The National Hockey League or NHL, is a US based professional hockey league that has 31 professional teams 24 or whom are located in the US and seven in Canada. The League actually began in Montreal in 1917 and has steadily grown in popularity and size since that time. Today the NHL is the premiere professional hockey league in the world and has the most diverse group of players of any sports league in the country.
NHL Teams are divided into two conferences: Eastern and Western, four divisions: the Atlantic, Metropolitan, Central and Western and play an 82 regular season schedule and then the top 15 teams compete in a playoff for the Stanley Cup, which is the oldest sports trophy in North America. Betting on NHL games through top websites like betolimp continues to be strong and as we close in on the playoffs this should continue and even increase in volume.
With less than fifteen games remaining in the regular season, the playoff picture is quickly taking shape with teams including the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Nashville Predators and the Boston Bruins pouring it on heading into season’s end.
Eastern Conference
The Tampa Bay Lightning continue to do what they have been doing a lot of lately and that is to win. They have 9 wins in their last 10 games and have opened up a 9 point lead on the Boston Bruins and a 13 point lead on the Toronto Maple Leafs. Tampa Bay is getting it done on both sides of the puck. They are led by their powerhouse duo of winger Nikita Kucherov who leads the league with 88 points, and center Steven Stamkos who is in sixth with 79 points. They also are depending on the continued great play of goalie Alex Vasievskiywho leads the league in wins (40) and winning percentage (.769).
Boston is the second hottest team in the East having won 6 of their last 7 games and positioning themselves to potentially be the ones to beat in the playoffs. The team is showing balanced team play that has stabilized since the All-star break.
At the bottom end of the playoff picture three teams are fighting it out to get in the playoffs. The Florida Panthers who have been hit with injuries to key players throughout the season, are 15-3-1 since the All-star break and are not slowing down.
They are fighting it out with the New Jersey Devils who have a tough remaining schedule, and the Columbus Blue Jackets who have won five of seven since the trade deadline and look to keep the pedal down over the next three weeks. The defending Stanley Cup Champions Pittsburgh unfortunately seem to continue to be in their malaise but they will be in the playoffs, and you can never totally count them out.
Western Conference
Last year’s western conference champions the Nashville Predators are healthy and cruising right now. They have the league’s second hottest team with a record of 9-1-1 in their last ten games, and pundits are picking them to get back to the big dance and maybe even go all the way after last year’s disappointing finals loss to Pittsburgh.
The Vegas Golden Knights have cooled a bit but are still keeping the pressure on, and stand a chance to take the top seed from Nashville with an easier schedule of remaining games working in their favor.
Winnipeg continues to outperform with their star right winger Patrick Lane second in the league in goal scoring. And the Minnesota Wild and the San Jose Sharks are fighting for the fifth playoff spot.
Anaheim and Colorado continue their battle for the eight playoff spot, with St. Louis still in it but fading badly at the wrong time.
The Betolimp SA betting site is taking all bets for the final games of the season and through the playoffs in what promises to be the most excitement for hockey fans in a long time.
