Saturday, January 19, 2013

How will a Lockout-Shortened Season Affect the NHL?

Here we are, January 19, 2013. We find ourselves, finally, at the start of the 2012-2013 NHL season. Beyond the excitement of finally seeing the best in the world in action, questions abound.

What should expect from a lockout shortened season? The NHL season, which can be normally viewed as a 82-game marathon followed by 2 months of grueling playoff hockey, is now a 48-game sprint to the finish. How will this change the quality of the game we see on the ice, as well as the fortunes of the teams and its players?

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Hockey Edge Newsletter December 2012: How the Kings Regained Momentum Just in Time to Win the Stanley Cup

The 2012 Stanley Cup Finals looked like a rout. The Los Angeles Kings were dispatching easily of another opponent; this time it was the New Jersey Devils in the way of the Kings' destiny with the Cup. After taking a 3-0 series lead and then losing two potential clinching games, it was "sweaty palm time" for the Kings. Momentum was flowing against them and the Devils seemed to grow more and more confident.

Coming home for Game 6 after being up 3 games to 0 had to have the Kings feeling the heat. Certainly they did not want to have it come down to a Game 7 in New Jersey. So, Game 6 at home was a must-win to avoid a huge collapse.

In Game 6 at Staples Center the Kings finished ferociously just when the sixth-seeded Devils appeared to have a chance for one of the biggest comebacks in finals history. How were the Kings able to change the course of the Finals?