Tag: 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs

A dominant Avalanche Stanley Cup run spurred three-fold increase in Colorado public betting

The Colorado Division of Gaming reported nearly $100 million in wagers.

One benefit of legal sports betting is the boost it can provide to a local economy, and a great example of that is the money that rolled into Colorado as the Avalanche skated their way to the Stanley Cup.

The Colorado Division of Gaming reported nearly $97 million in wagers on the Stanley Cup Playoffs this year, according to a report by KKTV 11 News in Colorado Springs, more than tripling the amount of hockey bets it received in the same period in 2021.

Colorado bettors wagered about $30 million on the Stanley Cup Final alone, eclipsing the $26 million wagered in all of May and June 2021 combined. The public apparently wasn’t fazed by the two-time defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning.

“When you look at where the standard was and then you look at where they are this year, going almost three times as much, you really can tell that Colorado really got excited about the Avalanche going for the Cup and being in the finals,” Division of Gaming director Dan Hartman said

Sports betting was legalized in Colorado in 2019, with the first licensed operators hitting the market in May 2020.

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10 best moments from the thrilling 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The road to the Stanley Cup was a wild one this year.

It’s hard to believe the 2021-22 NHL season is over and the Stanley Cup has been awarded.

Sunday night saw the Colorado Avalanche hoist the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2001 in a triumphant celebration of sports joy. Sure, the Stanley Cup may have a few dents in it now, but hey it’s nothing the keeper of the Cup can’t fix, right?

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are the best part of a NHL season, no contest. And this year’s postseason may have been the best hockey’s had to offer in years, from the wild in-game swings to the pure talent level on display from the NHL’s finest.

Now that we’ve put yet another NHL season to rest, let’s take a look back at the 10 best moments from the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs that we’ll remember for years to come.

Predicting the 2022 Stanley Cup Final between the Lightning and Avalanche

The Stanley Cup Final is here!

It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for, hockey fans!

Wednesday night marks the start of the Stanley Cup Final between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Colorado Avalanche. It’s been a long playoff road to get here, but these teams were two of the best in the NHL all season long and there’s sure to be incredible hockey to come.

Despite both teams being deserving, only one of them will be able to lift the Stanley Cup come series end. But, which team will it be? That’s a good question! Much like we’ve done for previous rounds in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, it’s time to predict who will win the Stanley Cup Final!

Ryan Strome’s whiffed shot on an empty net haunts Rangers fans after Game 5 loss

This is tough to watch, Ryan Strome…

Ryan Strome is going to see this play in his nightmares for years to come.

With the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning tied 1-1 in the third period, Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final was set to come down to the wire. The Rangers were pressing late in the third period, looking for a chance to swing things back in New York’s way with the series itself tied 2-2.

On the Rangers best chance of the third period, Andrew Copp was able to get behind the Lightning defense and threaded a gorgeous pass to Strome. Unfortunately, Strome took the backhand pass from Copp… and just whiffed on it.

And the worst part? In front of Strome was a gaping wide open net, with Andrei Vasilevskiy well out of position to make a save.

Oh yeah, that’s rough. And a few minutes later, the Lightning capitalized on their own chance and made it 2-1 on Mikhail Sergachev’s second goal of the night, the eventual game-winner for Tampa Bay.

Now, the Rangers are facing down elimination headed back to Tampa Bay and Strome’s miss looms large. Rangers fans were, expectedly, agonizing over Strome’s huge whiff in a major turning point for this series.

Jimmy Fallon tried, and failed, to eat a hot dog and chug a beer while cheering on Rangers in Game 5

Jimmy Fallon should probably get some pointers from Joey Chestnut next time.

This could have gone better for Jimmy Fallon.

For Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final between the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning, the series swung back to the Big Apple all tied up at 2-2. Given that the series is now back in New York, many major stars and celebrities showed up to support the Blueshirts against the reigning Stanley Cup champions.

One of those celebrities was Fallon himself, who was taking a break from his nightly show to enjoy a beer and a hot dog at a playoff game. Unfortunately for Fallon, when the camera panned to him sitting in the stands, he failed spectacularly in chugging both his beer, but also his hot dog.

Thankfully, Fallon was later spotted in the stands with a Rangers jersey on, swapping out his clearly ruined shirt after getting beer everywhere. And I mean everywhere, because seriously I don’t think he swallowed any of it.

Fallon probably could get some pointers from hot dog eating champion Joey Chestnut about a better form and pace for his chugging shenanigans.

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Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl deserved better in the Stanley Cup Playoffs

The NHL playoffs are cruel, and Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl know it only too well.

As it turns out, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl can’t do it all.

The Edmonton Oilers season ended Monday night in the Western Conference Final after being unceremoniously swept out of the playoffs by the Colorado Avalanche. Artturi Lehkonen had the game-winner for the Avalanche in the 6-5 overtime loss, sending the Oilers home packing after a frustrating and unsatisfying end to their season.

There’s probably no one more disheartened at how Edmonton’s season ended than the team’s two star players, McDavid and Draisaitl. After all, the pair led the playoff field in points by a wide margin, with McDavid posting 10 goals and 33 points and Draisaitl right behind with seven goals and 32 points.

The next highest point total from a player in the playoffs? Mika Zibanejad of the New York Rangers with 24.

It’s been 32 years since the Oilers hoisted the Stanley Cup, with this trip to the Western Conference Final the first for McDavid and Draisaitl in their tenure with the team. Given how good Edmonton was for a majority of the season, there’s room for optimism with this team for the future. The Oilers finally seem to have gotten a talented supporting core around their two stars with Evander Kane and Zach Hyman, something Edmonton can build upon in the seasons to come.

And yet, McDavid and Draisaitl deserved better than what they got in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

After yet another season of both McDavid and Draisaitl cresting over 100 points, the pair were the most electric players in this postseason. The Oilers were never out of it when McDavid and Draisaitl were on the ice and it showed. The two combined for just five total games out of 16 played in these playoffs where neither were able to notch a point, with the Oilers going 0-5 in those games.

Not only that, Draisaitl was clearly battling a leg injury for a good portion of these playoffs and yet still managed to put up four huge assists in the deciding Game 4 against the Avalanche.

It’s just a shame the rest of the Oilers weren’t able to rise to even a fraction of McDavid and Draisaitl’s level in the Western Conference Final. A lot of the focus will be on goaltender Mike Smith, who collapsed in key points during this series and gave up some truly awful goals this postseason. The 40-year-old goaltender had some standout moments in the playoffs, but it’s well past time for the Oilers to move on.

The problem? Smith is signed for another season in Edmonton at $2.2 million. It’s a tradable contract for sure, but it’s one that’s indicative of the process that’s still holding this team back from truly being great.

In the Oilers postgame press conference Monday night following their playoff exit, McDavid discussed the process Edmonton has gone through in recent years, which landed them in their first conference final since 2006.

“It feels like it’s steps right?” McDavid said, via NHL.com. “Every team kind of goes through it. They become a playoff team and then they get there most years and then they go on a little bit of a run and they learn that lesson and then it becomes their time to win.

“You look at a Colorado team that’s been in that situation many, many times, and obviously they’re knocking on the door right now. It’s a step in the right direction, but that’s all it is.”

That’s all it is, but it could have been so much more.

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A possible Game 7 between Lightning, Rangers could conflict with a Justin Bieber concert at MSG

This is Justin Bieber’s revenge for the Lightning knocking out the Maple Leafs.

Is it too late now to say sorry?

We’re closing in on the end of the Stanley Cup playoffs, as the Conference Finals are at their midway points, with just a few games remaining until the ultimate prize: the Stanley Cup. However, there’s a potential snag that could happen should the Eastern Conference Final between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Rangers go to a Game 7.

You see, pop sensation — and Maple Leafs super fan — Justin Bieber is scheduled to hold a concert at Madison Square Garden on June 14. Not too out of the ordinary, especially in the summer in New York City. But, you know what else could be happening that night? Game 7 between the Lightning and the Rangers… at Madison Square Garden!

This isn’t the first time concerts have conflicted with postseason sports games, as the Houston Astros moved the date of a Taylor Swift concert in 2015 for their playoff run. If the Astros can move a Taylor Swift concert, surely the Rangers can move Justin Bieber if the worst comes to pass?

Regardless, this must be Bieber’s revenge against the Lightning, who knocked out his favorite team the Maple Leafs in round one of the Stanley Cup playoffs. What goes around comes around!

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Lightning’s Ondrej Palat scored wild last-minute game-winner to stun the Rangers in Game 3

Never count out the Lightning!

You can never count out the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ever.

On Sunday, Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final between the New York Rangers and Lightning was looking rough for the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions. Midway through the second period, the Rangers took a 2-0 lead on the Lightning, putting Tampa Bay in a precarious position with the team already down 2-0 in the series.

And yet, the Lightning stormed back, cutting the lead in half in the second then tying the game less than two minutes into the third. The big moment, however, came when Ondrej Palat scored to make it 3-2 Lightning with less than 42 seconds left in the game!

What a goal! Not only that, look at Nikita Kucherov’s brilliant assist on the game-winner to Palat.

That’s absolutely cold blooded. But, given that the Lightning are reigning Stanley Cup champions twice over, there was no way they were going down without a fight.

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An obscure offside rule on a Cale Makar goal for the Avalanche confused NHL fans

Does anyone even know what offside is anymore?

Does anyone really know what offside is anymore in the NHL?

The Western Conference Final between the Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers began on Tuesday and the first period was everything we were hoping for. Goals aplenty! Back and forth action! A controversial call to end the period! Wait what?

With time winding down in the first period with the Oilers and Avalanche tied 2-2 — mere seconds after Edmonton tied the game — Cale Makar came storming back to regain the lead for Colorado. While it was an incredible momentum shift, and a beautiful goal as well, the tiebreaker was then challenged by the Oilers for potentially being offside.

Here’s how the play went down.

Wait, the goal wasn’t called offside?

Yes, an obscure ruling in the NHL’s rulebooks is the reason why Valeri Nichushkin isn’t offside on this play by Makar. The Avalanche defenseman pushes the puck across the blue line, but doesn’t touch it until after Nichushkin has gotten back onside, making the play a very quick tag up scenario and allowing the goal to stand.

Talk about a weird one. NHL fans, on the other hand, were quite confused and astounded at why that call stood.

Nathan MacKinnon capped off Game 5 hat trick with sensational goal that decimated the Blues defense

HOLY COW, NATHAN MACKINNON!

Nathan MacKinnon just did that.

Wednesday night’s Game 5 between the Colorado Avalanche and the St. Louis Blues was a chaotic one, with the Blues on the brink of elimination from the second round. The Avalanche took a 3-0 lead halfway through the game, but the Blues were able to slowly chip away at it before tying it up 3-3 in the final five minutes of the third.

Then, something remarkable happened. MacKinnon — who already had two goals on the night — sliced and diced his way through the Blues defense. The result? A sensational coast-to-coast goal that MacKinnon finished with a silky smooth deke around a Blues defenseman before lifting the puck up and over Ville Husso for the 4-3 lead.

Wow. Seriously… wow. Have some more looks at that beauty of a goal.

While the Blues were able to tie up the game 4-4 late with the goaltender pulled to send the game into overtime, MacKinnon’s tally to cap off his hat trick is, without a doubt, the play of the game.

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