/2015

Nothing beats a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and hockey fans will be treated to their second one of the first round on Wednesday night when the Detroit Red Wings visit the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Bolts opened as -169 favorites at BetOnline with a total of five goals.

Tracking the Calgary Flames: Season-Long NHL Picks and Handicapping for Hockey
by Trevor Whenham - 4/23/2015

It could all end here. The series between the Calgary Flames and the Vancouver Canucks returns to Vancouver for Game 5 with the Flames nursing a 3-1 lead and looking to wrap things up and give themselves time to heal before the next series. It has been a tough, physical series, though strangely not as competitive as one might have imagined.

NHL Hockey Odds and Picks: Scouting the Week Ahead
by Alan Matthews - 4/20/2015

The team that has taken the biggest jump on the Stanley Cup futures odds one week into the playoffs is Montreal, which is now a Bovada co-second favorite with Chicago at 6/1 and 9/4 second favorite to the Rangers (2/1) to win the Eastern Conference. Those two can only meet in the East Finals.

Tracking the Calgary Flames: Season-Long NHL Picks and Handicapping for Hockey
by Trevor Whenham - 4/14/2015

The regular season went extremely well for the Calgary Flames compared to expectations. Fortunately, it went pretty well for us from a betting perspective, too — about three-quarters of a unit profit per game. Now, though, is when it really starts to matter both for us and for the team. The NHL playoffs are a whole different animal than the regular season in so many ways, and they are just brutal — the toughest test in sports. I never for a second expected the Flames would be in the playoffs to start the season.