NHL History & News

This year, the Colorado Avalanche has been a miracle team. The Avalanche are in line for playoff bid with a solid seed after coming into the season with low expectations and being picked by many to be in the cellar of the Western Conference.

The Avalanche have started to plateau a little bit over the last little while have posted a 40-24-6 record so far on the season. Over the last ten games, they have only posted a .500 record.

Paul Stastny has been very consistent down the stretch, keeping his team in games by scoring consistently and he is the team’s leader and playmaker this year. He has a current streak of 6 straight games with 8 assists over 5 of those games and with at least one point in each of those games. His ability to facilitate and create for others is key for their offense, which has been solid. This year, the offense has scored 211 goals. Stastny has scored 17 himself and has assisted over 25% of the goals that have been scored for the team this year.  This just shows how effective he has been for the Avalanche on the season.

Craig Anderson has posted 2.47 goals against average, but that number doesn’t really tell the story of what this guy is capable and he has been solid this year. It is the fact that he has posted 7 shutouts on the year is the point to look.

It is enough to win a game, series, or even an entire postseason with the ability for a goaltender to take over the game in the playoffs. There is no telling what this team can do if Anderson can be consistent throughout the playoffs. The team will however struggle without his production.

With a solid 44-19-6 record, the Chicago Blackhawks are leading the Central Division and currently sit second in the NHL Western Conference standings. In order to stay within the top four playoff spots, the Blackhawks really need to finish strong down the stretch.

The San Jose Sharks, the number one team for Stanley Cup betting in the Western Conference, are better at home than on the road, for the Blackhawks this difference is even more demonstrative. The Blackhawks have been much weaker on the road, putting up an 18-12-3 record thus far on the season but they have been nearly unbeatable at home, posting a 26-7-3 record.

The Blackhawks have no secret to success. On the offensive and defensive ends of the ice, they simply outwork their opponents. They have been able to cash in 224 goals on the offensive end and have given up a mere 174 goals this season and.

They have been solid defensively against the power play, only allowing conversion at a rate of 15.8 percent of the time but they have not been fantastic offensively on the power play, converting 19.5 percent of the time.

Their ability to capitalize on the power play and to use that advantage to start scoring some goals will be the key to their success down the stretch and in the playoffs. Right Wing Patrick Kane (26 goals and 51 assists) has been leading the team in scoring and assists and he has been a one man show for the Blackhawks. They’ll need him to continue to be dominant in order for this team to move up to the Sharks for the number one seed.

Sitting at the top of the NHL Western Conference is the San Jose Sharks. It would be a huge advantage for the Sharks as they have been a remarkable 22-6-8 at home and being at home throughout the playoffs. Their road record of 21-10-2 is not as impressive, but it still has been enough to get the job done in the West.

The San Jose Sharks are in danger of losing their number one spot, as they are on a three game skid at this point. With a record of 6-3-1 in their last ten games the Chicago Blackhawks are hot on their tails, as well as Phoenix are showing no signs of slowing down and are currently on a six game win streak.  Phoenix is currently only 5 points behind the Sharks, who currently hold 96 points in the regular season.

As most suspected that they would be at the top of the Western Conference from the beginning, this success comes as no surprise for the Sharks. With the help of the dangerous duo Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, they have met and surpassed expectations.

Thornton dished out an amazing 63 assists on the season and has been an excellent facilitator this year. Patrick Marleau scored 41 goals so far this year (not to mention dishing out 32 assists of his own) and has been the beneficiary of many of these assists.

This team possibly go deep into the playoffs  with their team effort along with the solid goaltending of Evgeni Nabokov( 2.37 goals against average .924 save percentage) and making them favorites to take the conference. San Jose making it to the NHL Championship and securing the Stanley Cup is a very good chance.

It is not good enough to relax but as far as playoff hopes are concerned, the Nashville Predators are currently in a pretty good spot. The Red Wings have been known to improve their play right before the playoffs and they hold a three point lead on the Detroit Red Wings.

They have 83 points this season and currently hold a record of 39-26-5.  Of the tight race for the eighth spot in the NHL Western Conference, a three game win streak has helped them to jump out.

The Predators have struggled to remain consistent throughout the season. The Predators have gone 5-3 so far and this is especially true for March.

The head coach Barry Trotz called a team meeting to discuss where the team is at when the Predators lost 8-5 to the San Jose Sharks last week.  A pep talk was given by him to the team on calming their nerves so that they could group together and retain a playoff spot.

The Predators have struggled to be an offensive threat but they have met expectations as far as goal tending and defense have gone.  It has been a huge struggle for the team to stay afloat without Patric Horngvist stepping up as he has been the Leading goal scorer and has not shown up offensively in March.

The Nashville Predators look to have making it into the playoffs and a good shot at keeping their seventh seed spot. They have shown that they are bringing things together and can be a real contender within the next couple of years even if they may not make it to the second round.

In the NHL Western Conference with only 21 wins and 42 losses The Edmonton Oilers are currently sitting at rock bottom.  They are sure to end the regular season with the worst record in the NHL and have failed to make any sort of impact on the league this year.  They are currently on a three game losing streak, and don’t look to improve their position much before the end of the season.

The Oilers are now just battling to stay away from the franchise worst record of 60 points for a season, set back in 1992-93, with their current record,. They will have to score at least one or more points in the rest of their games this season in order to avoid that.

They are currently 31 points behind the Detroit Red Wings and are at last place in the NHL Western Conference. The Columbus Blue Jackets who are 12 points ahead of Edmonton Oilers are the next closest team to them in the conference.

This season, the Edmonton Oilers have just not been able to get into rhythm.  Marc Pouliot has not been able to direct the offense like he needs to and goalie Jeff Deslauriers has been sloppy at the net.

The Edmonton Oilers are now just hoping to get a good lottery pick in the draft and to rebuild and are far from the playoffs. In order to be contenders in the NHL Western Conference again in the near future, they need to establish a consistent offensive and defensive effort.

Now the hockey world turns to more important things after the excitement of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver is subsidized. For the Stanley Cup, the hockey wars begin in earnest. There are four teams making a playoff push in the Northeast Division, with the top two expecting to make at least a deep run and possibly hoisting the Cup.

Buffalo and Ottawa are the contenders currently jockeying for the better seeding barring a monumental collapse. Among a number of teams still trying to secure the final playoff slots are Boston and Montreal. Hockey Betting odds are always available.

A “hot” goalie can win the Cup is a traditional thinking in the NHL. No goalie is performing better then Ryan Miller of the Sabres’. Fresh off of an MVP performance in the tournament at the winter olympics, Miller seems poised to carry the Sabres to the division title. Miller only surrenders 2.16 and has a save percentage of 93.1% while Buffalo currently averages 2.73 goals per game.

Converting on the power play and killing penalties have been season long problems for the Ottawa Senators but they are playing some of their best hockey as of late. The Senators have surrendered more goals than goals scored while they put a lot of shots at the net. Whoever finishes second in the division will probably have to face New Jersey or Pittsburgh, a tough draw in the first round.

Boston may have the size to upend Washington as an eight seed on a final note. It is seemed Montreal a season away. You can bet on hockey with your favorite online sportsbook.