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: 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 Picks: Anaheim Ducks at Chicago Blackhawks Game Four

NHL Playoffs picks: Anaheim Ducks at Chicago Blackhawks This series is really starting to develop into something spectacular. We’ve been riding the Ducks throughout and have a series bet on them, so this game is incredibly important for us. We were with them when they won Game One despite being outplayed, when they lost Game Two in heartbreaking fashion, and we won in Game Three to take back control of the series. The Anaheim Ducks were my pick to make the finals from theWest, and I still think they’re the best team in hockey. The Chicago Blackhawks are winners ...

NHL Playoffs Picks: Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Rangers

NHL Playoffs Picks: Tampa Bay Lightning at New York Rangers Game Two I still think the Tampa Bay Lightning will give the New York Rangers quite a series and a tough loss in Game One hasn’t changed anything in my mind. We won on the Ducks today in a high confidence wager, and I’ll continue with very low confidence money line wagers on the Tampa Bay Lightning. I don’t like the New York Rangers, so I recognize my own bias here, but I think they’re tired and it will start to show as this series goes on.

Here, I’m going ...

NHL Playoffs Picks: Montreal Canadiens at Tampa Bay Lightning Game Six

This series didn’t quite go to plan for us as the Bolts jumped out to a big lead early and won some tough, gritty games. True to form, however, the Tampa Bay Lightning began to show the same inconsistencies that plagued them through the first round. The Montreal Canadiens are one of the more consistent teams in hockey, winning games the ugly way and fighting through each game so far (except for a 6-2 blowout, randomly sprinkled in). In the end, this has been quite a series.

We decided ...

NHL Playoffs Picks: Flames Ducks Game Five

NHL Playoffs Picks: Calgary Flames at Anaheim Ducks As we said all series, the Anaheim Ducks are simply the superior team in this series against the Calgary Flames. While the Flames had a nice run, the Anaheim Ducks are an elite team in the 2015 NHL playoffs. I have the Ducks making it to the Finals. I had the Flames falling in the first round and was impressed by their grit, but I think it’s all over for them here.

The line is a little sharp but we see some value here. The computer gives a strong signal with ...

NHL Picks: Anaheim Ducks at Calgary Flames Game Three

NHL Playoffs Picks: Anaheim Ducks at Calgary Flames, Game Three, Contest Pick Duane is our contest leader, and he’s placed all his eggs in the Calgary Flames basket tonight. With a win, he’ll get to ten on the season and take home our $100 prize. As such, pretty much the entire rest of the contest pool is on the Anaheim Ducks. Good news, contest hopefuls – I’m on the Anaheim Ducks, too.

The Ducks have been the vastly superior team throughout this series. The goalie they let walk away has transformed the Calgary Flames into a legitimate playoff team, but ...

NHL Playoffs Picks: New York Rangers at Washington Capitals, Game 3

NHL Playoffs Picks: Rangers Caps Game Three Did I mention how much I love this series? I think I did, but just in case – I LOVE THIS SERIES. Henrik Lundqvist’s career-long playoff futility, despite pretty strong numbers and a great roster around him, versus Alexander Ovechkin’s playoff futility, despite several impressive performances in huge games as he tries to carry a mediocre team to success. The immovable loser meets the unstoppable disappointment. I LOVE IT!

Beyond that, you have an incredible top-line pairing of the New York Rangers going against a top-heavy, two-player offense of the Washington Capitals. Holtby can be ...

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 ...

NHL Playoffs Picks Contest ($100): Anaheim Ducks at Calgary Flames Game Three

NHL Playoffs Picks Contest ($100 Prize): Anaheim Ducks at Calgary Flames Game Three

Like I said in the last edition of our playoffs picks contest, I loe the third game of a series. Will the favorite be on their heels? Will the home underdog fight to stay alive? As momentum shifts and matchups shape up, intensity rises as these games mean everything. The Anaheim Ducks cruised to victory of the Jets while the Calgary Flames simply outplayed the Canucks. When they face one another in the second round, who will Game Three in Calgary?

To participate, simply comment on this post. Here are our standings so far:

Nine wins

Duane Atkinson

Eight wins ...