Hockey Handicapping Articles

NHL Picks: Kings at Devils Game 5 Odds and Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 6/8/2012

I clearly should have known better than to pick the Los Angeles Kings back home in Game 4 to sweep away the New Jersey Devils and end the 2011-12 NHL season. For one thing, the Kings had lost just twice in these playoffs entering Wednesday’s game and both had come at home with the chance to complete a sweep. In addition, the Devils had never been swept in a best-of-seven playoff series in their history (this is their 43rd series).

NHL Stanley Cup Picks: Devils at Kings Game 4 Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 6/6/2012

I hate to see the NHL season end – although it does drag on forever – but it sure looks like hockey will disappear until this fall after Wednesday night’s Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the visiting New Jersey Devils and the red-hot Los Angeles Kings.

Stanley Cup Finals Betting Preview: Kings vs. Devils Odds and Prediction
by T.O. Whenham - 5/29/2012

There are a lot of people who will tell you that this is a disappointing or underwhelming Stanley Cup Finals pairing. Those people are just plain wrong. Sure, it doesn’t look like much when a No. 6 seed meets a No. 8 seed in the battle for the nicest trophy in sports. Neither of these teams is what you would typically expect from their seeds, though.

2012 NHL Stanley Cup Finals Betting Preview
by David Schwab - 5/28/2012

The NHL is down to its final two teams in this season’s march to the Stanley Cup title, with the surprising New Jersey Devils coming in from the Eastern Conference and the red-hot Los Angeles Kings representing the West. The best-of-seven Stanley Cup Finals gets underway this Wednesday night with the first of two games at the Prudential Center in Newark. The series shifts to the Staples Center in Los Angeles for Game 3 on Monday, June 4, and Wednesday, June 6. It will then alternate coasts for the last three games if necessary.

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Betting Trends and Analysis
by David Schwab - 5/21/2012

The NHL Stanley Cup NHL Conference Finals enter their second week of action with Monday night’s New York vs. New Jersey’s Game 4. The following is a look at a few key facts and figures for each series along with some current NHL betting trends to help handicap the upcoming games.

NHL Odds and Picks: New York Rangers at New Jersey Devils Game 3
by Alan Matthews - 5/18/2012

The New Jersey Devils were good to us in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Finals series against the New York Rangers on Wednesday night. The Devils went off as +110 dogs and beat New York, 3-2, to even the series at a game apiece. Really, it was an easy call, however, so I can’t take too much credit. The Devils have won every game in these playoffs after falling behind in the series in the previous game. The Rangers, meanwhile, had lost Game 2 at home in the first two rounds after winning the opener.

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Betting Trends and Analysis
by David Schwab - 5/15/2012

The NHL Conference Finals got underway this past Sunday and Game 1 of both the Eastern Conference and Western Conference series is in the books. The following is a look at a few key facts and figures for each series along with some current betting trends to help with your NHL handicapping for the upcoming games.

NHL Picks: Capitals at Rangers Game 7 Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 5/11/2012

The NHL’s conference semifinal round has mostly been a dog with three of the four series ending at five games or fewer. Thankfully, the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers are providing some drama with a Game 7 set for Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. It’s totally fitting that this series went the distance because both Washington and the Blueshirts had to win a Game 7 in the first round just to get here.

NHL Playoff Handicapping: Los Angeles Kings Heading to Stanley Cup
by T.O. Whenham - 5/11/2012

On paper we are witnessing an incredible underdog story in the NHL. The L.A. Kings have become the first team in the history of the league to beat both the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in their conference in the same playoff run. Not only that, but they did it as the eighth seed after just squeaking into the playoffs. That sounds like something right out of a Disney script.

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs: Conference Semifinals Betting Update
by David Schwab - 5/7/2012

It has been anything but predictable in this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs as one by one the favorites continue to bite the dust. The top two favorites from each conference -- Pittsburgh in the East and Vancouver in the West -- did not even make it out of the first round. The upstart eighth-seed Los Angeles Kings, who barely made it into the postseason in the West, just sent the St. Louis Blues packing in four games and both Phoenix in the West and New Jersey in the East have a 3-1 stranglehold in their series.

2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs: Conference Semifinals Preview
by David Schwab - 5/1/2012

The first round of this season’s NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs is in the books and the final four teams in both the East and the West have been pared-off in the best-of-seven conference semifinals. The four series kicked off this weekend, and while a few of the favorites have already grabbed the early edge, there are a few potential upsets in the works.

NHL Odds and Picks: Washington Capitals at Boston Bruins, Game 7
by Alan Matthews - 4/24/2012

What we haven’t had, however, is a series that has gone to a winner-take-all Game 7. But the first one arrives on Wednesday night in Boston when the reigning Cup champion Bruins, the East’s No. 2 seed, host the seventh-seeded Washington Capitals.

2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs – First Round Betting News and Update
by David Schwab - 4/24/2012

The first round of this season’s NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs wraps up this week and there have already been a few shocking upsets as the Las Vegas oddsmakers are going to have to reshuffle the deck when determining the new odds to win this season’s Stanley Cup among the eight remaining teams.

NHL Odds and Picks: Ottawa Senators at New York Rangers, Game 5
by Alan Matthews - 4/20/2012

New York better win Game 5 back at Madison Square Garden, however, on Saturday night. Otherwise, the Blue Shirts would have to win at Ottawa in Game 6. The Rangers scored just two combined goals in splitting the past two games at Scotiabank Place.

NHL Odds and Picks: Nashville Predators at Detroit Red Wings Game 4 Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 4/17/2012

I would argue that Nashville’s 2-1 series led over Detroit is almost as surprising. Yes, the fourth-seeded Predators finished with 104 points and two points ahead of the No. 5 Wings in the Central Division, but these are the Detroit Red Wings we are talking about.

2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs – First Round Betting News and Update
by David Schwab - 4/17/2012

The first round of this season’s NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs presses on and there have already been a number of shocking developments among the eight matchups. The top favorites in both the Eastern and Western Conference find themselves on the brink of elimination and a few unexpected long shots appear poised to make a serious run at trying to bring home this year’s title

NHL Odds and Picks: Sharks at Blues Game 2 Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 4/13/2012

Only one team lost on its home ice on Thursday night in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and that was the Western Conference second-seeded St. Louis Blues, who fell 3-2 in double overtime to No. 7 San Jose in the best game of these playoffs so far. Ironically, the Blues had beaten San Jose all four times, in dominating fashion, during the regular season. But there are no shootout chances in the playoffs. By the way, there were three overtime games Thursday – the first time there were three overtime games in one playoff day since April 18, 2001.

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Preview
by David Schwab - 4/9/2012

The NHL closed the books on the regular season this past Saturday and the first-round matchups for the Eastern Conference Stanley Cup Playoffs are now set. Later this week, eight teams will begin their quest to represent the east in the finals in what should be four exciting best-of-seven game series.

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Western Conference Preview
by David Schwab - 4/9/2012

The 2011-12 NHL regular season came to a close this past Saturday and later this week the real season gets underway as the top eight teams in each conference will begin their quest for a coveted Stanley Cup title. The following is a brief look at all four of the best-of-seven first-round matchups in the Western Conference along with a few key facts and figures to help handicap the games.

NHL Playoffs Handicapping: Players to Watch
by T.O. Whenham - 4/9/2012

Hockey is the ultimate team game. Even the best players on the team can play only a third of the game, so a team succeeds in the layoffs does it because of their depth and chemistry. From a betting perspective, though, there are some players who are more important to pay attention to than others. These players are key indicators — the types of players that determine how their team is likely to perform. If they are playing well in the playoffs then their teams could perform well also.