Hockey Handicapping Articles

2010-11 Nashville Predators Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Alan Matthews - 10/6/2010

In recent years the Nashville Predators have been stuck in NHL purgatory in that the franchise is never good enough to be a serious contender in the playoffs but never bad enough to possibly draft that franchise-changing talent at the top of the first round. The Preds have qualified for the postseason in every year but one since 2004 but still haven’t won a playoff series.

2010-11 Anaheim Ducks Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by T.O. Whenham - 10/6/2010

Entering last season the Ducks were a popular upstart pick to do some serious damage. They finished 11th, and were perhaps the biggest disappointment in the league. There were a lot of things that could be pointed to as a cause of the problems, but the biggest was the loss of Chris Pronger on defense. When the Ducks won the Cup in 2007 it was their defense that did all the heavy lifting. This year not only is Pronger gone, but now Scott Niedermayer is gone as well.

2010-11 Phoenix Coyotes Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by T.O. Whenham - 10/6/2010

Phoenix should have been lousy last year. The Coyotes had talent that looked more like it belonged in the AHL than the NHL, they were mired in ownership chaos and uncertainty, and their coach - the best player in the history of the sport - quit in the preseason. That is a whole lot of excuses they could have used, but they didn’t use any. Instead, they started strong, maintained the pace, and made the playoffs. Anyone who says that they saw that coming is lying. Last year they snuck up on teams, but this year they won’t be able to do that. Now they carry the weight of expectations on their shoulders.

2010-11 Los Angeles Kings Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by T.O. Whenham - 10/6/2010

The Kings are a very talented but very young team that accomplished more than was probably expected of them last year. In other words, they were ahead of schedule. This year they should have the foundation to build on what they have already accomplished. It’s easy to draw comparisons between this team now and the Blackhawks last year. Because of that, a lot is being made of the fact that the team tried hard to land Ilya Kovalchuk but fell short.

2010-11 Florida Panthers Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 10/4/2010

More teams in the NHL make the playoffs, 16, than miss the playoffs, 14. So the fact that the Panthers have missed the playoffs nine consecutive seasons is hard to believe. And the fact that they have not won a playoff game since 1997 is even harder to believe.

2010-11 Tampa Bay Lightning Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 10/3/2010

Perhaps it’s the NHL Lockout of 2004-05 to blame. The Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup in 2004. They have not won a playoff series since. After their dramatic Game 7 win over Calgary in June of 2004, the 2004-05 NHL season was canceled. Any momentum generated from the championship run was lost during the 310-day lockout.

2010-11 Carolina Hurricanes Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 10/3/2010

It always seems to be all or nothing with these Carolina Hurricanes. In their 13-year existence they have missed the playoffs seven times but they have also reached the Stanley Cup Finals twice and the Eastern Conference Finals three times. Unfortunately this year has more the look of a ‘nothing’ year than an ‘all’ year.

NHL Predictions for Season Point Totals Props Betting
by T.O. Whenham - 9/29/2010

Atlanta (83.5) - I like the ‘under’ here. They had 83 points last year, and this year they are without Ilya Kovalchuk from the outset. They rallied well and played hard once Kovalchuk was traded to New Jersey last year, but with a full year to face and a serious deficit in talent they are going to come to terms with the challenge facing them. They picked up four Stanley Cup winners form Chicago in the offseason. The important thing to remember, though, is that these were four players the Blackhawks were willing to part with, so they aren’t the cream of the crop.

NHL Season Betting Predictions and Odds
by Vegas Sports Informer - 9/29/2010

With NFL and NCAA football starting to go full speed and the MLB playoffs about to get under way, most people forget about the potential profits available from NHL betting. The season starts Oct. 7 and I am very excited about releasing NHL predictions to my clients.

2010-11 Colorado Avalanche Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by T.O. Whenham - 9/29/2010

With apologies to the Phoenix Coyotes, the Colorado Avalanche were the most impressive story in the NHL last year. They were picked by many people - myself included - to finish dead last in the league. They had little talent, and that which they did have was young and totally unproven. Behind the fantastic play of rookie centers Matt Duchene and Ryan O’Reilly, the emergence of goalie Craig Anderson, and an amazing coach job by Joe Sacco, however, the team found its way into the playoffs.

2010-11 St. Louis Blues Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Alan Matthews - 9/29/2010

The St. Louis Blues were really two teams last season: The one that entered the season off a playoff berth from the year before but struggled under coach Andy Murray, and then the one that improved greatly when Davis Payne took over for the fired Murray. But even a late surge – St. Louis went 23-15-4 under Payne -- couldn’t get in the Blues in the playoffs as they finished with 90 points (just two fewer than the year before), fourth in the Central Division and ninth in the West, five points out of the playoffs.

2010-11 Minnesota Wild Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by T.O. Whenham - 9/29/2010

If the NHL were a color wheel, the Minnesota Wild would be grey. They aren’t offensive or brash. They aren’t anything really. You just hardly notice that they are around. They are kind of like the Minnesota Timberwolves - it must be something in the water in Minneapolis.

2010-11 Calgary Flames Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by T.O. Whenham - 9/29/2010

It’s a frustrating time to be a Flames fan - and I say that as a life long Calgarian. Last year the team came into the season with high hopes, but was horribly mismanaged from the start and went nowhere. Illogical trades, inconsistent coaching, and increasingly incoherent ramblings from GM Darryl Sutter made a mockery of the potential, and kept the team out of the playoffs for the first time since the lockout. Fans screamed for some big changes starting at the top, but nothing happened. Sutter is still in charge, his brother is still the coach, and the team is worse than they were last year - and they weren’t very good then.

2010-11 Washington Capitals Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 9/28/2010

Everyone in the NHL is expecting the Washington Capitals to repeat as regular-season champions. Everyone around Washington hopes the Capitals don’t repeat as first-round flops in the postseason. The Capitals have won three consecutive Southeast Division crowns. Anything shy of a divisional crown this year would be shocking considering the team’s ability and the rest of the division’s lack of ability.

2010-11 Vancouver Canucks Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by T.O. Whenham - 9/28/2010

I was just in Vancouver, so I can tell you that the fans there are definitely optimistic about this team. Sickeningly optimistic, really - like optimistic enough to be planning the Stanley Cup parade route already. As much as I hate to admit it because I hate everything about the Canucks and their fans, they have every reason to be excited. They are the only legitimate contender in this division, and are perhaps the best team in the entire conference.

2010-11 Atlanta Thrashers Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 9/28/2010

The Atlanta Thrashers finished second in the Northeast Division last year. Too bad for Atlanta, second place in the division was only good enough for 10th place in the Eastern Conference. Finishing second in the division seems to be the only possible expectation for the Thrashers considering the dominance of the Washington Capitals within the division.

2010-11 Edmonton Oilers Predictions with NHL Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by T.O. Whenham - 9/28/2010

For the Oilers, the future is bright. The question is when the future will arrive. No team in the league has anywhere close to as much exciting young talent joining them this year. The centerpiece is first overall draft choice Taylor Hall - a guy who has dazzled in pressure situations everywhere he has played. Jordan Eberle, a 20-year-old first rounder from two years ago, is another high pressure guy who has hit the ground running in the preseason and has massive upside. Magnus Paajarvi is the third youngster who has fans drooling.

2010-11 Chicago Blackhawks NHL Predictions with Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Alan Matthews - 9/27/2010

The NHL’s short offseason was one big party in the Windy City as fans of the Chicago Blackhawks finally were able to celebrate a Stanley Cup, with last year’s squad ending a 49-year championship drought thanks to six-game Cup finals win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Really, the Hawks weren’t seriously threatened in last year’s playoffs, never getting extended to seven games and sweeping the West No. 1 seed Sharks in the conference finals.

2010-11 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL Predictions with Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 9/24/2010

The enigma that is the Toronto Maple Leafs is set to begin its sixth season since its last playoff appearance and 44th season since its last Stanley Cup. Yet the Maple Leafs remain the most valuable team in the NHL, with an estimated value of $470 million and a ticket to see the perennial losers play remains one of the hottest ticket in any sport. They drawn an immense amount of interest north of the border and, once again, there is reason to believe that Toronto could make a postseason push for the first time since 2004.

2010-11 NHL Season: Montreal Canadiens Predictions with Futures Odds and Betting Picks
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 9/24/2010

The Montreal Canadiens unexpected and improbable playoff run last season raises a few questions. How did Montreal manage to win two Game 7s on the road, one against top-seed Washington and another against defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh? Where had that Montreal team been all regular season when it struggled just to get into the postseason? And then how did that same Montreal team get blown away by No. 7 seed Philadelphia in five games?