NHL History & News

The Eastern Conference is a wide open conference with some great battles at the top of the standings starting with two divisions, the Southeast Division and the Northeast Division.

The Southeast Division is even up with the favorite, the Washington Capitals and the long shot, the Florida Panthers. Both teams are cutting their way through the competition. The Caps expectations were high going into the season but the Panthers are surprising everyone. Both teams have 21 points and if the playoffs started tomorrow one of them would be heading home.

The Northeast Division is also in a dead heat. The Buffalo Sabres and the Toronto Maple Leafs are neighbors just across the Niagra Falls from each other but the two teams are also neighbors in the standings. The two teams are identical except the Maple Leafs are have given up 19 more goals than the Sabres.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are leading the NHL in points, tied with the Western Conference leaders, the Blackhawks, with the 25 points. The Penguins are doing this despite their star player, Sidney Crosby, being out of commission with concussion issues.

There are several teams that are already eliminated from the NHL playoffs before we ever get to the month of December but only one team, the New York Islanders, is so far gone they can be considered a candidate for the No.1 draft pick.

Who is the favorite to win the Eastern Conference? Pittsburgh can win this conference easily if their star Crosby comes back but they will still win the conference without No. 87.

Which Eastern Conference team has the best odds to win the Stanley Cup?

The Sedin twins of the Vancouver Canucks came to the forefront of NHL fans once the Vancouver Canucks made their mark by climbing the ladder into the NHL’s Stanley Cup Finals in 2010.

The two left-handed shooters have risen to NHL elite well before the Stanley Cup but the twins coming out party began with last seasons run to the Cup Finals.

The Sedin twins dominated the NHL post season with Daniel ranking fourth and Henrik ranking second in the post season scoring. They both were nominated for NHL Foundation Player of the Year in 2010 but neither raised the award over their head.

The Swedes are huge in their home country, especially when they play for Sweden in International play. The brothers won a gold medal in the 2006 Winter Olympics held in Turin, Italy. Sweden beat their neighbors, the Fins, in an unexpected victory.

Although neither brother is known as a huge goal scorer, Daniel racked up 41 goals to help the Vancouver Canucks win the President’s Trophy. Daniel is the more prolific of the two goal scorers, averaging just over 30 goals per season since he came into the league, while Henrik is averaging

Henrik is averaging just under 20 goals per season. The two work together seamlessly on the same line, with Daniel being the man who finishes the job. Henrik’s selflessness and tremendous hockey instincts are enhanced when he is on the ice with his brother. The sky is the limit for the twins and the next few seasons will be fun to watch the Vancouver Canucks.

Make sure you get in on the NHL action by checking out all of the hockey prop bets at your favorite online sportsbook.

On Thursday, Christian Thomas, the son of former NHL forward Steve Thomas, has signed a 3 year, entry level contract with the New York Rangers.

Thomas scored 54 goals and added 45 assists for the OHL’s Oshawa Generals last season, who will be 19 next week. Thomas, who is 5-9, was the second round draft choice, 40th overall, of the club in 2010.

In an OHL campaign, Thomas and his father became the only father-son duo to record 50 plus goals. In an Ontario Hockey League regular season Christian Thomas, the first Rangers prospect to score 50 goals since Ryan Callahan, went on to lead the league in playoff scoring per-game average with a remarkable 19 points in only 10 postseason games.

Registering 54 goals and 45 assists for 99 points, along with 38 penalty minutes and a plus-20 rating, Thomas skated in 66 games with the Oshawa Generals this season. In points, goals, assists, power play goals (19), game-winning goals (nine), penalty minutes, and plus/minus rating, he established career highs. In the OHL, Thomas ranked second in goals and sixth in points, and tied for first in the league in power play goals and third in game winning goals.

Thomas led the league in postseason scoring with 19 points and nine goals at the time of Oshawa’s elimination in the second round, having recorded at least one point in nine of 10 contests and six multi point performances, in the 2011 OHL Playoffs.

With the London Knights and Oshawa Generals, registering 103 goals and 87 assists for 190 points, along with 79 penalty minutes, the 5-9, and 170-pounder has skated in 189 career OHL contests.

Just like last year when the Boston Bruins played the Philadelphia Flyers, Boston holds a three games to zero lead in the best of seven second round series. However, this time around the Bruins are hoping for a different outcome than last year’s playoff collapse. Last spring the Flyers became the third team in NHL history to come back from a three games to none deficit and win a playoff series. With last season’s collapse fresh in their memories, I would not bank on the Bruins failing to put away the Flyers this year.

The Bruins are a -170 moneyline favorite and the over/under total is 5.5 in NHL Betting Odds.

Using a combination of excellent goaltending along with a high powered offense, the Bruins have cruised to this commanding three game lead. The Bruins jumped on the Flyers with two quick goals in game three’s first sixty three seconds to take a commanding lead in the game and ultimately the series. So long as the Bruins do not let their guard down, it will be hard to envision Philadelphia making another comeback like they did last season against the Bruins.

Game four is scheduled for Friday night at eight o’clock. If the Flyers hope to stave off elimination, they will need to play a much better all around game and get more production out of their team leaders. Also, the Flyers goal tenders will have to step up and play their best game of the playoffs if they hope to extend their season for another game.

This weekend the Philadelphia Flyers will take on the Boston Bruins in the first game of their 7 game series. These teams may be tired by the end of this series as they just got done playing in a couple of very difficult matchups.

In hockey betting lines the Flyers are a -135 moneyline favorite and the over/under total is 5.5.

Both of these teams needed all 7 games to finish off their opponents in the first round of the playoffs despite being two of the best teams in the league. Against the Buffalo Sabres the Flyers were engaged in a difficult series for now. They managed to close out the series with a convincing 5-2 victory over Buffalo while the series was close.

In the Eastern Conference, during the season these teams were the 2nd and 3rd best teams. They should both be ready for a hard fought series as both of these teams were solid at home and even better on the road.

In terms of playing on both sides of the ice the Bruins are a slighting more well-rounded team. They are the 2nd best team in the NHL in goals against as they are the 5th best team in the league in goals per game. Even though the Flyers are just the 11th best team in the league in goals against, they are a slightly better team offensively, as they are the 3rd best team in the league in goals per game. If they hope to take the victory in this series they will need to buckle down defensively.

As both of these teams have all of the tools necessary to win this series this may be the best series in the playoffs this season.

The San Jose Sharks will take on the Los Angeles Kings this Thursday. These teams have already had an intense series and they are set to play their 4th game of the best of 7 games series on Thursday.

In online sportsbook, NHL Odds have the Sharks as a -125 favorite and the over/under total at 5.

The Kings are down 2-1 in the series, but they could have easily been up 3-0. The Kings have had control of games 1 and 3, but they have allowed the Sharks to come back and steal the games. The Kings did managed to preserve a shutout in game 2, but they will have a very hard to beating the Sharks after giving them 2 games out of the first 3.

In game 3 the Kings were winning 4-0 and it appeared that they had the game put away. The Sharks came roaring back and scored 5 goals in regulation and the game was tied 5-5 going into overtime. The Sharks put another goal in the net in overtime and made a full comeback from their 4 goal deficit.

The Kings will need to play a near-perfect series after allowing the Sharks to crawl back into contention. The 4th game of the series will be huge for both teams. If they Kings are able to grab another win they might be able to get some more momentum. However, if the Sharks are able to take the game, they will likely win the series without too much of a fight from the Sharks.

The game is scheduled to take place in Los Angeles at 10:30 Eastern time. In free picks the San Jose Sharks are favorites to win this match.

In what could be a potential first round playoff matchup, the Detroit Red Wings will skate into Chicago on Sunday afternoon to do battle with the Blackhawks. Detroit is at 8-1 to win the Stanley Cup in NHL Odds and NHL Betting. The Blackhawks are at 18-1 in NHL Picks. This game will actually be the second of a home and home series to close out the 2010-2011 regular season for both teams.

Surprisingly, with only two games remaining for both clubs there is still a lot left to be decided when it comes to playoff berths and seeding. Chicago helped its chances of making the playoffs again this year with a crucial victory over the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night. That overtime victory puts the Blackhawks in seventh place in the Western Conference, four points ahead of Dallas who is in ninth place and on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. Chicago will really help secure its playoff status with at least one point during the weekend series with Detroit. On the other hand, the Red Wings are already locked into a playoff position after winning the Central Division last weekend.

With this year’s playoff berth, the Red Wings have made the postseason for a record twenty years in a row. This streak is also the longest streak for any team in all of the four major sports. While the Red Wings are gearing up for another long playoff run, Detroit still has a chance to jump into the number two seed in the Western Conference. Currently, the Red Wings trail San Jose by one point in the standings, and if the Red Wings would like to secure home ice for the first two rounds, they will need to try their best to win these last two remaining games against Chicago over the weekend. 

when the Boston Bruins take on the Philadelphia Flyers.

Two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference square off on Sunday when the Boston Bruins meets the Philadelphia Flyers.

With Boston at 15-1 and Philadelphia at 8-1, NHL odds have both teams among the favorites to win the Stanley Cup.

Only seven points behind the Flyers who are in first place currently, Boston sits in third place in the Eastern Conference. By only six points Boston also trails Washington for second place. Boston would love to catch either team ahead of it in the standings to secure that home ice as this tight race among the three division leaders means home ice throughout the playoffs is still up for grabs.

Both Boston and Philadelphia need to make sure they win their respective divisions first while both teams would love to beat each other out for first place overall in the Conference. Philadelphia is only five points up on the Penguins with ten games remaining as they are being pressed by a red hot Pittsburgh team that has gone 6-2-2 in its last ten games. Even though the Boston Bruins has two games in hand, for now they are only three points ahead of rival Montreal. The Bruins appear to have an easier road to securing the division title with these extra two games.

As both teams will use this game as a measuring stick to determine what they need to correct heading into the playoffs hockey fans can expect a hard fought contest this Sunday. Both squads will be playing their hardest to figure out which is the best way to beat each other come playoff time with a good chance these two teams will meet again sometime this spring.

The Philadelphia Flyers will take on the Dallas Stars this weekend. The Flyers are currently the top team in the Eastern Conference with a 43-19-7 record. The Stars are sitting in the 7th spot in the Eastern Conference with a 37-25-8 record.

The Flyers are among the top favorites to win the Stanley Cup at 8-1 in NHL Odds.

While these teams are in good positioning for the playoffs, they will need a strong finish to ensure that they maintain their positioning. There are several teams in the Western Conference that are within reach of passing the Stars if they are unable to win games as the season comes to a close. Meanwhile, the Flyers could lose their spot atop the Eastern Conference with a poor finish.

The Flyers will certainly be the favorite going into this game, but they do have some weaknesses that the Stars may be able to exploit. While their offense is among the elite of the NHL, their defense is not quite as dominant. The Stars need to find a way to put the puck in the net early and then collapse back on defense.

The Flyers should be able to take this game if they just play their normal style. The Stars are solid and they play well in close games, but they are really just a middle of the pack team in most offensive and defensive categories.

The Stars will be the home team for this game. Dallas has a record of 19-11-6 while playing at home this season. The Flyers are 22-9-3 while playing on the road this

The Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning will play in Tampa Bay this weekend. These teams are both within the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Lightning are the second best team in the conference with a record of 37-18-7, while the Canadiens have a 34-23-7 record this season.

Tampa Bay is among the favorite to win the Stanley Cup in the Eastern Conference, at 25-1, while Montreal is at 40-1 in NHL Odds.

The Lightning have been a great team at home this season, achieving a record of 21-7-4 while playing in Tampa Bay. The Canadiens will struggle in this game as they are below .500 this year while playing on the road. They are 14-15-1 this year.

It is unclear how the Lightning manage to win so many games despite having such a porous defense. Tampa Bay has one of the best offenses in the NHL, scoring 3 goals per game, but they also allow 3 goals per game. Despite their poor defense, they have managed to climb to the top of the Southeast Division Standings.

The Canadiens rely on a stingy defense to win games, allowing just 2.5 goals per game. As the playoffs approach the Canadiens will need to find a way to put the pick in the net more often, as they are only the 23rd best team in terms of goals per game in the NHL.

The Canadiens are strong on the power play and they need to capitalize on their power play opportunities against Tampa Bay. The Canadiens will also need to continue to play tough against the power play. They are the 9th best team in the league in penalty kill percentage at 83.6 percent.