Since Wayne Gretzky did it against Toronto in 1993, they won 4-2 in Game 1 and 4-0 in Game 2 with Jeff Carter recording the club’s first playoff hat trick. In the conference quarterfinals, they are 10-1 in the playoffs and they have won seven games dating back to Game 5 against Vancouver. In Game 2, the Coyotes committed 13 penalties totaling 56 minutes. They have been outshot 98-51 through two games.

Carter scored a pair of 5-on-3 goals to take complete control in the series, therefore Coyotes lost their cool in Game 2 and it cost them. Now Phoenix might have to play without 6-foot-6 center Martin Hanzal and the Kings have already exerted their size to make the Coyotes look small in the series. With the NHL’s Department of Player Safety on Wednesday for his boarding major on Dustin Brown in the third period of Game 2, he will have a disciplinary hearing.

Determined to complete the trifecta of eliminating the top three seeds in the Western Conference in just 13 games, the Kings are looking like a team on a mission. The Kings have an opportunity on their home ice to sweep the Coyotes as well after beating the Canucks in five and the Blues in four. In Game 1, it was the line of Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Justin Williams that dominated. It was the trio of Mike Richards, Carter and Dustin Penner that dominated the Game 2. Penner and Richards each had an assist, while Carter had a hat-trick. They also combined for 12 shots on goal.

Coyotes’ defenseman Adrian Aucoin has a lower-body injury and he has missed the last two games. The Kings’ does not think forward Simon Gagne (concussion) will be available until next season, although he was cleared for contact. Against Vancouver, the Kings’ shorthanded units have killed off 28 straight power plays dating back to Game 5. The Coyotes, in 11 of their 13 playoff games have been outshot. Phoenix is 4-1 on the road this postseason.

Kings vs. Coyotes – Game 2 (9:00 PM ET, May 17, 2012) by Stanley Cup Odds

There has not been one yet in this series between the two Pennsylvania rivals where the game is all about defense and goaltending. In NHL history, the combined 45 goals scored are the most through four games of a playoff series. The Penguins scored five goals against Ilya Bryzgalov and then five more against Sergei Bobrovsky. The Flyers are 7-1 since the building opened its doors last season.

Sidney Crosby keeps expecting the law of averages to kick in and he keeps waiting for the madness to stop. The Penguins will start to resemble something close to playoff hockey and keeps wondering when the series between the Flyers. The series continues to look like something played with joysticks, not hockey sticks and the games pass, and the goals and the fights and the penalties and the suspensions pile up.

In Game 4, the Penguins finally found a way, staving off elimination with a resounding 10-3 victory that silenced. The Penguins are well aware it will mean little if they cannot build on it in Game 5 on Friday night, yet for all the frustration released in 60 minutes of largely brilliant hockey.

In each of the first three games of the series, it is the only choice at Pittsburgh’s disposal after squandering early leads. During the final two periods Wednesday, they believe they restored some sense of order, holding the Flyers scoreless while padding their lead with six goals. The Flyers know what it is like to be down 3-0 in a series to win. In the Eastern Conference semifinals against Boston, they did it two years ago.

During the regular season, the Flyers were the NHL’s best road team and could get a boost from the possible return of James van Riemsdyk. He has not played since March 1 due to a broken foot. On Thursday, Van Riemsdyk had practiced and he could be available on Friday. In Game 4, Philadelphia may need his steadying presence after defenseman Nicklas Grossman went down with an upper-body injury and is day-to-day.

Throughout the series, the Flyers understand they cannot afford to play as loose defensively. On Wednesday, Philadelphia did not score for the last 44 minutes, the longest drought between goals by either team during four logic-defying games.

Bryzgalov said that he think this series will be remembered for decades for sure.

NHL – Philadelphia Flyers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (7:30 PM ET, April 20, 2012) by Stanley Cup Odds

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The Vancouver Canucks are now sitting back, chilling and enjoying the view as they wait for the Stanley Cup Finals to begin June 1st, in Vancouver, BC, Canada. And while they wait, they get some of their banged up bodies time to heal, players such as Ryan Kesler, Aaron Rome, Christian Erhoff and Manny Malhotra.

Manny Maholtra? Yes, Malhotra! Having had his eye almost sucked out of the socket, talk was that he may never return to play professional hockey again. Now it’s looking that he’ll likely come back to play sometime during the Cup Finals. What an added dimension he will give an already deep Canuck team that led the league in: goals for, goals against, power play and faceoff percentage. So now with Henrik Sedin, Kesler, Max Lapierre and Malhotra taking draws, the Canucks will have another significant advantage, starting with the puck the majority of the time.

So things are really looking up for an organization that is looking to capture its first-ever NHL Championship, having gone 40 season watching neophyte organizations such as Tampa Bay, Carolina, and Anaheim win Lord Stanley’s holy grail. It’s very much looking like everything is lining up this year for the 2011 President Trophy champions.

The first line with the Sedins and Burrows is back on fire, the second line is led by all-world centre Kesler, the third line has been extremely solid with Lapierre, Raffi Torres and Janick Hansen. The layer in Malhotra along with a plethora of other wingers ranging from Glass and Oreskovich to Hodgson and Tambellini. The factor in simply the deepest, most skilled group of defencemen in the league, along with Luongo in net, who’s playing better with each passing round. It simply all adds up to a four or five game series win for the Orcans from the left coast of Canada.

For the first time since the Habs lifted the Cup, Canada will once again be the proud owner of Lord Stanley mug. Good on ‘ya Vancouver.

Related articles

• Vancouver Canucks advance to Stanley Cup final (ctv.ca)
• Path to the final wasn’t easy for Canucks (theprovince.com)
• As Vancouver Canucks await Stanley Cup opponent, NHL releases schedule (thehockeynews.com)

Vancouver Canucks soon to hoist the Stanley Cup – 2011 edition by Stanley Cup Odds

The Boston Bruins aims for a win when they play host to the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 of their National Hockey League Eastern Conference Finals match-up.The home-team Boston Bruins is picked as favorite to win Game 3 over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday evening since they will be playing in-front of their own fans.

To bring down the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Boston Bruins need to play solid in both offence and defense in this game.Bruins dependable forward Milan Lucic, who is having a bad playoff series need to play big in this game to tow his team to victory against the Lightning.

Aside from Lucic, Bruins linemen David Krejci and Nathan Horton also need to play superb in this game to defeat the visiting Lightning team and take the lead in this series.The Bruins are poised to win Game 5 all they need to do to avoid upset is play their all and their A-game come game-time.

The visiting Lightning for its part face a tough challenge against the home-team Bruins in this game.Having beaten the Bruins in Game 4, the Lightning are very determined to win Game 5 and take the lead in their series against the home-team Bruins.

To defeat the Bruins, Lightning right wing Teddy Purcell also need to play big in this game for his team against the Bruins.The Lightning might be the underdog in this game but the team can still win over the Bruins if they can come up with a good game-plan and execute it well come game-time.

Boston Bruins host Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 by Stanley Cup Odds

The Boston Bruins seeks for a 1-1 tie when they play host to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 2 of their best of seven National Hockey League Eastern Conference Finals series.The home-team Boston Bruins is still tagged as favorite to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning since the important game will be held on its own turf.

The Boston Bruins is very confident of its chances against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 2 since their star forward Patrice Bergeron is expected to play again for the team after his injury.The Boston Bruins hope Bergeron can play good so that they can defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning and tie their series 1-1 and avoid a 2-0 hole in their match-up.

To bring down the Lightning, the Bruins need to play superb in both offence and defense.The home-team Bruins need to score and defend well in this game for them to win.

The odds of winning this game and the entire series is on their side all they have to do is play smart and execute their game-plan well for them to win.The visiting Lightning for its part can defeat the Bruins and take a commanding a 2-0 lead in their series if they can play with more energy in Game 2.

The Lightning need to continue with its tough defense and good offence for them to defeat the home-team Bruins.The Lightning have beaten the Bruins in Game 1 and they could do it again if they can execute a good game-plan come game-time against their favored opponent.

Boston Bruins host Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 2 by Stanley Cup Odds

The Boston Bruins shoots for a win when they play host to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 of their best of seven National Hockey League Eastern Conference Finals.The home-team Boston Bruins is tagged as favorite to beat Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 due to their superior record in the NHL regular season.

The Boston Bruins is also picked to win over the Tampa Bay Lightning since they will be playing in-front of their fans in the initial playoff encounter between the two NHL Eastern Conference rivals.The Boston Bruins are very confident coming into Game 1 since they have beaten the Tampa Bay Lightning in three of their four games in the NHL regular season.

Having won eight of their past nine games, the Bruins are on a winning streak and favored to roll past the Lightning in Game 1 of their playoff match-up.Beating the Lightning will not be easy it needs hard-work and high intensity on the part of the Bruins.

To defeat the Lightning the Bruins need to play huge in both offence and defense in this game.The Bruins are poised to win this game all they need to do to avoid an upset if play with 110 percent efforts and execute their game-plan well come game-time.

The visiting Lightning will be in for a tough battle against the home-team Bruins.To topple the Bruins, the Lightning need to play with with their hearts out and best on game day.

To bring down the Bruins the Lightning need to have their guns blazing all game-long in this game and the entire series.The feared scoring forwards of the Lightning  Martin St. Louis, Steven Stamkos and Vincent Lecavalier also need to make their precense felt in this game to beat the Bruins.

The Lightning must do their best to play tough defense and not allow the Bruins to score big in this game and the entire series.The Lightning might be the underdog in this game but the team can still win and upset the Bruins if they can execute their game-plan well and play with focus and determination on game day.

Boston Bruins face Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1 by Stanley Cup Odds

The San Jose Sharks hopes to advance to the next round of the National Hockey League playoff series when they play host to the dangerous Detroit Red Wings in the crucial Game 7 of their best of seven second round NHL playoff match-up on Thursday evening.The San Jose Sharks is picked to win over the the Detroit Red Wings in this crucial game since they will be playing in-front of its fans.

Having lost their past three-games to the Detroit Red Wings, the San Jose Sharks is dead serious on beating the former in Game 7 and avoid the chance to lose their fourth straight games against Detroit.The San Jose Sharks is favored to roll past the Detroit Red Wings since they have a superior record and roster compared to latter in the NHL regular season.

To claim victory, the Sharks need to play with their 110 percent efforts and A-game come game-time against the Red Wings.Sharks reliable goaltender Antti Niemi also need to play superb on the defensive end to ensure the Red Wings could not score against them in this deciding game.

Sharks left wing Patrick Marleau, who led the team in scoring in the regular season, must also score big for his team to defeat the Red Wings.The dependable captain of the Sharks Joe Thornton also need to give it his all so that his team win over the Red Wings in their game.

The Sharks are on the verge of taking Game 7 and send home the Red Wings packing all they need to do is to come up with a good  game-plan and execute it well on game day.The visiting Red Wings who is a huge underdog in this game can defeat the home-team Sharks in this game if they play tough on defense and score at the same time.

Winning their past three games against the Sharks, the team still has it takes to defeat the latter in their important Game 7 match-up.To topple the Sharks, Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom also need to give it his A-game in this game.

The Red Wings might be the underdog in this game but the team can still win if they can execute their game-plan well and play with their hearts out on game day.

San Jose Sharks shoots for clincher vs. Detroit Red Wings in Game 7 by Stanley Cup Odds

The San Jose Sharks aims for win and series clincher when they visit the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday evening in Game 6 of their second round National Hockey League playoff series.Taking a 3-2 lead in their NHL playoff match-up, the San Jose Sharks is picked to prevail over the Detroit Red Wings in their game and finally win their series 4-2.

Losing the chance to win the series on their own turf after losing Game 5, the San Jose Sharks are very determined on beating the Detroit Red Wings and send them to an early vacation.To bring down the home-team Red Wings, the Sharks need to play as a team and give it their all on game day.

To defeat the Red Wings, Sharks superstars forward Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau need to score and defend big in this game.The odds of winning is on the side of the Sharks all they have to do is to play smart and with focus and determination come game-time.

The home-team Red Wings for its part can steal the thunder in this game and force a deciding Game 7 if they play tough on defense and score big at the same time.Getting the chance to beat the Sharks twice already in this series, the Red Wings are very determined on winning Game 6 for the team and force Game 7.

To topple the Sharks the Red Wings need to give their 110 percent efforts and A-game come game-time.

San Jose Sharks face Detroit Red Wings in Game 6 by Stanley Cup Odds

The Nashville Predators aims for win and take a 2-2 tie when they play host to the Vancouver Canucks in Game 4 of their best of seven second round National Hockey League playoffs.
The home-team Nashville Predators is picked as favorite to win Game 4 against the Vancouver Canucks and tie their NHL playoff series 2-2.

Having the support of its fans in Game 4, the Nashville Predators are poised to win over the Canucks in their scheduled NL playoff game.
To bring down the Vancouver Canucks, the Nashville Predators need to play with more fire and energy against their visiting opponent.

The Nasville Predators also need to focus more on defense and not allow the Vancouver Canucks to score for them to prevail in Game 4.
To beat the Canucks, Predators forward Patric Hornqvist for his part need to play at his best on game day.

Predators reliable goaltender Pekka Rinne also need to continue with his superb goal-tending performance to topple the Canucks.
The Predators are picked to win over the Canucks in this game all they have to do is to play smart and execute their game-plan well come game-time.

The visiting Canucks for its part will be in for a tough challenge against the Predators in Game 4.
To defeat the Predators for the second straight game the Canucks need to play with 110 percent energy and focused come game-time.

Having beaten the Predators in Game 3, the Canucks have the momentum on their side all they need to do to win is to execute their game-plan and play tough on defense in this game.
Canucks reliable goaltender Roberto Luongo also need to play superbly on the defensive end to defeat the Predators.

The Sedin twins who had been silent in the past few games in the playoffs need to play with more energy and score for their team to defeat the Predators.
The odds of winning might not be on the side of the Canucks in this game but the team can still win and take a commanding 3-1 lead against the Predators if they can play with their A-game in this game.

Nashville Predators seeks win vs. Vancouver Canucks in Game 4 by Stanley Cup Odds

The Nashville Predators hopes for a 2-1 lead when they play host to the Vancouver Canucks in Game 3 of their best of seven National Hockey League playoff series.Coming into Game 3 with the score tied 1-1, the Nashville Predators is tagged as favorite to prevail over the Vancouver Canucks in their scheduled NHL play-off match-up.

Having beaten the Canucks in Game 2 of their playoff series,the Nashville Predators are fully focused on winning Game 3 to take a morale boosting lead in their playoff match-up.To bring down the Vancouver Canucks, the Nashville Predators need to continue with their vaunted scrappy and hard-nosed game.

The Nashville Predators also need to play with 110 percent energy to defeat the visiting Vancouver Canucks team.To prevail over the Canucks, Predators reliable goaltender Pekka Rinne need to continue his superb goal-tending duty.

The odds of winning is now on the side of the Predators they should grab their chance by giving their 110 percent efforts come game-time against the Canucks.The visiting Canucks for its part can topple the Predators and grab a 2-1 lead against the Predators if they can play with more energy against the home-team.

Canucks reliable goaltender Roberto Luongo must give it his all on the defensive end to defeat the Predators.The Sedin twins who are still non-factor in the first two games of their series also need to wake up from their sleep to help the Canucks beat the Predators.

The key factor for the Canucks to take Game 3 is to play their A-game against the defensive minded Predators team.The odds of winning might not be on the side of the Canucks but they can still win this if they play with their hearts out on game day.

Nashville Predators host Vancouver Canucks in Game 3 by Stanley Cup Odds