We haven’t even made it to the second round of this year’s online NHL betting playoffs and we’ve already witnessed something that borders on the unbelievable. Despite the fact that the Chicago Blackhawks entered the postseason as the No. 1 seed in the Central Division, the B-Hawks were eliminated within the first round by the Nashville Predators, in stunning fashion. Now Nashville advances to the second round, while the Blackhawks are sent back home to the Windy City wondering exactly what went wrong in this year’s playoff push.

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It’s bad enough that Chicago got sent home this early, but it’s even more disheartening for Blackhawks fans when realizing that the team couldn’t even post a single win against the Predators, who finished 4^th in the Central. The ironic thing is that since both of these teams are in the same division, they would have faced each other several times throughout the regular season. Five times to be exact, and throughout those contests, the Blackhawks were able to post a 4-1 record against their division rival. Unfortunately, Chicago was unable to replicate that success in the postseason, leaving those who bet on NHL wondering what went awry.

Down Go the Hawks, Down Go the Ratings

It’s no surprise that the NHL has its hands full trying to compete with the ratings the MLB, the NFL, and the NBA are able to consistently deliver. And now that a team as popular as the Blackhawks has been eliminated by the Predators, who have a much smaller fan base, there’s no doubt that NBC – the network broadcasting the playoffs for those who bet on NHL – will feel the drop in its ratings. In the world of soccer, this type of situation creates a good deal of controversy, with fans speculating that the governing body of soccer (FIFA), plays a hand in determining which teams advance deeper in competition (most notably in the World Cup), in order to create the most profitable scenario in the title match. So, even though these online NHL betting titans got eliminated in the first round, it’s good to see that the NHL completely refrains from this despicable behavior.

50 Wins Down the Drain

“Maybe we won a couple close games that might have made us feel like we were better than we really were,” Patrick Kane, the Blackhawks’ right winger, told the media after being swept by the Predators. “To score three goals in four games, I mean, there’s no way you’re going to win doing that.”

There’s no doubt that the entire city of Chicago is in disarray after seeing their team post a 50-win season that ended so unceremoniously. There’s no doubt that the Blackhawks lack of offense spelled defeat for them, but in the end what hurts the most is seeing such a successful season be dwindled away into nothing.