Top 5 NHL Playoff Moments

Top 5 NHL Playoff Moments

What's more exciting than watching the fastest game on ice? Watching the fastest game on ice during the postseason.

Hockey fans will all agree that the regular NHL season is nothing more than a dress rehearsal for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

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Unlike the old days when the overwhelming majority teams made the postseason every year, it's a tougher task in today's NHL to qualify for a playoff berth, and once you're there, it takes four grueling, best-of-seven series to capture the coveted Stanley Cup, and players will do anything and everything to make the most of that opportunity. Some good, and some bad.

Here we list 5 of the most memorable moments from NHL postseasons past, that will forever be etched in the memories of fans for years to come.

No. 5--April 30, 1986, Calgary Flames v Edmonton Oilers--It was a game that most Edmonton fans would like to forget. So would one of the NHL's top defensemen Steve Smith , who will always be remembered for accidentally knocking the Edmonton Oilers out of the 1986 playoffs with an own goal in the third period of Game 7 of the Smythe Division final against the Calgary Flames. Smith's cross-ice clearing pass from behind the Oilers goal line, caromed off of goaltender Grant Fuhr's left skate and into the Edmonton net ending the Oilers playoff hopes.

No. 4 -- May 25, 1989, Calgary Flames v Montreal Canadiens--NHL veteran, 36-year old Lanny McDonald would corral a pass from Joe Nieuwendyk, before snapping off a shot that rocketed over the left shoulder of Habs' goalie Patrick Roy and into the top corner, as the Flames beat Montreal 4-2 in the sixth and deciding game of the Stanley Cup finals. Calgary became the only team other than the Canadiens to win the Stanley Cup at the venerated Montreal Forum.

No. 3-- May 29, 1993, Los Angeles v Toronto Maple Leafs--Of Wayne Gretzky's 50 record hat tricks, perhaps none were more meaningful than the three-goal brace in Game 7 of the 1993 Campbell Conference finals. Not only would it be the "Great One's" eighth postseason hat trick of his career, and would establish a new NHL record previously held by Montreal Canadiens' legend Maurice Richard, but it would be enough to advance the Los Angeles Kings to their first and only Stanley Cup final.

No. 2 -- June 9, 2001, Colorado Avalanche v New Jersey Devils --Winning one for the Gipper was exactly what happened on the evening of Saturday, June 9, 2001, when vaunted defenseman Ray Bourque finally hoisted the Stanley Cup after 22 seasons in the NHL. Even though Bourque would conclude his career with numerous NHL records, including most all-time goals (410), assists (1,169), and points (1,579) by a defenseman, prior to being traded to Colorado, the "Secretary of Defense" was facing the prospect of retiring without a championship title to his credit. But after an unsuccessful 2000 season, he decided come back for one more round, and capped off his more than two decades as anchor along the blue line, as the Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals. Even non-Colorado fans had to celebrate this win.

No. 1-- May 29, 1996, Detroit Red Wings v Colorado Avalanche-- While Colorado's Claude Lemieux is one of only eight NHL players to win the Stanley Cup with three different teams, he will always be remembered most for his disgraceful hit-from-behind on Red Wings centre Kris Draper in Game 6 of the 1996 Western Conference finals. The notorious incident, which left Draper with a concussion, broken jaw, cheek and orbital bones, also tarnished Lemieux's status as one of the most prolific playoff scorers in NHL history. It also served to ignite a long and bitter rivalry between the Red Wings and the Avalanche that still boils during playoff time today.

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Boston Bruins Win Stanley Cup

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Boston Bruins vs. Vancouver Canucks Game 1 Preview

Boston Bruins vs. Vancouver Canucks Game 1 Preview

NHL Moneyline: Canucks -200 / Bruins +170 O/U 5.5 goals

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The Canucks are looking for their very first Stanley Cup and while the Bruins have won 5 titles in their storied history they have not won the cup since 1971. Which Tim Thomas will show up in this series? The Boston goalie has already forced 2 Game 7’s in the playoffs and in the Eastern Conference finals against Tampa Bay he was terrible in one game and then a wall in the next. He will have to step up in this series against the high scoring Canucks and especially against the Sedin twins.

Vancouver is representing the Great White North and looks to bring the Stanley Cup to Canada for the first time since 1993.

The Bruins head into this Game 1 and the series as the underdog facing a Canucks’ squad that ranked 1st in the NHL in goals per game, goals against, power player percentage, and 3rd in power play killing.

In closing out their conference finals series’ in their last games the Canucks beat the Sharks 3-2 in OT in Game 5 on May 24th and the Bruins beat the Lightning in Game 7 1-0 on Friday May 27th.

In the one game these 2 teams played this season the Bruins beat the Canucks 3-1 in Vancouver.

This season the Bruins had an Over/Under record of 40-50 and the Canucks at 43-52.

Vancouver is an attacking team with the Sedin twins, Ryan Kesler, and Alex Burrows and the thing is there is no drop in offense when the top line is not in and the Boston defense really has their work cut out for them in this series. Zdeno Chara and Denis Seidenberg lead the Boston defense and the Bruins are solid at protecting the space around Thomas and they will have to do this in this series.

The Bruins do not have the offensive power than the Canucks do and they will need a good series from the first line duo of David Krejci and Nathan Horton. Krejci is the playoff goal leader with 10 and he has 7 assists and Horton has been clutch scoring 8 goals with 3 game-winning goals and all 8 of his goals have come in Boston wins.

The Bruins power play has been terrible in the post-season and that is not good facing the best power play killing team in the NHL. If the Bruins continue to struggle with the man advantage look for the Canucks to play a physical series.

Vancouver G Roberto Luongo played well in the Tampa Bay series and he has a history in chocking in the post-season and he will have to shake that in this series. The defense starts with Luongo and Kevin Bieksa and if these guys don’t make mistakes deep in their crease they should win this series with the offense Vancouver has.

Betting Trends

Boston is 5-12 in their last 17 games as a road underdog of +151 to +200, 12-4 in their last 16 games, and has an Over record of 5-1 in their last 6 games following a win.

Vancouver is 4-0 in their last 4 playoff games as a favorite, 5-0 in their last 5 playoff games as a favorite of -151 to -200, and has an Under record of 17-8-3 in their last 28 games.

The Bruins have won 4 of their last 5 games against the Canucks in Vancouver.

NHL Betting Canucks Stanley Cup Picks

NHL Betting – Canucks Simply Too Strong For The Bruins In 2011 Finals

Not since the Montreal Canadiens held it up high in the 1993 finals has a Canadian
team brought the Stanley Cup north of the border. That will chance in 2011, with
the Vancouver Canucks ready to take hockey’s ultimate glory home when they face
off against the Boston Bruins. The Canucks have been the most online sports betting
dominant team that the league has seen in years, and can now close what would be the
most successful season in franchise history with a Stanley Cup victory.

Vancouver has the depth on all three levels to succeed, and have shown through the first
three rounds that they have what it takes to excel in the postseason. With Ryan Kesler as
the team’s heart and soul, the Canucks have thrived under the pressure of being the team
to beat, and have already exceeded the expectations of past Presidents trophy winners.
Kesler has helped open things up for the Sedin twins, who have combined to take the
past two scoring titles. When the team added sports betting bonus depth players such as
Max Lapierre and Chris Higgins at the trade deadline, there was some uncertainty in how
those moves would work out but head coach Alain Vigneault has done an excellent job
with both. Vigneault coached both Higgins and Lapierre before and is familiar with their
strengths, which he has used to their fullest during the Canucks’ cup run. With news that
second-line center and faceoff specialist Manny Malholtra has been given clearance to
play in the finals after nearly 10 weeks away from the game with a broken orbital bone,
Vancouver will be at full strength for this year’s finals. Kevin Bieksa has overachieved
for the team this postseason and led the defense core in points, and Roberto Luongo has
finally silenced his critics with some stellar play in these playoffs ahead of the 2011
Belmont Stakes betting race.

All eyes will be on Luongo in these finals, with his matchup against Vezina trophy
candidate Tim Thomas what many are considering the biggest pay per head factor.
Luongo struggled in games four through six in the opening round series against the
defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks, but has come together since with
a couple of solid series’ against the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks. The fact
that Luongo has already been tested by two of the top teams in league in Chicago and
San Jose is testament to that he is ready, but it will now come down to the pressure of
being in the finals. Luongo will be the first to admit that he hasn’t proven anything yet,
and the Canucks’ fan base is hoping that he can bring the Stanley Cup home the way that
he was able to bring home a gold medal for Canada in February of 2010. That will be the
difference in the finals, and as long as they can rely on Luongo they will be good.

Stanley Cup Betting Pick: Vancouver In Six

NHL Game 6 Betting PIcks Boston Bruins vs Tampa Bay Lightning

NHL Conference Finals Picks for Upcoming Games

Eastern Conference Finals – Game Six – Wednesday May 25
Boston Bruins @ Tampa Bay Lightning

The betting online experts are confused as to how the Bruins have not put this series
away yet. The online casino wagering crowd watched as the Bruins built up a three-goal
lead in game four, only to have the Lightning change goaltenders and win the game 5-
3. That is unusual for any kind of betting, even Preakness Stakes betting. But betting
on the horses only requires attention to one participant – the horse. When you bet on
MLB scores or NHL scores, there is an entire team to consider, and the Bruins have
just been flat this series. Most notable is the poor play of elite Boston goaltender Tim
Thomas. Thomas used to be a force that the Bruins could rely on to win games. But, in
the playoffs, Thomas has been unreliable and unpredictable.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are the epitome of a desperate team scratching to win any
way they can. Dwayne Roloson was benched in game four, but he will be back in this
series. Roloson is the inspirational force that brought the Lightning back to life late in
the season. Mike Smith is a capable goaltender, but Roloson is the starter. There does
not appear to be a game plan for the Lightning. They just wait for the Bruins to make a
mistake, and then capitalize on it. The bigger and faster Bruins seem to be falling prey to
this style of play, and it could cost the Bruins their shot at the Stanley Cup for the 2010-
2011 season. Check out our live NHL Odds and NHL Picks to make some serious money on this game.

Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning

Western Conference Finals – Game Five – Tuesday May 24
San Jose Sharks @ Vancouver Canucks

Not many people were expecting the San Jose Sharks to be facing elimination in this
year’s Western Conference finals in game five. Most people thought it would be the
Canucks facing elimination by this point. But the Canucks have a secret weapon that they
have been waiting for in previous playoff tournaments, but just decided to show up in
these playoffs. That weapon is goaltender Roberto Luongo. The Canucks defense all but
abandoned Luongo in game three and allowed 17 shots on Luongo in the third period.
But Luongo stood tall, and he showed the playoff form that Canucks fans have been
waiting many years to see. Luongo’s confidence is high, and that could be a very bad
thing for the San Jose Sharks.

The San Jose Sharks cut ties with goaltender Evgeni Nabokov prior to the 2010-2011
season and brought in Stanley Cup winning goaltender Antti Niemi as a replacement.
Nabokov had taken the brunt of the frustration of San Jose fans who were tired of
having one of the best regular season teams, but worst playoff teams, in the league. After
allowing four goals on 13 shots in game four, it does not look like Niemi is the answer
to the Sharks’ problems either. The Sharks cannot figure out Roberto Luongo and they
cannot get any support from Antti Niemi. That combination will be what seals the San

Jose fate for yet another playoff season.

Pick: Vancouver Canucks