Hockey Handicapping Articles

Handicapping the NHL Playoff Race
by T.O. Whenham - 3/25/2010

We are right in the middle of the homestretch of the NHL season - no team has more than 10 games remaining from their 82-game season. There are some pretty decent playoff races remaining in both conferences. Neither involves as many teams as are a factor some years at this time, but in both conferences there is inevitably going to be a pretty good team or two left on the outside looking in. Here's a look both at how those playoff races shape up, and how to deal with handicapping playoff races in general:

NHL Trade Deadline
by T.O. Whenham - 3/3/2010

The NHL trade deadline came and went on Wednesday afternoon. The NHL is typically the most active league at the deadline, and this year was no exception - about 35 deals took place in the 24 hours before the deadline. Unlike past years, though, the deals were mostly just the shuffling around of spare parts instead of anything that is likely to make a major impact.

Betting on the Olympic Hockey Tournament
by T.O. Whenham - 2/10/2010

I would guess that if you were to track the amount of time the Canadian media has spent talking about the Olympic hockey tournament in the last year it would exceed the time they have spent talking about everything else combined. Canada is absolutely obsessed with the upcoming tournament. It takes place on home soil, so winning it is particularly important.

NHL Handicapping: Olympic Break Impact
by T.O. Whenham - 2/10/2010

The NHL is presenting us with a challenging hockey handicapping proposition that is entirely unique to the league. Because many of their players will be playing for their countries in the Olympics, the league will be shutting down for two weeks. There are six games scheduled on Valentine's Day, and that's the last that we'll see until one game is played on March 1.

NHL Handicapping: Calgary Flames Overhaul
by T.O. Whenham - 2/3/2010

In this cautious salary cap era of the NHL it's still common to see teams make changes at or near the trade deadline, but it's increasingly rare to see a team make a deal that really shakes up their roster - especially when a team is a legitimate playoff contender. It's truly surprising, then, that the Calgary Flames have not made one such deal in the last week, but two.

NHL Betting: Colorado Avalanche One Of Biggest Surprises in Years
by T.O. Whenham - 11/11/2009

In my profession I end up making a lot of predictions, pronouncements and guesses. Some of them I am particularly proud of down the road, and others seem perfectly reasonable. Every so often, though, I make one that misses the boat so badly that I wish that I wish I could pretend that it never happened.

NHL Handicapping: Injury Woes
by T.O. Whenham - 11/5/2009

A team made up of the currently injured players in the NHL could beat pretty much any team in the league. Handily. And I'm not even kidding. Just look at the starting lineup - Ovechkin, Malkin, and Kovalchuk up front, Gonchar and Souray on defense, and Roberto Luongo on defense. It's not just the starting lineup that's impressive, either - the depth of injured stars would make an Olympic team drool - Spezza, Sedin, Gagne, Briere, Savard, Lucic, Toews, Franzen, Markov, Lehtonen. It goes on and on and on.

NHL Teams Starting in Europe
by T.O. Whenham - 10/7/2009

For the third year in a row, some NHL teams have began their season by playing games in Europe. This year, the ambitiously named NHL Premiere series took place in Stockholm and Helsinki on Oct. 2 and 3. The series featured three teams expected to make the playoffs out of the Central Division - the Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, and St. Louis Blues, and one team out of the Southeast - the Florida Panthers - that doesn't really scare anyone.

2009-10 NHL Predictions
by T.O. Whenham - 9/30/2009

The time before a season starts is when we are all at our smartest. The predictions we make all make perfect sense, and until the games begin we are all completely right and totally insightful. With that in mind, here's a wide range of bold predictions for the NHL season that starts with four games on Thursday night:

NHL Betting: 2009-10 NHL Futures Odds
by T.O. Whenham - 9/29/2009

The NHL season is just around the corner - it starts Thursday night with four games. As we get ready for the season, and hopefully the profits, to begin, here's a look at some of the more interesting Stanley Cup futures odds that are currently available: