Cnotes 2021-2022 nhl trends, news, best bets and opinions thru the playoffs !

Search

Active member
Joined
Sep 26, 2005
Messages
104,060
Tokens
2021 METROPOLITAN DIVISION PREDICTIONS & BEST BETS

Oct. 6, 2021


Matt Blunt
NHL Expert
VegasInsider.com


NHL METROPOLITAN DIVISION BETTING PREVIEW
The Philadelphia Flyers are a team this year that's teetering on the edge of being the sixth team in this division that has a chalky price on the “yes” for playoff prop this year, as this division is one that's always expected to be highly competitive.


Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby are the big names at the top of this division most often, but Carolina and the New York Islanders are looking to become the next dominant organization for years to come, and the New York Rangers never want to be left out of the equation for too long either.


ODDS TO WIN METROPOLITAN DIVISION
Per BetMGM - Subject to Change



Islanders +300
Penguins +400
Hurricanes +450
Rangers +475
Capitals +500
Flyers +650
Devils +1800
Blue Jackets +10000


None of that is good news for Columbus or New Jersey fans as those two teams are expected to be the punching bags of the Metro once again, and there really isn't that much compelling evidence out there to suggest otherwise. Even with significant improvement for either club, there are still just too many better teams than themselves to pass here.


Expectations of improvement for the Blue Jackets or Devils does leave the possibility for an 'over' bet for the season point totals of those teams, and the expected competitive nature of the other six actually could lead to some good 'under' looks in that market for the others. There are only so many wins/points to go around.


The Columbus Blue Jackets enter the 2021-22 NHL season with the longest odds to win the Metro Division (10/1). (AP)


NHL METROPOLITAN DIVISION BEST BETS
WINNER: HURRICANES +475 / PENGUINS +475



For all the reasons mentioned above, it's these two teams that make the board for division futures as well. But it's also a nearly 5-1 price on two teams that are expected to be within two wins (or four points) of the favored New York Islanders – 95.5/96.5 points vs 99.5 points – and with all the wild variance hockey betting can bring, hoping that two games flip the other way is well worth this price.


I also think that coming into the season holding these two tickets could afford a bettor plenty of creative options as the season goes on to look at other contenders. The expectation of this division being close throughout is going to offer up some decent prices on all of these teams throughout the year.


Having tickets on these two teams at +475 gives you a +375 break even point to play around with any potential hedges elsewhere to guarantee yourself a profit should the Hurricanes or Penguins be the leading the way at stages.


The Pittsburgh Penguins look to win their first Metropolitan Division title since the 2013-14 season. (AP)


TO MAKE PLAYOFFS: WASHINGTON - NO +115


There is so much chalk on the 'yes' for these Metro Division teams that is rather reasonable in most cases. The 'yes' on Carolina and the N.Y. Rangers arguably make the most sense, as expecting to be a Wildcard team at worst has to be a goal those organizations view as likely attainable this year. If I was a bigger believer in the Rangers this year they'd get more consideration, and I already outlined how I view taking the Hurricanes point total is the far better way to play their playoff prop in their case.


There is still the question of “who will be the odd team out” in the Metro division and it's always been between Philadelphia and Washington for me.


I'm not sure the Flyers make it either, but Washington's underdog price tips the scales to their side with the Caps being an older team as well, one that I always fear is too over-reliant on what Ovechkin does. The “Great 8” has made it no secret that he wants to chase down Gretzky's goal record (164 away) and the fear there is that team success can fade when statistics are chased.


The Capitals are playing $8 million or more to three guys already on the wrong side of 30 (Ovechkin, Backstrom, Carlson), and the $7.8 million they are giving to Kuznetsov this year as he turns 30 basically puts him in that same boat as well. That's a lot of expected production from four guys pending they all even stay healthy.


The Capitals could be that NHL organization that resembles the Detroit Tigers of the last decade in the coming years. The Tigers were handcuffed by big contracts to some select stars and were forced to sell them all off over the years before they've got one long-standing veteran (Miguel Cabrera) left chasing down career benchmarks and records at the end.


That's the fear with the Washington/Ovechkin trajectory for me right now, as the first step in that process is to see a drop in results. At an underdog price on the 'no', with how ultra-competitive this division is expected to be, taking a shot on a potential decline happening for the Caps this year is the end result.


Alex Ovechkin looks to lead his Washington Capitals to a sixth straight Metropolitan Division title.


TOTAL POINTS - OVER/UNDER BEST BET:
A 6-year average by placement for this division (2013-14 through 2018-19) follows:


1st : 111.5
2nd : 102.5
3rd : 100.33
4th : 98.16
Last: 74.16


That's the smallest average gap between third and fourth place of any of the divisions historically, so seeing the Metro Division be one that's highly competitive isn't exactly out of the norm. The 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons – the two years Pittsburgh won the Stanley Cup – all four of the Top 4 teams in this division finished with 100 or more points, as they tried to do their best to make sure there were enough points to go around. The Metro Division champ finished with 120 and 118 points in those respective years as well.


Even the floor in this division is relatively consistent, as all six of those seasons saw last place finish with 70-79 points, meaning the Columbus Blue Jackets projected as the last place team with a point total of 76.5 is probably exactly right where it should be.


TEAM TOTAL POINTS ODDS
Per BetMGM - Subject to Change



Carolina 95.5
Columbus 76.5
New Jersey 89.5
N.Y. Islanders 99.5
N.Y. Rangers 96.5
Philadelphia 92.5
Pittsburgh 96.5
Washington 95.5


No team with a triple-digit total, and seven of the eight teams with totals in the 90's suggests that any of those early thoughts on potential 'under' plays because there wasn't going to be enough points to go around is mostly out the window. The average for the Top 3 finishers in this division has been 100+ with the fourth being 98.16, all numbers that would cash 'over' tickets on the Top 4 projected teams in this division (NYI, NYR, Pittsburgh, Carolina/Washington).


You'd have go through the ordeal of splitting hairs on Carolina vs Washington for that fourth spot in that scenario, but the Metro Division winner has never finished with fewer than 104 points, and the second place team hasn't been sub-100 points since that first year in 2013-14. The last five full seasons (14-15 to 18-19) also saw the third place Metro team finish with no fewer than 98 points, and no fewer than 97 for the fourth place squad. That type of history almost forces a complete philosophical switch to thinking about blanketing a lot of these 'overs' 97 points or more for fourth place still cashes 'overs' for everyone but the New York teams this year at these current prices, but we all know things never work as smoothly as that.


The Islanders are probably the team that's easiest to pass on in both directions in this market, as the expected division champs should hit 100+ points in the Metro if it's the Islanders or not. They are projected to do so with these numbers and with what we've seen from them these past two years they are a hard team not to like.


The Islanders have been Tampa Bay's biggest challenge these past two championship seasons for the Lightning, taking Tampa to 6 games in the ECF in the bubble, and then losing 1-0 in Game 7 of the ECF to Tampa again last year. But it's those losses that an argument on the 'under' 99.5 points can make some sense as there is always the chance this core responds negatively to those narrow defeats and goes through the motions early on in the season. It's tough to do that and still reach 100 points in this league, so even with expectations big and rightfully so for the Islanders, it's a pass on the season points total for me.


The Rangers are projected to slide into that second spot in this division which would be considered quite a jump. This New York team finished a distance fifth place last year in the shortened campaign in the East Division, a union that had six Metro teams. Statistically you won't get an argument from me if you believe the Rangers under-performed last year, and a much better season in terms of results should be in store for them this year.


But they are probably another pass here too, as even though finishing Top 4 is the expectation with the Rangers, this division still is going to be tight from top to bottom, and sadly the story of a Rangers team under-performing is not a particularly new one for this franchise. Also, leapfrogging the teams with Crosby and Ovechkin on them isn't going to be something that's done without a fight, and although the history and expectation suggest an 'over' play on the Rangers, it's ultimately one I think it's better to pass on.


The 'over' plays do start coming next though, as Pittsburgh and Carolina are the two teams I do expect to finish in the Top 4 this year and live up to that 98-point average in the process. The Hurricanes were fourth in xGF/60 and 16th in xGA/60 last year as the moves to completely overhaul their goalie room was widely discussed this summer. For the large part the moves were thought of in a negative light because of the youth/talent Carolina let walk, but 16th in xGA/60 is still just average and I don't think you can fault them for wanting to make a change. Whether it will work out is another story, but the negative spin the goalie carousel had on Carolina this summer has bumped their expectation of T4th in this division a little too low.




The Carolina Hurricanes have finished in fourth place of the Metropolitan Division two straight seasons. (AP)
This team is still a beast offensively, and the move to pick up Montreal's Jesperi Kotkaniemi to add to their young core of skaters was as positive as it was petty. The speed this team has only helps the confidence grow in knowing that they are an organization on the rise, and I'm not sure the move to a Frederik Anderson/Antti Raanta net is going to work out all that bad. In Anderson's case, how many players have left Toronto and flourished after getting away from the overbearing, intense scrutiny that is the Toronto market? The attention he gets is likely to be night and day different between the two cities and I'll only ever view that as a positive.


Carolina is a team that I do believe competes for this division title in the end, and with a -180 price on the “yes” to make the playoffs, I don't see too many worlds where the Hurricanes live up to that playoff price and get in with 95 points or fewer. That's ultimately the bottom line with Carolina.


The idea is similar with Pittsburgh as their “yes” price on making the playoffs is -215 and they are going to get there with 96 or fewer points? I don't see it, as the entire Eastern Conference is too good for that to happen. With the 'over' 96.5 the short underdog at -105 right now, it's a much cheaper way to play Pittsburgh being a playoff team, and there is always that small chance that they miss out on the playoffs but still get to 97 points.


That's not likely either, but the fourth place average is still a full point over this point total, and after a couple of very disjointed years with the Penguins getting hosed in the 2020 restart as a No. 5 seed, Crosby, Malkin and company know that there aren't going to be too many more chances for them. Pittsburgh's another team I expect to compete for this division title and they'll need to hit 100+ points to do it.


INDIVIDUAL AWARDS-PLAYERS TO WATCH
HART TROPHY
Hart Trophy Odds



With Crosby and Oveckin priced at +3500 currently in this market and having about 20 players ahead of them suggests a changing of the guard in this division is already on the horizon. Artemi Panarin (+1600) from the Rangers and Sebastian Aho (+1900) from Carolina are the two front-runners from the Metros in this category, and should either of those teams win this division this year, those two players will have a big part in that success.


But the parity that';s expected in this division with most being good hockey teams actually hurts the individual award chances for everyone. It's unlikely that any player/team does enough in the Metro to completely pull away and establish dominance like some of the other division winners are more likely to do.


You've got names like McDavid, MacKinnon, Matthews, Kucherov, Pastrnak, and Draisaitl all ahead of Panarin and Aho in this market because those guys don't necessarily need a first place finish by the team to separate themselves from the rest of the league.


JAMES NORRIS AWARD
James Norris Trophy Odds



If the Rangers are going to at least prove me wrong and play up to some big expectations this season, D Adam Fox is going to have a huge role in that success. He's part of the top defensive pair and on the first PP unit for New York, and in just two full seasons he's already shown how much of a talent he is at the position.


He trails only Colorado's Cale Makar (+350) in price for the award, and as the second favorite, he's the one Metro player/coach priced with the best chance to win any award coming into the season. It's far from a big bet, but one that should be considered, especially for those that believe in the Rangers more than I do in 2021-22.
 

Active member
Joined
Sep 26, 2005
Messages
104,060
Tokens
2021 PACIFIC DIVISION PREDICTIONS & BEST BETS

Mar. 12, 2021


Matt Blunt
NHL Expert
VegasInsider.com


NHL PACIFIC DIVISION BETTING PREVIEW
Now that the NHL season is scheduled to be a full one with their regular divisions back in check, the Pacific Division has to come in as the worst on paper from top to bottom. Of the seven Pacific teams that existed last year (welcome to the NHL Seattle), only two of them made the playoffs (Edmonton, Vegas), and only one of them won a playoff game (Vegas).


With these teams now grouped together, divisional play within the Pacific grouping will be very interesting this season as some of these teams that were at the bottom of the league last year really have nowhere to go but up.


Even if it's Vegas/Edmonton in 1st/2nd in any order in the Pacific this year as it's expected, there is still going to be a 3rd, 4th, and 5th place finisher and that's really where the fun starts from a betting perspective for this division.


ODDS TO WIN PACIFIC DIVISION
Per BetMGM - Subject to Change



Vegas -165
Edmonton +400
Seattle +800
Calgary +1400
Vancouver +1600
Los Angeles +2500
San Jose +4000
Anaheim +15000


Vegas and Edmonton both made the playoffs last season and the pair are expected to make a return trip in the 2022 postseason.. (AP)


NHL PACIFIC DIVISION BEST BETS
WINNER: EDMONTON OILERS +400



If the Pacific Division turns out to be the two-horse race it's expected to be between Vegas and Edmonton – and it's tough to think otherwise now – I'll gladly take near 4-1 price on any team in most of those perceived head-to-head cases, and this one allows me to back the team that's got the best player in the world.


The knocks against Edmonton are always going to be what they get defensively (on the blue line and in net), where the secondary scoring is going to come from, and there is always the concern they lose Connor McDavid to injury as well. But McDavid doesn't even have to be great to dominate this league anymore as that's how high a level his baseline play has become, and with another one of the world's best players in Leon Draisaitl – former Hart and Art Ross winner – this Oilers team can rattle off some wins when these two guys really get it going.


Wins shouldn't be hard to come by either considering the state of some of these other franchises for this season, just look at their division odds. Anaheim at +25000 is favored to be the division doormat, with LA and San Jose not too far behind at +5000 respectively. San Jose's got their own in-house things to deal with involving Evander Kane this year too, something that could completely derail any shot they've got at significant improvement.


I don't believe Seattle will have anywhere near the success Vegas did as an expansion franchise, as it can be hard to remember that the expansion success Vegas had was the outlier not the norm, and even with the more favorable expansion rules to help new teams become competitive quicker, to have Seattle as the 3rd favorite (+750) for this division is a little out there in my view.


Calgary (+1000) and Vancouver (+2000) are the Canadian rivals that will be sure to test the Oilers in head-to-head meetings, but over the long haul of a full season I'm not sure either of them will show the consistency to finish ahead of Edmonton in the standings.


Which brings it back to Vegas (-160) as the favorite, finishing last year with 10 more points than Edmonton in the standings.


However, the worst team from the Canadian division (Vancouver) finished with 50 points last year, a total that was still higher than three of the teams Vegas saw on a regular basis. LA (49), San Jose (49) and Anaheim (43) were those three organizations and Vegas was 7-1 SU vs Anaheim, 6-2 SU vs LA, and 8-0 SU against San Jose.


If those results are based in Vegas being the heavy chalk for this division I'll gladly disagree with the price. One, it's going to be hard for the Golden Knights to duplicate that absurd success against these division rivals (21-3 SU) when there are going to be much trickier travel spots and things like that to deal with this season. It won't be camp out at home/hotel for half a week and get comfortable beating up on these lesser teams.


Or two, if Vegas is able to replicate a similar level of success against these teams again it suggests the Knights could be that good to deserve this favored price, or it could mean that those three California teams are just that bad again. If it's the latter, it means that Connor McDavid and this Edmonton team can have their own feast of wins this year against those California teams now that they are division rivals once again.


Chances are the team that does the most damage against those California teams this year is going to be the one to win the Pacific Division. With Vegas highly likely to regress their record in those head-to-head meetings and the Oilers getting a clean slate against them, at this price, I'll grab Edmonton in that race every time.


Left-winger Matthew Tkachuk and the Flames made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons before the 2020 shortened season. (AP)


TO MAKE PLAYOFFS: CALGARY FLAMES -135


The fact that we are back to the regular divisions means that the Top 3 teams from the Pacific Division are guaranteed a playoff spot, with the potential for Wildcard spots to be up for grabs as well if they can best the teams in a similar spot over in the Central Division. Counting on a Wildcard berth probably isn't the best thing to do for any Pacific team right now, but someone's got to finish 3rd in this division and that's where it's best to start.


Calgary is the favorite here to wrap up a trip back to postseason hockey, as they've definitely got the names up front and a reliable goalie in net to make plenty of noise in this division this season. G Jacob Markstrom was brought in here to be a steady hand between the pipes for Calgary and the Flames were 22-21 SU with him in net last year, and they finished 26-30 SU overall.


A 4-9 SU record with anyone else in net does prompt questions about Calgary's results in those games this year, but the 76% timeshare in favor of Markstrom (43 of 56 games) could even increase in Markstrom's favor with the more traditional travel schedule teams get this year (fewer back-to-backs vs same team). The Flames were better than a .500 team last year in Markstrom's starts, and given the overall drop-off in team talent in this weaker division, a record far better than that in Markstrom's games should be attainable. That should be enough to put the Flames at least in the playoff conversation until the final few weeks of the season at the very worst.


Finally, the Flames also don't come into the year with as many negatives as the other second tier teams in this division do.


Anaheim's just going to be bad, San Jose could have a fractured locker room, and Seattle is still an expansion team. I'm always going to side with the idea that the Golden Knights' success in Year 1 was the anomaly, and if I get beat with Seattle finishing 3rd as the division odds suggest, then I get beat and move on.


The Kings are a team I do believe could be the best California candidate for improvement this year, but they were still 8-16 SU against the division rivals from last year that remain division rivals this year (SJ, Vegas, Anaheim) and I'm just not sure that believing an improvement there is coming will ultimately be enough for LA to grab a playoff spot if Wild Card spots aren't the likeliest option.


Calgary's got all the pieces in their core to resemble that 2018-19 Calgary team that won this Pacific Division going away, and now that we've got our first full “normal” season slated since that season, the Flames should do enough this year to be involved in playoff hockey.


The Seattle Kraken will be the 32nd team of the NHL and the franchise isn't expected to contend in their first year. (AP)

TOTAL POINTS - OVER/UNDER BEST BETS

Since these current divisions were formed for the 2013-14 season, we've had six uninterrupted regular seasons in this format.


The Pacific Division in that span has welcomed Vegas and Seattle to their fold while saying goodbye to Arizona for this season. But in those six years, no matter the placement of the specific teams each season, the Pacific Division winner has averaged 108.16 points. Those averages are followed by 103.16 points, 97.83 points, and 90 points for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place finishers from this division over the years, with the eventual basement dweller averaging just 67.16 points.


TEAM TOTAL POINTS ODDS
Per BetMGM - Subject to Change



Anaheim 71.5
Calgary 92.5
Edmonton 99.5
LA Kings 83.5
San Jose 83.5
Seattle 92.5
Vancouver 88.5
Vegas 106.5


First thing that sticks out here is the idea of this division being a two-horse race between Vegas and Edmonton again. The 2nd place finisher in this division would be Edmonton's floor in that outcome, and with that position in this division averaging 103.16 points each year, going 'over' Edmonton's sub-100 number is a must.


Last place in the division has an average number four points lower than Anaheim's division-low points total of 71.5. Funny enough, not once in those six years has the last place team in this division finished with more than 71 points too, so isolating the last place team and going 'under' is a great betting option too. Whether you believe it's Anaheim or not, that average number is two full wins below any of the posted totals. It wouldn't take much for this year to go completely off the rails for some of those projected basement dwellers either.


The 3rd and 4th place averages of 97.8 and 90 make the Calgary/Seattle coin flip discussion a tough one to confidently support either way, but if you believe one of those teams will be 5th or worse this season, a 90-point average for 4th place leaves a pretty big margin of error available for 'over' plays on teams like Vancouver, LA or San Jose that would come up and take that spot.


Which leaves Vegas as the last talking point as four of the six division winners have finished with 107 or more points. But as I outlined before, I don't think the Golden Knights record vs the California teams (21-3 SU) is going to be anywhere near repeatable this year and not having them as the division winner also means the 103 point average for 2nd place is more what I'm looking at with the Knights.


PACIFIC DIVISION POINT TOTAL PICKS:
Edmonton Over 99.5 +100
Vegas Under 106.5 -110
LA Kings Over 83.5 +105


INDIVIDUAL AWARDS-PLAYERS TO WATCH
HART TROPHY
Hart Memorial Trophy Odds



Connor McDavid being the best player in the world means that you've got to consider him for any of the NHL awards given out at season's end, as he's the +250 favorite to win the Hart Trophy again this year.


If that were to be the case, it would be the first time since Alex Ovechkin in 2008 and 2009 where we had a repeat winner, and the first time since Wayne Gretzky rattled off eight straight Hart Trophy wins from 1980-87 that we had the winner come from the same franchise for three consecutive years – Leon Draisaitl won in 2020.


That's not the type of history I want to be up against backing a favorite at +250, even though it's hard to not believe McDavid is always going to be in the conversation and quite possibly the front runner all year. Although the logical thing to do does feel like it's putting something on McDavid and just letting the season run its course.


The Vancouver Canucks will be leaning heavily on goaltender Thatcher Demko between the pipes this season. (AP)


VEZINA TROPHY
Vezina Trophy Odds



Vancouver's Thatcher Demko is tied with Vegas' Robin Lehner for the best odds from this division for the Vezina Trophy at +1500 respectively. The Vezina is a trophy that you'd have to go all the way back to the 1938 and 39 seasons to find the last time the same team won the award with a different goalie the second time, a scenario Lehner and Vegas find themselves in this year after shipping 2021 winner Marc-Andre Fleury to Chicago.


I'm not sure Vancouver wins enough games for Demko to get serious consideration as the only time this century that the Vezina went to a guy from a non-playoff team was when Sergei Bobrovsky won it in the strike-shortened 2012-13 season. It's an award that's basically always reserved for a goalie on a playoff team, and more often than not they come from a division winner or runner-up.


So I wouldn't expect the Vezina winner to come from out West, as I don't think Edmonton's goalie situation takes the huge leap from its current status to Vezina winner, nor does the history line up with Lehner (or any other Golden Knights goalie) in Vegas.


 

Active member
Joined
Sep 26, 2005
Messages
104,060
Tokens
2021 ATLANTIC DIVISION PREDICTIONS & BEST BETS

Oct. 5, 2021


Matt Blunt
NHL Expert
VegasInsider.com


NHL ATLANTIC DIVISION BETTING PREVIEW
With four of the seven teams from last year's all-Canadian division staying in the Western Conference, the remaining three Canadian teams – Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa – head back to the Atlantic Division where the likes of Boston, Florida, and Tampa Bay await.


The Atlantic Division will also be one of those nearly impossible occurrences where both Stanley Cup Finalists will be division rivals this year, something that's happened for two years in a row now due to COVID. Montreal isn't expected to duplicate the Cinderella run they had last spring, and various levels of minimal resistance will come from Detroit, Ottawa, and Buffalo in this division as all three of those teams are still a ways away from seriously competing in this league.


ODDS TO WIN ATLANTIC DIVISION
Per BetMGM - Subject to Change



Tampa Bay +135
Toronto +225
Boston +450
Florida +550
Montreal +2500
Ottawa +10000
Buffalo +15000
Detroit +15000


The Tampa Bay Lightning enter the 2021-22 season as favorites to win a tight Atlantic Division race. (AP)
NHL ATLANTIC DIVISION BEST BETS
WINNER: FLORIDA PANTHERS +550

Writing off the bottom half of this division is the first place to start with this futures market, even as that probably sounds a little harsh to Montreal fans. Can't argue against taking a piece of Montreal at +3500 coming into the year if part of that plan is to consider taking other options down the road should Montreal get off to a great start and be in the mix 40+ games into the year.


But I already mentioned how the Panthers are the preferred choice between themselves and Boston given the trajectories I've got both franchises on, and I think the same type of mentality in terms of looking at potentially taking pieces of other options down the line is in play as well.


Toronto and Tampa are definitely deserving of being the two expected to battle it out for this division, but one's off two straight years of playing the maximum amount of hockey any team has in each season, and Toronto still has issues with achieving success. Throw in the added pressure that can get enormous in the Toronto market after a few losses, and chances are there will be better opportunities throughout the year to get on a Leafs division play.


Florida was Top 10 in xGA/60 and Top 5 in xGF/60 last year, a feat that Toronto and Tampa from this division were able to do as well. Yet, it's the Panthers who are double the odds of Tampa here, and that's where price plays into the selection for now.


The Florida Panthers expect to have Aaron Ekblad ready to begin the 2021-22 season after last year's injury. (AP)

TO MAKE PLAYOFFS: BOSTON - NO +425 / TAMPA BAY - NO +850

It's could be tough for any team in the Atlantic Division to count on/expect four playoffs teams in the Eastern Conference to reside here (three guaranteed + one of the two Wildcards) with how deep the Metropolitan Division is once again.


If the thinking is Florida is going to be that third team that challenges that plays above expectation to challenge for a division title etc, it means someone is going to have to take a step back. Boston's still the team I view that's going to take a step back, and should the Lightning lose G Andrei Vasilevskiy or any other key names for significant time, that fatigue from two Stanley Cup runs might show up a bit sooner.


Could easily be wrong here with grading the depth of the Metro, but with Washington, Pittsburgh, Carolina, both New York teams, and Philadelphia all laying chalk on the “Yes” part of the Playoffs prop, getting at least four of those six in the playoffs is rather realistic. Only four teams from the Metro and the Atlantic playing out in some form as suggested with the Top 4 teams does burn me on these two plays, but that's 'if' we only get four teams from the Metro, and 'if' a team like Montreal doesn't build off the experience of last season.


Not saying that's how this year ends up playing out, but you don't have to be right very often at these prices with that type of thinking. The next step there would be to consider the possibility of looking at the 'No' for some of those chalky Metro teams as a way to potentially balance out things if the Atlantic gets 4+ teams in the playoffs.


The Boston Bruins have the third-highest odds to win the Atlantic Division entering the 2021-22 season. (AP)


TOTAL POINTS - OVER/UNDER BEST BET: FLORIDA OVER / MONTREAL OVER
A 6-year average by placement for this division (2013-14 through 2018-19) follows:


1st : 112.33
2nd : 103.83
3rd : 98.83
4th : 95.33
Last: 63.5<.li>


Two of the six President's Trophy winners during those years came from this division, as Tampa's domination in 2018-19 saw them finish with 128 points in the regular season to really skew those numbers. All three of the top three finishers did finish with 100+ in the two most recent seasons in that range, and with how good all four of the teams at the top of this division are expected to be, and how bad some of the teams at the bottom of this division are expected to be, I think we get three teams with 100+ points again this year.


This is the division you'll generally find the worst team in the NHL too, as five of those six season's saw the league's worst reside here, including those two most recent seasons as well.


52, 54, 69, 62, and 64 were the point total tallies for these Atlantic Division basement dwellers that were also league-worst in those five seasons which has a peak right around Buffalo's division-worst total of 68.5. Whether it's Buffalo or perhaps Detroit/Ottawa as the team you believe will be the worst in the Atlantic this season, 'under' probably is really the only way to go.


TEAM TOTAL POINTS ODDS
Per BetMGM - Subject to Change



Boston 102.5
Buffalo 69.5
Detroit 78.5
Florida 101.5
Montreal 89.5
Ottawa 76.5
Tampa Bay 106.5
Toronto 105.


Of the four teams expected to compete for this division title, five points are all that separate them in these season point totals futures, and I think at least with Boston and Florida, any thoughts on them being the Atlantic Division champions have to be correlated with an 'over' play for these point totals as well. Florida sits at +425 to win the division, while Boston's slightly better than that at +380.


Personally, I prefer the Panthers as they are the team I see more as one on the rise in becoming a league-wide threat, whereas the Bruins best days may be behind them and that downward trajectory so many past championship teams ultimately take doesn't feel like it's that far off for the Bruins. Boston's still likely got plenty in the tank this year, but of the two, I believe Florida is the better bet for both a season point total 'over' play, as well as taking down the division.


Toronto is an interesting case as they are the slight favorites (+195) to win the division over Tampa (+210) even with the same point totals offered on both. Toronto's turn to G Petr Mrazek this year to be paired with Jack Campbell is something that I don't think will be the answer for them yet again, as a lot of 4-3 games are probably in the Leafs future this season.


Don't think you can take any team to win a division with that type of outlook as those games can get too coin-flippy at times, and the core of this Leafs team still has that mental hurdle of success to climb fully over. Most of that is related to the playoffs and Toronto will get there again this year, but there really is minimal interest in any Leafs futures coming into the season.


A similar thing can be said with Tampa this season, as two straight Stanley Cup Finals appearances in the chaotic travel/world conditions they were played in, and the fear of Tampa running out of gas this year takes them out of most futures that are positive-based for them (division title, season points over).


The talent is still off the charts in Tampa Bay, but Pittsburgh was the most recent team to win consecutive Cups and the following season they ended up in second in the division before losing to Washington in the second round. A similar fate is what I would guess lies ahead for the Lightning this season, as a regular season with 106 points and a second round playoff loss sounds very reasonable and easy enough to pass on them completely.


Which leaves Montreal, and at 89.5 for a point total, the first thought was that it seems a little disrespectful for the Stanley Cup Finalist. I know there are injury concerns for the Habs to start the year, and they'll be without Shea Weber for the season, but 90 points should be attainable for this team if they beat up on those below them in this division like they are expected too.


Fourth place was never below 93 points in that six-year span already referenced, and a run at fourth place or better for Montreal this year is really very reasonable to think as well. This could end up completely off the rails if Montreal's injuries turn out to be a bigger issue than expected or they multiple exponentially, but the first thought of it being a rather disrespectful number is still something I can't get over.


INDIVIDUAL AWARDS-PLAYERS TO WATCH
VEZINA TROPHY
Vezina Trophy Odds



Tampa goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy is the favorite for the Vezina this year at +380 and it really isn't even close with the next guys being listed at +1000. The last 10 winners of this award have all been first-time winners, a list that includes Vasilevskiy and his 2019 victory. That, the price, and the Tampa fatigue narrative has me not interested at all in taking Vasilevskiy here, but it's tough to make a strong case against him either.


Of all the goalies who put together multiple Vezina Trophies in their respective careers recently (Patrick Roy, Ed Belfour, Donimink Hasek, Martin Brodeur, Tim Thomas) all managed to rack them up in consecutive years or a two-in-three type of deal. That could be considered a plus for Vasilevskiy here and he's a deserving favorite, but it's that price and questions about Tampa's effort this year that have me staying away.


Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy is a strong contender to win the Vezina Trophy for the 2021-22 NHL season. (AP)


JACK ADAMS AWARD
Jack Adams Award Odds



Might as well go all-in on the Panthers in this division this year, as head coach Joel Quennville (+700) is only behind Tampa coach Jon Cooper (+600) to win this award this season. With the thoughts on Florida being a potential division champion in the Atlantic, it would go to figure that a division crown over Tampa/Toronto/Boston-plus would put Quennville as a pretty heavy favorite.


Two-plus decades between Jack Adams' wins would be quite the story for Quennville as well, as he only won the award when he was with St Louis at the turn of the century and not during any of his years in Chicago when he won three Stanley Cups.


He's got enough talent on his Panthers team to make a real run at being one of the best teams in the league, and the opportunity is there as well to be the best in a division that has the reigning two-time champs, last year's SC Finalist, and Boston and Toronto too.


 

Active member
Joined
Sep 26, 2005
Messages
104,060
Tokens
2021 CENTRAL DIVISION PREDICTIONS & BEST BETS

Oct. 5, 2021


Matt Blunt
NHL Expert
VegasInsider.com


NHL CENTRAL DIVISION BETTING PREVIEW
As the teams from the Central Division get reacquainted this year, they'll know that five of them have playoff experience from a year ago to draw on, a number they are hoping to duplicate this season with how bad the bottom of the Pacific Division could be. But the five playoff teams from last year doesn't even include the Dallas Stars who are one year removed from making it to the Finals, and Chicago didn't trade for Vezina winner Marc-Andre Fleury thinking this would be the fourth time in five years that they'd miss the playoffs.


The depth in this division from top to bottom might end up being one of the best in the league, but beating up on one another doesn't always do a team many favors. All of them are expected to be looking well up at Colorado in the standings when all is said and done, as the Avalanche were among the league leaders in many of the top analytical categories last year, and with a young core all staying put, there really aren't any reasons to think it won't be more of the same right now.


Maybe a month in and some losses on top of some injury concerns could change things, but as a -250 division favorite – the biggest price by far of any division this year – it's more about a bettor's commitment to want to lay that price. Remember, these markets will be available all throughout the year. Should Colorado struggle early for whatever reason, or still be looking up at one or two teams by the Olympic Break in February, the division price on the Avalanche then will be much more attractive than it is now.


ODDS TO WIN CENTRAL DIVISION
Per BetMGM - Subject to Change



Colorado -225
Minnesota +600
Dallas +1000
St. Louis +1200
Winnipeg +1600
Chicago +2000
Nashville +6600
Arizona +15000


If you've backed the correct “other” team in those scenarios, then you're looking at having the “other” at +650 or better (Minnesota's price as second favorite) and whatever current price that's taken on the Avalanche during the year. That's not a bad position to be in either.


And yes, Colorado could cruise on top from the outset and any wager on an underdog here ends up as a lost cause, but I'd still prefer that over having to sweat a -250 play over the course of 82 hockey games where all sorts of puck luck can cause havoc with expected outcomes.


Colorado's worthy of being a chalky favorite here, but that doesn't mean they are necessarily worth a bet. Chances are the Avalanche win this division in the end, but how many times have we seen previous President's Trophy winners take it a little easier off a year with disappointing success in the playoffs? These teams tend to come away with a better understanding that they don't need to go all out in the regular season.


Tampa Bay's won two straight Stanley Cups without a division crown after cruising to the President's Trophy in 2018-19, and we just saw the Milwaukee Bucks do the same thing in the NBA (best record in 2019-20, won NBA Championship in 20-21).


Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche are heavy favorites to win the Central Division entering the 2021-22 season. (AP)


NHL CENTRAL DIVISION BEST BETS
WINNER: DALLAS STARS +1000

If my thinking with Colorado is that they'll be a team that isn't so concerning with a division title this year, and the preseason price is basically tough to bet as it is, the only play here is to grab one of those teams with a total points number in the 90's and hope they are at least one team that pushes the Avalanche this year.


The idea of just taking the team with the biggest odds – St. Louis and Chicago share +1800 price tags – but neither of those teams could keep the puck out of their net last year. Chicago ranked 29th in xGA/60 and the Blues were 22nd , barely better than the Arizona Coyotes (24th) who are expected to be nowhere near the level of the rest of this division.


Chicago made the Fleury move to address that issue, but age with him still has to be a bit of a concern, despite proving that argument wrong in spades a year ago. The team in front of Fleury in Vegas was better than what he'll have in front of him in Chicago too, and having Chicago making the massive leap from what they were a year ago to being best in a division that includes Colorado feels too big of a realistic leap to make.


Which leaves Winnipeg and their price (+1400) as the next ones up, and they are in the same boat as St. Louis and Chicago here, as they ranked 27th in xGA/60 last year and were only able to find some playoff success because they could score themselves. Teams are going to need to be able to be comfortable in 4-3 type games if they want to get past the Avalanche in this division, but until a big change is seen from the Jets defense, I just don't know how you can trust big change to happen.


All of this leads to Dallas being the play as the price is there (+1000), and they finished last year third in x/GA 60, as it was their own offensive struggles that caused too many slip ups. Having a strong defensive blueprint to any system is going to keep teams competitive with anyone, and Dallas has enough talent up front to be a far better offensive team.


Having a defensive-minded team is my preferred profile of a squad trying to take down a powerhouse like we could have with the Avalanche here, and at least in terms of going into the season, a +1200 price to win the division on a team with the 3 rd highest team points line is a comfortable position to take up at the moment.


The Dallas Stars enter the 2021-22 season with odds of winning the Central Division at +1000 with BetMGM. (AP)


TO MAKE PLAYOFFS: ST. LOUIS BLUES - NO +100
The Blues did get hosed a bit in terms of not having the proper chance to defend their 2019 Stanley Cup win when the 2020 season was forced to go into a bubble, and as a member of the West Division last year, St Louis didn't play great, but did enough to get that 4th and final playoff spot.


But it was the woodshed beating they took in getting swept by Colorado in that first round that could be looked back upon as the championship window on this Blues core getting firmly shut. St Louis lost all four of those playoff games by at lest three goals, and now having to deal with more quality competition on a regular basis back in a much tougher division, I think the slide continues for the Blues this year.


I don't believe much will change with their issues of keeping the puck out of their own net from last year – especially not against a better field of division rivals – and only Anaheim, Detroit, Buffalo, and Columbus had worse xGF/60 numbers than the Blues did a season ago (ranked 27th in NHL). The odds on those four teams to make the playoffs this year are +1500,+800, +1700, and +1100 respectively.


This Blues team compares to those squads offensively, was only one of two teams in the bottom 10 of xGA/60 last year to make the playoffs (Winnipeg was the other), and they don't get to see the California teams 24 times a year anymore. It really does feel like it's setting up for potential disaster for the Blues this year, as it's not like even living up to their tied-4th billing in the Central Division based on team point totals would for sure get them into the playoffs anyways.


The St. Louis Blues have turned over half their roster since winning the Stanley Cup in 2019. (AP)


TOTAL POINTS - OVER/UNDER BEST BET: COLORADO UNDER -110
A 6-year average by placement for this division (2013-14 through 2018-19) follows:


1st : 109.33
2nd : 106.83
3rd : 101.83
4th : 96
Last: 76.5


It's easier to pause the Colorado wins the division yes or no discussion for now and look at some of the team totals as the history suggests this division will finish with three very good teams at the top. No other division in hockey has had a higher point total put up on average by their Top 3 finishers, and the last place average of 76.5 is the highest average number for any other last place team in the other divisions.


In fact, the last place team in the Central Division has finished with 83 or more points on three of those six occasions, where no other last place team in those 18 other scenarios (6 years X 3 other divisions) ever finished with 80 or more points.


That concept might be something to keep in mind when Central Division teams are out playing the rest of the league this year, as they seem to all hold their own in gathering points in those games. But these are the current numbers these teams are saddled with for this season:


TEAM TOTAL POINTS ODDS
Per BetMGM - Subject to Change



Arizona 68.5
Chicago 90.5
Colorado 111.5
Dallas 94.5
Minnesota 96.5
Nashville 84.5
Winnipeg 92.5
St. Louis 92.5


Five of those six seasons saw the Central Division basement dweller finish with 76 points or more, and on the other side of the coin, the division champion only hit 110 or more once, but that year also saw first and second place finish with 114+ points (2017-18 with Nashville-Winnipeg).


That history makes for an interesting discussion on Arizona and Colorado's team points totals prospects, and as someone who does side with the idea that Colorado could mail in more of the regular season as a reigning President's Trophy winner coming off playoff disappointment, it's the 'under' on Colorado's number that looks quite attractive.


Five teams all within six points of each other (Chicago, St Louis, Winnipeg, Dallas, Minnesota) are probably going to end up with some sort of combination that's either 3-2 O/U or 2-3 O/U when all is said and done, and the frustrations that come with trying to be on the correct side of those likely coin flips are too time consuming at this point of the year.


Obviously those win total numbers suggest it being Minnesota and Dallas finishing second and third , so with those positions historically being over 100 points - second place was 100+ in five of six seasons, third place was 100+ in four of six seasons – get on good read on the team that looks like they could finish second behind Colorado and an 'over' play should be in order. It doesn't necessarily have to be between Minne's to end up hitting the century mark.


INDIVIDUAL AWARDS-PLAYERS TO WATCH
HART TROPHY
Hart Memorial Trophy Odds



Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon (+600) has become such a force in this league that he may look back on his career at the end and think it's a shame he played in the heart of the Connor McDavid era and lost out on numerous awards to the Oilers superstar.


MacKinnon is the second betting choice on the board for the Hart Trophy this season, and I think if Colorado does end up being the team (or better) that they are projected to be -potential President's Trophy winners again – it's going to be hard for MacKinnon not to have a great crack at this award.


It's been an era where Hart Trophy winners just don't repeat for a wide variety of reasons, and MacKinnon has the pedigree of a guy who should be able to find a Hart Trophy win during his career (MacKinnon was drafted No. 1 overall and won ROY).


With expectations being what they are for Colorado, and MacKinnon going to have a big part in all of that, I think one of the best ways to play on a positive outcome for Colorado is with a MacKinnon Hart Trophy ticket.
 

Active member
Joined
Sep 26, 2005
Messages
104,060
Tokens
NHL FUTURES BETTING ODDS

2022 NHL STANLEY CUP ODDS
ODDS TO WIN 2022 NHL STANLEY CUP FINAL

Team Odds
Colorado Avalanche +600
Tampa Bay Lightning +700
Vegas Golden Knights +850
Toronto Maple Leafs +1200
Boston Bruins +1400
New York Islanders +1700
Pittsburgh Penguins +2000
Florida Panthers +2000
Carolina Hurricanes +2000
Minnesota Wild +2200
Edmonton Oilers +2200
Washington Capitals +2500
New York Rangers +2500
Philadelphia Flyers +3000
Dallas Stars +3500
St. Louis Blues +3500
Montreal Canadiens +4000
Calgary Flames +4000
Winnipeg Jets +4000
Chicago Blackhawks +4000
New Jersey Devils +5000
Seattle Kraken +5000
Vancouver Canucks +5000
Los Angeles Kings +6600
Nashville Predators +6600
San Jose Sharks +8000
Columbus Blue Jackets +10000
Ottawa Senators +15000
Anaheim Ducks +15000
Arizona Coyotes +15000
Detroit Red Wings +15000
Buffalo Sabres +20000


Updated Mon., Oct. 11 - 12:30 p.m. ET - Odds Provided by BetMGM - Subject to Change


HOW TO BET ON NHL FUTURES
Many pundits believe that the Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy to win in professional sports and that’s not usually a good for bettors placing NHL Future wagers but at the same time, the payoff can be great.


The NHL Futures market in pro hockey is a simple bet and can be defined as an “Odds to win” wager. Bettors must correctly select a team to win an event that takes place a later time in the year or season. The money placed on the future wager will be locked in with a sportsbook and bettors will receive fixed odds at the time of the wager. NHL Futures can be bet on before and during the season, depending on when the sportsbooks post their future odds.


2021-22 EASTERN CONFERENCE WINNER ODDS
Tampa Bay Lightning +350
Boston Bruins +600
Toronto Maple Leafs +600
Carolina Hurricanes +750
New York Islanders +850
Florida Panthers +1000
Pittsburgh Penguins +1100
New York Rangers +1200
Washington Capitals +1200
Montreal Canadiens +1400
Philadelphia Flyers +1600
New Jersey Devils +3000
Columbus Blue Jackets +5000
Ottawa Senators +5000
Buffalo Sabres +10000
Detroit Red Wings +10000


2021-22 WESTERN CONFERENCE WINNER ODDS
Colorado Avalanche +220
Vegas Golden Knights +325
Minnesota Wild +900
Edmonton Oilers +1200
Dallas Stars +1400
St. Louis Blues +1400
Calgary Flames +1600
Winnipeg Jets +1600
Chicago Blackhawks +2200
Nashville Predators +2200
Seattle Kraken +2200
Vancouver Canucks +2200
Los Angeles Kings +2800
San Jose Sharks +3500
Anaheim Ducks +6600
Arizona Coyotes +6600


2021-22 ATLANTIC DIVISION WINNER ODDS
ODDS TO WIN 2021-22 ATLANTIC DIVISION

Team Odds
Tampa Bay Lightning +135
Toronto Maple Leafs +225
Boston Bruins +450
Florida Panthers +500
Montreal Canadiens +2500
Ottawa Senators +10000
Buffalo Sabres +15000
Detroit Red Wings +15000


2021-22 METROPOLITAN DIVISION WINNER ODDS
ODDS TO WIN 2021-22 METROPOLITAN DIVISION

Team Odds
New York Islanders +300
Pittsburgh Penguins +400
Carolina Hurricanes +450
New York Rangers +475
Washington Capitals +500
Philadelphia Flyers +650
New Jersey Devils +1800
Columbus Blue Jackets +10000


2021-22 PACIFIC DIVISION WINNER ODDS
ODDS TO WIN 2021-22 PACIFIC DIVISION

Team Odds
Vegas Golden Knights -165
Edmonton Oilers +400
Seattle Kraken +800
Calgary Flames +1400
Vancouver Canucks +1600
Los Angeles Kings +2500
San Jose Sharks +4000
Anaheim Ducks +15000


2021-22 CENTRAL DIVISION WINNER ODDS
ODDS TO WIN 2021-22 CENTRAL DIVISION

Team Odds
Colorado Avalanche -225
Minnesota Wild +600
Dallas Stars +1000
St. Louis Blues +1200
Winnipeg Jets +1600
Chicago Blackhawks +2000
Nashville Predators +6600
Arizona Coyotes +15000


2021-22 NHL PRESIDENTS' TROPHY WINNER ODDS
Colorado Avalanche +250
Tampa Bay Lightning +350
Toronto Maple Leafs +550
Vegas Golden Knights +650
Boston Bruins +1200
Florida Panthers +1800
Pittsburgh Penguins +2000
Minnesota Wild +2500
New York Islanders +2500
Edmonton Oilers +2800
Carolina Hurricanes +3000
New York Rangers +3500
Dallas Stars +4000
St. Louis Blues +4000
Washington Capitals +4000
Philadelphia Flyers +5000
Clagary Flames +6600
Chicago Blackhawks +6600
Montreal Canadiens +6600
Seattle Kraken +6600
Vancouver Canucks +6600
Winnipeg Jets +6600
Los Angeles Kings +12500
Nashville Predators +12500
New Jersey Devils +12500
San Jose Sharks +25000
Columbus Blue Jackets +50000
Detroit Red Wings +50000
Anaheim Ducks +100000
Arizona Coyotes +100000
Buffalo Sabres +100000
Ottawa Senators +100000


 

Active member
Joined
Sep 26, 2005
Messages
104,060
Tokens
2021-22 NHL POINT TOTALS ODDS

Sept. 29, 2021


by VI News
VegasInsider.com


2021-22 NHL POINT TOTALS ODDS
ODDS TO WIN 2021-22 POINT TOTAL ODDS (6/12/22)



Team (Alphabetical) Win Total
Anaheim Ducks 71.5
Arizona Coyotes 68.5
Boston Bruins 102.5
Buffalo Sabres 69.5
Calgary Flames 92.5
Carolina Hurricanes 95.5
Chicago Blackhawks 90.5
Colorado Avalanche 111.5
Columbus Blue Jackets 76.5
Dallas Stars 94.5
Detroit Red Wings 78.5
Edmonton Oilers 98.5
Florida Panthers 101.5
Los Angeles Kings 84.5
Minnesota Wild 96.5
Montreal Canadiens 89.5
Nashville Predators 84.5
New Jersey Devils 89.5
New York Islanders 99.5
New York Rangers 96.5
Ottawa Senators 76.5
Philadelphia Flyers 92.5
Pittsburgh Penguins 96.5
San Jose Sharks 83.5
Seattle Kraken 94.5
St. Louis Blues 92.5
Tampa Bay Lightning 106.5
Toronto Maple Leafs 105.5
Vancouver Canucks 88.5
Vegas Golden Knights 106.5
Washington Capitals 95.5
Winnipeg Jets 92.5


Odds Provided by BetMGM - Subject to Change - Updated: Sun., Sept. 26 - 7:10 PM ET


The Carolina Hurricanes saw the most points last season in the Eastern Conference, earning 80 with a 36-12-8 record. The Western Conference saw two teams with 82 points in the Vegas Golden Knights and the Colorado Avalanche. The Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs.


The Buffalo Sabres only earned 37 points last season, and seem to be in turmoil with stripping Jack Eichel his captain title during the offseason. Also expected to see a low win total are the Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings. The Arizona Coyotes have the low point total line, although saw a 24-26-6 record last season which was fifth-best in the West Division.
 

Active member
Joined
Sep 26, 2005
Messages
104,060
Tokens
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13
Game Time(ET) Pick Units



MON at TOR 07:00 PM
TOR -180
U 6.0
+500 +500


NYR at WAS 07:30 PM
WAS -110
O 6.0
+500 +500


WIN at ANA 10:00 PM
WIN -135
O 5.5
+500 +500


CHI at COL 10:00 PM
COL -200
O 6.0
+500 +500


VAN at EDM 10:00 PM
VAN +165
U 6.5

+500 +500
 

Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2009
Messages
16,445
Tokens
TORONTO is 200-207 ATS (-27.7 Units) at home when the total is 5.5 since 1996.

EDMONTON is 191-210 ATS (-40 Units) in home games first half of the season since 1996.

WINNIPEG is 11-4 ATS (6.6 Units) at home when the total is 5.5 over the last 2 seasons.




NHL
Dunkel

Wednesday, October 13







NHL

Wednesday, October 13


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Montreal @ Toronto
Montreal
Montreal is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Montreal is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Toronto
Toronto
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 5 games when playing Montreal

NY Rangers @ Washington
NY Rangers
NY Rangers is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing on the road against Washington
NY Rangers is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 games when playing Washington
Washington
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Washington's last 8 games
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Washington's last 7 games at home

Winnipeg @ Anaheim
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Anaheim
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Winnipeg's last 6 games on the road
Anaheim
Anaheim is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Anaheim's last 7 games when playing at home against Winnipeg

Chicago @ Colorado
Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Chicago's last 8 games
Chicago is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
Colorado
Colorado is 13-1 SU in its last 14 games at home
Colorado is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Chicago

Vancouver @ Edmonton
Vancouver
Vancouver is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games when playing on the road against Edmonton
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Vancouver's last 6 games when playing on the road against Edmonton
Edmonton
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Edmonton's last 6 games when playing at home against Vancouver
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Edmonton's last 7 games at home


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

Active member
Joined
Sep 26, 2005
Messages
104,060
Tokens
NHL OCTOBER OPINIONS AND BEST BETS: DOGS AND TOTALS ONLY!

Date W-L-T % Units Record


10/13/2021..........5-3-2...........62.50%..........+7.75




BEST BETS:


10/13/2021..........2-1-2...........66.66%............+5.00
 

Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2009
Messages
16,445
Tokens
Thursday’s 6-pack:
NFL leaders in receiving yardage:
579— Davante Adams, GB
548— Deebo Samuel, SF
523— Cooper Kupp, Rams
516— Tyreek Hill, KC
471— Mike Williams, LAC
462— Justin Jefferson, Minn

Quote of the Day
“I haven’t made that decision yet, certainly. I think just like any position, I think we’ll look at the game plan versus TCU, I’ll continue to evaluate these guys as they practice and go with who helps us the most. Certainly, had really good contributions from both of them last week to help us win that game and need that as we go forward. We’ve got two guys in the room that are really good players that we can win with.”
Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley, not announcing who his starting QB will be Saturday

Thursday’s quiz
What did team Wayne Gretzky finish his NHL career with?

Wednesday’s quiz
Jim Mora Jr was coach of the Seattle Seahawks before Pete Carroll.

Tuesday’s quiz
Bill Belichick was the last coach of the old Cleveland Browns, before they moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens; Ted Marchibroda was first coach of the Ravens.

***********************************

Thursday’s Den: Doing some thinking out loud…….

13) Sometimes not getting what you want is a blessing.

Flash back to Week 11 of 2016, Rams were 4-5 when they gave rookie QB Jared Goff his first NFL start; they played Miami at home that day. Leading 10-0 with 5:00 to play, Rams screwed up the end of the game and lost, 14-10. They wouldn’t win another game the rest of the year.

At that point, Rams hadn’t had a winning season since 2003; I was really mad after that game, mostly mad at myself for rooting for a team that was so incredibly inept- they fired the coach about a month later.

Had the Rams won that game against Miami, they would’ve been 5-5 and on an uptick; they probably would’ve gone at least 2-4 the rest of the way. Owner Stan Kroenke has said that if the Rams finished 7-9 that year, he wouldn’t have fired the coach. He said it.

My point is this; hiring Sean McVay is the best thing to happen to the Rams since Kurt Warner led the Greatest Show on Turf, but McVay would most likely be coaching another team had the Rams won that game against Miami.

Sometimes in the long run, losing isn’t so horrible. Sometimes.

12) From Chris Fallica of ESPN: This is the first time since October 12, 2014 that Alabama, Clemson or Ohio State are all outside the AP Top 4.

The Top 4 that week in 2014 was Mississippi State, Florida State, Ole Miss and Baylor.

11) In their last three games, Buffalo Bills are +11 in turnovers; in three of their last four games, they played against a backup QB.

10) Texas-El Paso’s football team is 5-1 this season; the previous four years combined the Miners were 5-39, so great coaching job by Dana Dimel. Getting to a bowl game this season would be a terrific accomplishment for UTEP.

9) NFC East teams are 6-1 ATS in non-divisional road games; they’re 1-6 ATS in non-divisional home games.

8) Other NFL trends:
— NFC North teams are 5-1 ATS in non-divisional home games.
— AFC South teams are 5-s ATS as non-divisional road underdogs.
— AFC West teams are 3-6 ATS in non-divisional home games.

7) Matthew Kerr, son of Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, is one of the writers on the Apple TV show, Ted Lasso.

6) Texas Longhorns had 90 recruits in Dallas Saturday for the Oklahoma game; seeing how Texas lost 54-48, hopefully lot of those kids play defense.

5) From the category of “great wastes of money” are the cardboard postcards local politicians mail out when they’re campaigning. Does anyone read these? Mailman should save me some time and just slide them into my garbage can, instead of the mailbox.

4) San Francisco Giants have 13 coaches, a huge coaching staff.

3) I’ve never heard of St Thomas (MN) College before, but they’re making a big jump in hoops, from Division III to Division I. Turns out the Tommies got thrown out of their D-III league for being too dominant, so they’re making a huge leap into the Summit League, which last year was #16-ranked league in country, right in middle nationally.

2) United Airlines had 2,000 openings for flight attendants; they got 20,000 applications for those jobs. Good to see people wanting to get back to work.

1) Nate Silver is a writer, a very smart person who analyzes baseball and politics; he also plays poker- he finished 2nd recently in a tournament at the World Series of Poker, which is going on now in Las Vegas, instead of its usual summer date.

Silver cashed in $154,000 for that second place finish; its good to be smart.
 

Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2009
Messages
16,445
Tokens
OTTAWA is 141-134 ATS (-6.4 Units) at home when the total is >=6 since 1996.

BUFFALO is 324-336 ATS (-45.6 Units) vs. division opponents since 1996.

FLORIDA is 191-213 ATS (-43.3 Units) in home games first half of the season since 1996.

NY ISLANDERS are 161-183 ATS (-40.3 Units) in road games vs. division opponents since 1996.

NY RANGERS are 121-143 ATS (-36.3 Units) at home when the total is >=6 since 1996.

COLUMBUS are 196-188 ATS (-10.8 Units) in non-conference games since 1996.

DETROIT is 82-84 ATS (-10.4 Units) at home when the total is >=6 since 1996.

LOS ANGELES are 186-200 ATS (-34 Units) at home when the total is 5.5 since 1996.
 

Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2009
Messages
16,445
Tokens
NHL

Thursday, October 14


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Montreal @ Buffalo
Montreal
Montreal is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Buffalo
Montreal is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Buffalo
Buffalo
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Buffalo's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Buffalo's last 5 games at home

NY Islanders @ Carolina
NY Islanders
NY Islanders is 10-2 ATS in its last 12 games
NY Islanders is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games on the road
Carolina
Carolina is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing NY Islanders
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Carolina's last 5 games at home

Arizona @ Columbus
Arizona
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Arizona's last 7 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Arizona's last 8 games when playing Columbus
Columbus
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Columbus's last 10 games at home
Columbus is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games when playing Arizona

Pittsburgh @ Florida
Pittsburgh
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing Florida
Florida
Florida is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Pittsburgh
Florida is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Pittsburgh

Dallas @ NY Rangers
Dallas
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Dallas's last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Dallas's last 5 games
NY Rangers
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of NY Rangers's last 13 games when playing Dallas
NY Rangers is 10-5 ATS in its last 15 games at home

Toronto @ Ottawa
Toronto
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto's last 5 games when playing Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Toronto
Ottawa is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games at home

Tampa Bay @ Detroit
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is 21-4 SU in its last 25 games when playing Detroit
Tampa Bay is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games when playing on the road against Detroit
Detroit
Detroit is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay
Detroit is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay

Seattle @ Nashville
Seattle
No trends to report
Nashville
Nashville is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games at home
Nashville is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home

Vegas @ Los Angeles
Vegas
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Vegas's last 7 games when playing on the road against Los Angeles
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Vegas's last 13 games when playing Los Angeles
Los Angeles
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Los Angeles's last 5 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Los Angeles's last 7 games when playing at home against Vegas


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

Active member
Joined
Sep 26, 2005
Messages
104,060
Tokens
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14
Game Time(ET) Pick Units



PIT at FLA 07:00 PM
PIT +160
U 6.5

+500 +500


DAL at NYR 07:00 PM
DAL +120
O 5.5

+500 +500


MON at BUF 07:00 PM
U 5.5
+500


ARI at CLB 07:00 PM
O 5.5
+500


TOR at OTT 07:00 PM
O 6.5
+500


NYI at CAR 07:00 PM
NYI +110
U 5.5

+500 +500


TB at DET 07:30 PM
O 5.5
+500


SEA at NAS 08:00 PM
SEA +110
U 5.5

+500 +500


VEG at LA 10:30 PM
VEG -150
O 5.5
+500 +500
 

Active member
Joined
Sep 26, 2005
Messages
104,060
Tokens
NHL OCTOBER OPINIONS AND BEST BETS: DOGS AND TOTALS ONLY!


Date W-L-T % Units Record


10/14/2021..........5-7-0...........41.66%.........-13.50
10/13/2021..........5-3-2...........62.50%..........+7.75


TOTALS.............10-10-2...........50.00%.........- 5.75




BEST BETS:


10/14/2021..........5-8-0...........38.46%............-17.00
10/13/2021..........2-1-2...........66.66%............+ 5.00


TOTAL..................7-9-2...........43.75%...........- 12.00
 

Still not loving police...
Joined
Jul 8, 2021
Messages
7,861
Tokens
Lots good information here, thank you for posting:toast:
 

Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2009
Messages
16,445
Tokens
Friday’s 6-pack:
Six highest-paid college football coaches:
$9,753,221— Nick Saban, Alabama
9,012,917— Ed Orgeron, LSU
8,924,683— David Shaw, Stanford
8,370,775— Dabo Swinney, Clemson
7,672,710— Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma
7,570,000— Dan Mullen, Florida

Quote of the Day
“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
Mark Twain

Friday’s quiz
Which major league team drafted Tom Brady in 1995, as a catcher?

Thursday’s quiz
Wayne Gretzky finished his NHL career with the New York Rangers.

Wednesday’s quiz
Jim Mora Jr was coach of the Seattle Seahawks before Pete Carroll.

**********************************

Friday’s Den: Random stuff with weekend here…….

13) Flash back to Week 11 of 2016, Rams were 4-5 when they gave rookie QB Jared Goff his first NFL start; they played Miami at home that day. Leading 10-0 with 5:00 to play, Rams screwed up the end of the game and lost, 14-10. They wouldn’t win another game the rest of the year.

At that point, Rams hadn’t had a winning season since 2003; I was really mad after that game, mostly mad at myself for rooting for a team that was so incredibly inept- they fired the coach about a month later.

Had the Rams won that game against Miami, they would’ve been 5-5 and on an uptick; they probably would’ve gone at least 2-4 the rest of the way. Owner Stan Kroenke has said that if the Rams finished 7-9 that year, he wouldn’t have fired the coach. He said it.

My point is this; hiring Sean McVay is the best thing to happen to the Rams since Kurt Warner led the Greatest Show on Turf, but McVay would most likely be coaching another team had the Rams won that game against Miami.

Sometimes in the long run, losing isn’t so horrible. Sometimes.

12) Bucs 28, Eagles 22:
— First two drives: 19 plays, 150 yards, 14 points.
— Tampa averaged 7.1 yards/pass attempt, Philly 4.0.
— Bucs were 7-13 on 3rd down, Eagles 3-10.

— Hurts ran ball 10 times for 44 yards, completed only 12-26 passes.
— RB Sanders ran ball only nine times, but for 56 yards.
— Bucs 73 plays, 399 yards; Eagles 47 plays, 213 yards.

11) Dodgers 2, Giants 1:
— Bellinger’s hit in 9th inning drove in winning run.
— Webb allowed one run in 7 IP for Giants.
— Scherzer closed it out for his first career save.

10) St Louis Cardinals surprisingly fired manager Mike Shildt Thursday; they said it was “philosophical differences”. Being a big league skipper ain’t as much fun as it used to be. Shildt went 252-199 in regular season games with St Louis, 4-9 in playoff games.

Tony LaRussa was 93-69 in Chicago this season, lost in playoffs to Houston; he’ll be back next with the White Sox next season.

They say if Aaron Boone returns in the Bronx next year, his coaching staff will be picked by the front office, not by Boone. They already fired the batting coach and 3rd base coach.

9) In college football, Missouri/New Mexico are both 0-6 ATS. Clemson/Kansas are 0-5.

8) Wild Card weekend in the NFL has four games; one of those games will on Monday night, an ESPN game. Don’t even think about putting that game in a cold weather city. Games with poor weather get better TV ratings, but this is a playoff game. Put it in warm weather or a dome.

7) South Alabama 41, Georgia Southern 14— Jaguars’ QB Scott Bentley is playing his 6th year of college football; he played 34 games at South Carolina, five at Utah, and is now in the Sun Belt with the 4-2 Jaguars, who got their first conference win here.

Bentley threw for 389 TD’s, three TD’s in this game.

6) Jacksonville Jaguars still haven’t made a field goal this season, they’re 0-5. Jaguars are first team in Super Bowl era (since 1966) not to have a FG in their first five games.

5) Some of the better games in the ACC/Big 14 basketball challenge, Nov 29-Dec 1st:
— Iowa @ Virginia
— Duke @ Ohio State
— Michigan @ North Carolina
— Louisville @ Michigan State

4) It wasn’t that game, but I was watching another NBA preseason game and the TV people are discussing who will win the MVP this year— who cares ?!?!?! It was freakin’ October 13, let the season begin at least before you speculate on who the MVP will be.

3) 33-year old point guard Ish Smith played college ball at Wake Forest; I hope he writes a book someday- he’s played for lot of teams. Here is his career path:

2010-11: Houston/Memphis
2011-12: Golden State/Orlando
2012-13: Orlando/Milwaukee
2013-14: Phoenix
2014-15: Oklahoma City/Philly
2015-16: Philly/New Orleans
2016-19: Detroit
2019-21: Washington
2012-22: Charlotte

He must have some great stories to tell; 2,555 assists, 5,055 points. Quite a career.

2) Dallas 127, Charlotte 59— I know this was an exhibition game, I know the score doesn’t matter, but this might’ve been the worst basketball game I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen a lot of basketball games.

Not sure what the Hornets were doing, but they weren’t competing, not even close. Guys try harder in pickup games on the playground.

1) During the pandemic, when there were no ballgames going on and I was doing movie lists and stuff like that in this space, it bugged me that one day, I’d realize that I left a great movie off my list. Well…….

I’m flipping channels the other night and the 1989 movie Cousins is on; Ted Danson, Isabella Rosselini, Lloyd Bridges. Loved this movie when it came out, but hadn’t seen it in almost 30 years and it never got on one of my lists, when it belongs there.

William Peterson is also in the movie; he plays Gil Grissom on CSI, so this movie had two of the three actors who would later play the head of the crime lab on CSI, one of my favorite TV shows.

Anyway, Cousins is on HBOMax now, if you want to catch up with it. It is worth your time.
 

Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2009
Messages
16,445
Tokens
NEW JERSEY is 10-26 ATS (-18.6 Units) at home when the total is >=6 in the last 3 seasons.

VANCOUVER is 18-43 ATS (-29.3 Units) after playing a road game in the last 3 seasons.

ANAHEIM is 11-29 ATS (-20.9 Units) in home games after playing a home game in the last 3 seasons.




NHL

Friday, October 15


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trend Report
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chicago @ New Jersey
Chicago
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Chicago's last 9 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Chicago's last 7 games when playing New Jersey
New Jersey
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New Jersey's last 5 games at home
New Jersey is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Chicago

Vancouver @ Philadelphia
Vancouver
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Vancouver's last 5 games when playing Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Vancouver's last 6 games on the road
Philadelphia
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 5 games when playing Vancouver
Philadelphia is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Vancouver

Minnesota @ Anaheim
Minnesota
Minnesota is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Anaheim
Minnesota is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Anaheim
Anaheim
Anaheim is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games
Anaheim is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Minnesota


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

Active member
Joined
Sep 26, 2005
Messages
104,060
Tokens
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15
Game Time(ET) Pick Units



CHI at NJ 07:00 PM
CHI +110
U 6.0

+500 +500


VAN at PHI 07:00 PM
VAN +125
O 6.0

+500 +500


MIN at ANA 10:00 PM
MIN -170
U 5.5
+500 +500
 

Forum statistics

Threads
1,106,815
Messages
13,439,080
Members
99,339
Latest member
billcunninghamhomeloans
The RX is the sports betting industry's leading information portal for bonuses, picks, and sportsbook reviews. Find the best deals offered by a sportsbook in your state and browse our free picks section.FacebookTwitterInstagramContact Usforum@therx.com