David Lawrence -

The Montreal Canadiens were one of three playoff teams to push the Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins to the brink of elimination and force them into a Game 7.

David Lawrence - The Toronto Maple Leafs are the most watched, scrutinized and analyzed team in the National Hockey League. This offseason, General Manager Brian Burke gave the talking heads plenty to talk about making a number of quality moves.

David Lawrence -

No team in the NHL went through a bigger offseason makeover than the Philadelphia Flyers, which came as a big surprise to the rest of the league. How will these changes set them up for the new season?

David Lawrence -

For many handicappers, betting on hockey feels like investing in the stock market: it’s unpredictable, it’s daunting and it’s somewhat unfamiliar territory. However there are some tips for negotiating troubled waters.

David Lawrence -

July 1^st has come and gone, and so have a number of free agents as the movement has now quieted down. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at some of the winners and losers of free agency, along with how it will factor in the 2011-12 NHL futures. 

Jasonal_98 - With the NFL and NBA still stuck in their lockouts, we look at the NHL lockout of 2004 and consider what we can learn from that experience

David Lawrence -

The Pittsburgh Penguins were ravaged by injuries during the 2010-11 season as neither Sidney Crosby nor  Evgeni Malkin played more than 43 games. Can a healthy Penguins squad take the Stanley Cup next season?

David Lawrence -

2011 ended in heartbreak in game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals to the Boston Bruins. How does Vancouver regroup and move forward and where should they strengthen in order to make a renewed assault on the title?

Richard Gardner -

What, you thought the NHL betting season ended with the Stanley Cup playoffs? Or with Wednesday night’s regular-season awards ceremony? You would be wrong. 

David Lawrence - What a season it was on the ice in Boston and as we look forward to the news season the Bruins are the betting odds favorites to win the 2012 Stanley Cup. Do they have the tools they need to repeat?

David Lawrence -

The Stanley Cup was just taken off the shelf and awarded to the Boston Bruins at the conclusion of the 2010-11 season, but count us in as forward thinkers here at SBR.

David Lawrence - Aside from the one-off in 2009-10, the Detroit Red Wings have been running things in the Central Division. As NHL future odds are already being released, they once again are the favorites in the Central Division.

David Lawrence - Head coach John Tortorella milked the most he could out of the New York Rangers in the 2010-11 season, but it became fairly evident that the Rangers were simply a few bricks short of a load.

David Lawrence -

It's not that the Detroit Red Wings are rebuilding or have completely fallen off the map, but the Motor City has been pining for a little bit more than what the their hockey team has offered in the last couple of seasons. 

David Lawrence -

The Stanley Cup finals have taken many twists and turns. After two games, the Vancouver Canucks looked like they might capture the mug in four or five games. After Games 3 and 4, it looked like Boston would have a shot to finish in Game 6. The bottom line is we’ve been on-serve the whole series as each team has won their home games.

Craig Tattan -

Vancouver can skate Lord Stanley’s Cup around the Garden ice with a victory tonight in Boston.

David Lawrence - The Chicago Blackhawks had a rough follow up season to their Stanley Cup win in 2010. It was a rollercoaster ride where they flashed some signs of the team that topped the league, but they also displayed fatigue.

David Lawrence - In the real world, NHL teams are strapped down due to salary caps, contracts and various other financial constraints. In the realm of fantasy, anything is possible.

David Lawrence -

So close, yet so far. That’s what the Boston Bruins are telling themselves after losing Game 1 with just 18.5 seconds remaining and falling in Game 2 just 11 seconds into overtime. At home it needs to be different.

Craig Tattan -

The series shifts to Boston as the Bruins try to climb out of a 2-0 hole.

LT Profits Sports Group - Scoring in the NHL increased for the first few years following the 2004 strike, as the league put in some new rules to help pump up the scores. However, many teams have started to revert back to the trapping style that dominated the pre-strike era, and now goals per game has steadily dropped the last three seasons while the success of the ‘under’ increased, even finishing in the black this season.

David Lawrence -

As per usual, the sportsbooks have a full menu of props and NHL betting option for a major event and this time, we’re taking a closer look at the Stanley Cup Finals. Good luck with your wagers.

John Ryan -

After the opening rounds of the NHL playoffs there are now just two teams left. The Boston Bruins needed an overtime win over the Lightning and will now lace up against the Canucks.

statfox.com - After two games in San Jose, in which the Sharks could not take advantage of their home support, the Western Conference championship series moves back to Vancouver. The Canucks will look to close out a series... maybe.

David Lawrence -

After a pair of contests in San Jose the Western Conference final shifts back to Vancouver.

statfox.com - The series is tied at two a piece, but Boston and their fans will have woken up on Sunday not quite able to believe it. They had back to the, relative, sanctuary of Boston Gardens and will look to get going again.

Bobby Brooks - The field has been narrowed down to four remaining contenders for Lord Stanley's Cup, as the Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks meet in the Western Conference Championships to determine who will advance to the NHL Finals.

Bobby Brooks -

The Eastern Conference Finals feature two teams that have both come back from probable death this year.   Boston dropped their first two games at home versus Tampa faced elimination three straight times against Pittsburgh.   

statfox.com - With the Eastern Conference finals one game old and the Lightning already upsetting the NHL odds makers, Boston will need to bounce back. With Tim Thomas between the pipes and a need to go one better you can expect them to pick up the win.

John Ryan - The Conference Finals are set to begin as the Tampa Bay Lightning take on the Boston Bruins in the East while the Western Conference features the San Jose Sharks facing the Vancouver Canucks.

statfox.com - Three wins to none, its a foreboding statistic and a position from which only three teams in the history of NHL playoffs have failed to advance. Tonight the San Jose Sharks will become the fourth team to trip at this hurdle and the Red Wings will advance.

David Lawrence -

Only three teams in NHL history have come back from a 0-3 deficit but Detroit are vying to become the fourth. While nothing went right for them in the first three games of the series, seemingly nothing has gone wrong while they’ve climbed out of the gigantic hole. 

Craig Tattan -

Northeast Division champs the Boston Bruins will square off against the Tampa Bay Lightning in a best of 7 series to determine who will represent the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup.

statfox.com - Detroit has been on the cusp of exiting the playoffs seemingly since the start of their series with San Jose. They have finally sprung into life and can force this series into Game 7 if they can take the win tonight.

Bob Harvey -

The hard charging Oakland A’s have are making a move in the American League Western Division and making a steady profit for their backers along the way. They look to continue the upward movement against the Rangers.

David Lawrence -

Do you see a pattern forming here?  In the 2010 NHL playoffs, Detroit and San Jose met and the Sharks won Games 1 and 2 by one goal each time, then as the series switched venues they scratched out an overtime win to take a commanding 3-0 series lead.

Craig Tattan -

The Bruins look to do what they could not do last year and close out the Flyers and move on to the Eastern Conference Finals. With a 3-0 lead in the series it should be Boston all the way, the NHL odds makers have them -170 favorites.

Mike Richardson - The Washington Capitals look to bust the Lightning's winning streak (and start to salvage the series) in front of the Tampa Bay faithful in Game 3. Tampa has been able to do what the New York Rangers couldnt; stifle the Capitals and Ovechkin.

statfox.com - The Bruins have really struggled with home ice in both the regular season and the post-season but have been good on hostile ice. Tonight they will aim to keep the trend going and take a 2-0 lead in the series.

Craig Tattan - The Flyers face a critical Game 2 as they look to knot the series and solve their goaltending woes.

John Ryan - From sixteen we get eight and the 2011 NHL playoffs get to the conference semis.

Bobby Brooks - An exciting pair of game 7’s wrapped up the Eastern Conference on Wednesday night, so it’s time to find out what we’ve learned about the survivors of round 1 and look ahead to see who has a real shot at going all the way.

Bobby Brooks -

This is one of the most interesting matchups of the playoffs so far and it is one I hoped to see heading into the post season.  Despite their regular season 2-2 split, Nashville dictated play in all 4 games.

Bobby Brooks - Every year people are on the lookout for trends to ride or fade.  This year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs is no exception.  After the 1^st round, one trend appears to be holding true so far—home ice advantage and disadvantage.

statfox.com - 3-1 down, Tampa Bay looked like they were heading for the exits but they won two in a row and forced game 7. The Penguins will need to shake off their torpor and find their shooting skates if they want to get through.

Mike Richardson - We're set up for a thrilling Game 7 between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning, so expect a busy time at the Consol Energy Center today. On Monday night Dwayne Roloson stopped 27 shots to give the Bay a chance at the series.

Craig Tattan -

With less than 24 hours to recover from game 6, which the Habs won by two goals to one, both teams battle in Boston for the right to advance to the next round. Bring on game 7!

Craig Tattan -

Twenty four goals have been scored in the 5 games between Boston and Montreal, with each team scoring twelve underlining just how close the series is. The Bruins are up 3-2 and looking to close the series tonight.  

David Lawrence -

A week is a long time in the NHL playoffs, just about anything can happen.

LT Profits Sports Group - The road teams have dominated the first round of the NHL Playoffs this season, but that is not unusual as road teams gained 23.41 units in the opening round the last five years. While those road records have leveled off in the last three rounds, especially the Stanley Cup Finals, there have still been situations where the road clubs have remained profitable. Don’t expect ‘over’ to keep cashing though.