NHL Playoffs Picks: Chicago Blackhawks at St. Louis Blues

NHL Playoffs Picks: Chicago Blackhawks vs St. Louis Blues I know the Chicago Blackhawks are always a trendy pick, what with their Stanley Cups and their playoff consistency, but this pick is more about the St. Louis Blues’ struggles than Chicago’s triumphs. The Blues just do not know how to win in the NHL playoffs.

I like the St. Louis Blues. I enjoy teams built in defense and goaltending, it reminds me of my own Devils. Still, the offensive shortcomings of a goalie-dominated league have led to the St. Louis Blues not being able to get over the hump. When ...

NHL Picks: Nashville Predators at Chicago Blackhawks

NHL Picks: Nashville Predators at Chicago Blackhawks The Nashville Predators have been really slumping lately. They are a great team on paper, but they’re stumbling badly of late and slipping in the playoff standings, tied for 5th in the Central.

Betting against the Nashville Predators is always difficult for me. As a New Jersey Devils fan, the defense-first approach is one I’ve grown up with and love. It’s hard for me to watch this mediocre offense stumble so badly that it hurts the consistency of the defense. Right now, the Preds are a huge liability despite their decent record on ...

Golden State Warriors Win NBA Finals, Blackhawks Take Stanley Cup

Golden State Warriors, Chicago Blackhawks Win NHL, NBA Championships

Well, we did it. The Golden State Warriors were the more complete team, and LeBron James simply didn’t have enough to carry a mediocre team of misfits to NBA Finals glory as the Cleveland Cavaliers fell short. We also nailed the Chicago Blackhawks series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, successfully predicting exactly six games and banking on the inconsistencies of the weaker team to show through in the end.

We pride ourselves on being able to take emotion out of our picks and that is why we at Z-Code can sustain so much success in the long term. This year, I’m particularly proud of our efforts. The computer had this exactly right and we projected precisely how things would play out.

I am a big LeBron James fan, but with fatigue and injuries we knew the Cleveland Cavaliers wouldn’t have enough against such a vastly superior team. Our bracket looked great ...

Stanley Cup Finals Pick: Blackhawks Lightning Game Six

Stanley Cup Finals Game Six, NHL Picks: Blackhawks Lightning We predicted Blackhawks in six and it’s looking pretty good for us here. The Tampa Bay Lightning are starting to deal with injuries and falling apart. The Chicago Blackhawks have their skate to the jugular of an inexperienced team, they’re on home ice, they’re heating up, and they’re the better team right now.

I’m excited about this one. I didn’t know which Tampa Bay Lightning team would show up here and we had been betting against the Chicago Blackhawks all playoffs with very limited success. It was hard to know which ...

Stanley Cup Game Two: Chicago Blackhawks at Tampa Bay Lightning

NHL Stanley Cup Final Game Two: Chicago Blackhawks at Tampa Bay Lightning

Game One was a thriller and we saw the Chicago Blackhawks’ experience come through in a tight game. Can the Tampa Bay Lightning bounce back on home ice or is this series already slipping away?

I still worry about Ben Bishop’s inconsistency and I think the track record of the Chicago Blackhawks and their top NHL defense will be enough for them to win this series. I think they’re the better team overall and having taken back home ice I don’t think the Lightning can recover. The question ...

2015 NHL Stanley Cup Final: Chicago Blackhawks over Tampa Bay Lightning

2015 Stanley Cup Predictions: Tampa Bay Lightning vs Chicago Blackhawks

It’s hard to ignore the fact that I’m just getting tired of watching the Chicago Blackhawks win Stanley Cups. I thought that if the Nashville Predators didn’t lose their best player, the Chicago Blackhawks would have fallen in the first round. If the Anaheim Ducks didn’t collapse in the final minutes and blow a two-goal lead, the Chicago Blackhawks would have fallen in the finals. Ultimately, you either except that the Hawks are a team of destiny or you pick the Tampa Bay Lightning to pull off the upset.

I can’t pick the Tampa Bay Lightning to pull off the upset in the 2015 Stanley Cup Final. They’re too inconsistent, they’re too raw. Ben Bishop allows 12 goals in two home games, but closes out the Rangers with two shutouts in a row on the road. They can beat anyone and lose to anyone, and that’s a very dangerous way ...

NHL Playoffs Picks: Game Seven Anaheim Ducks vs Chicago Blackhawks

NHL Playoffs Picks: Anaheim Ducks vs Chicago Blackhawks

The Anaheim Ducks collapsed in epic fashion and the Chicago Blackhawks dominated Game Six. That said, Anaheim has looked great at home and we’ve squeezed a lot of value out of the -110 initial series line here. We’re on the Anaheim Ducks, and at home they’ve got a nice edge.

The Z-Code computer shows some minor conflict in the algorithm and a weak signal in terms of value, but they like the Anaheim Ducks 61% signal and three stars of value. Given that we have them loaded up at -110 we won’t ...

NHL Playoffs Picks: Anaheim Ducks vs Chicago Blackhawks, Game 5

NHL Playoffs Picks: Chicago Blackhawks at Anaheim Ducks This series is pretty much going to plan. The Anaheim Ducks anD Chicago Blackhawks continue to battle. The experience of the Blackhawks has been on display as they find ways to win overtime games. The explosiveness of the Anaheim Ducks has come to light throughout the series. This is a doozy.

What we thought would be the key to this series was the physicality and size of the Anaheim Ducks and whether they could wear down Chicago to win the series. We also noted that Crawford had returned to form and Anaheim ...

NHL Playoffs – Conference Finals Picks: Ducks Blackhawks, Rangers Lightning

NHL Playoffs Picks – Conference Finals: Ducks Blackhawks, Rangers Lightning We’ve had a pretty successful 2015 NHL Playoffs. By the series, we’ve done okay hitting 5/8 in the first round and 2/4 in the second. The key for us has been confidence though, hitting both our high confidence plays in the second round, and all our high confidence plays in the first round. As a result, despite being just one pick above .500, we’ve made some pretty good profit this postseason.

I love the hockey playoffs. I don’t think there’s anything better. I still think if Shea Weber stays healthy the Chicago Blackhawks wouldn’t even be here. They’re hot, but they go against an Anaheim Ducks team that has been among our most reliable and dominant favorites so they might not be here much longer. The New York Rangers have won some grinding games and we rode them with confidence this far. Against a fun Tampa Bay Lightning team that ...

NHL Playoffs Predictions: Canadiens, Rangers, Wild, and Ducks

NHL Playoffs Predictions: Habs, Ducks, Rangers, Wild in Second Round Let’s take a look at our bracket. We got the entire Eastern Conference right, and we’ve made profit on the first round of the NHL Playoffs again. We got five of the eight and missed the Minnesota Wild taking out the Blues and the Calgary Flames taking out the Canucks. Honestly, if Shea Weber doesn’t go down I think the Nashville Predators had a great chance at knocking off the Chicago Blackhawks. All in all, not a bad round. Our Finals picks are still alive, and we were low confidence on a couple of those losses. We won money in the first round, and now, with a better grasp of the NHL playoffs field, we look to build on it. Here’s my picks for the NHL Playoffs second round where I’ve got the New York Rangers, Montreal Canadiens, Anaheim Ducks, and Minnesota Wild advancing.

New York Rangers vs Washington Capitals ...