Hot and Cold NHL Betting Teams: Moneyline and ATS 1/8/2025
With the regular season nearing the halfway point, the playoff picture is starting to form, and teams have begun making calls on how to improve their rosters for playoff runs. The Vegas Golden Knights have stormed their way to the top of the league, while teams like Montreal and Colorado have fought their way back into the playoff conversation after terribly slow starts. With all this and more, let’s see who is hot and who is not against the spread and straight up.
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ATS
Hot
Montreal Canadiens 9-1
At one point this season, we thought the Canadiens were going to finish in the basement of the Eastern Conference, but now they are climbing the rankings and are covering like crazy while doing so. The Canadiens have covered nine of their last 10 games and are 8-2 overall during that stretch. Another impressive feat over their last 10 games is their performance on the road. Montreal went 5-2 on the road overall and 6-1 ATS. Their offense has been on fire, as the Canadiens are averaging 4.0 GF/G, with Cole Caufield being a big reason for the offensive output. Caufield has 11 points during this stretch, including five goals and a goal in each of his last four games. They are now just two points out of the second wild card spot and are firmly in the playoff picture. Now it seems like Montreal might be buyers at the deadline. Overall, the Canadiens are 23-17 ATS this season, which ranks eighth in the league standings.
Vegas Golden Knights 9-1
In addition to the Canadiens, we have the Vegas Golden Knights, who propelled themselves to the top of the league standings. With a league best 59 points on the season, the Golden Knights have a six-point lead over the Oilers in the Pacific and a one-point lead over the Jets for the 1-Seed. Vegas has won 14 of their last 16 games and has picked up points in 18 of their last 21 games. The offense has been solid, but the goaltending deserves the bulk of the credit during this stretch of games. Over the last 10 games, the Golden Knights have allowed just 1.6 GA/G, and Ilya Samsonov had a shutout performance against Calgary. Samsonov and Hill have both allowed just eight goals in each of their last five starts, and Vegas has allowed more than three goals in a game just three of their last 21 games. All this strong goaltending, paired with an offense that ranks fourth in the league, and you got a fantastic recipe for covering. Overall, Vegas has covered 67.5% of their games this season, which is the second-best mark in the league behind the Anaheim Ducks.
Season Leaders:
- Anaheim Ducks 28-12
- Vegas Golden Knights 27-13
- San Jose Sharks 27-16
Cold
Vancouver Canucks 2-8
The Canucks have not had the same season we saw from them last season. With Thatcher Demko severely limited and not performing the way he did last year, as well as some reported internal issues surrounding J.T. Miller, the Canucks just aren’t the same team. The Canucks have covered just two of their last 11 games and are 3-3-4 straight up in their last 10 games. The offense has been really struggling to bail out their netminders during this stretch, as they are averaging a mere 2.8 GF/G. The Canucks are allowing 3.4 GA/G during this stretch, and Vancouver has just two wins on home ice over their last five home games. Kevin Lankinen has been a miracle fill in for Vancouver, but Arturs Silovs and Demko have struggled in their 14 combined appearances so far, as they are allowing 3.73 GA/G with a lowly .864 SV%. Overall, the Canucks are just 15-24 ATS this season, which is tied with the Ottawa Senators for the third worst mark in the NHL.
Carolina Hurricanes 3-7
The Hurricanes are in a bit of a funk at the moment, having gone just 4-5-1 overall in their last 10 games while covering just three of them. The inconsistencies and poor performance lie with the offense, as Carolina has tallied just 25 goals over their last 10 games, which is way down from their season average of 3.34 GF/G. Pyotr Kochetkov is also in a slump, as the starting netminder has allowed 16 goals over his last five starts. Though not a slump to most, Kochetkov has been one of the reasons Carolina has kept their head above water lately. And with the offense struggling as well, Kochetkov needs to play better and vice versa. Overall, the Hurricanes are 20-21 ATS this season, ranking in the middle of the league.
Teams to Fade:
- Boston Bruins 13-30
- New York Rangers 14-26
- Ottawa Senators/Vancouver Canucks 15-24
Moneyline
Hot
Vegas Golden Knights 9-1
We already discussed just how hot Vegas is right now. They have a six-point lead in the Pacific Division and are the hottest team in the NHL right now. Jack Eichel has been a huge reason for this, as he leads the team with 53 points. His 53 points ranks seventh in the NHL, while his 42 assists rank third. Vegas, along with Washington and Winnipeg, rank in the Top Five in both scoring and goaltending, and their power play has also been one of the best in the league. There is no stopping Vegas right now.
Colorado Avalanche 8-1-1
Colorado has fully rebounded from their slow start thanks to their midseason goalie acquisitions. They have won 11 of their last 14 games and seven of their last eight. Over the last 10 games, their goaltending has allowed just 2.2 GA/G, which is much better than their 3.17 GA/G season average. With solid goaltending in place, wins have been plenty. Their offense ranks fifth in the league, as they are averaging 3.39 GF/G in large part to their top guys. Nathan MacKinnon leads the league in points (66), while Mikko Rantanen (58) and Cale Makar (49) are also inside the Top 10 in the league. Thanks to their hot streak, Colorado now sits in the top wild card spot in the Western Conference with 51 points and are just one point out of the last guaranteed spot in the Central Division.
Cold
San Jose Sharks 2-7-1
To no one’s surprise, the San Jose Sharks have been one of, if not the, coldest team in hockey as of now. They have lost 12 of their last 15 games and have a -24-goal differential in that span. Thanks to their cold streak, the Sharks find themselves right outside the basement with just a four-point lead over the league worst Chicago Blackhawks. This is to be expected now with the lack of goaltending after shipping away Mackenzie Blackwood. Youngster Yaroslav Askarov has done well in his seven appearances, allowing just 2.3 GA/G, but the Sharks as a team are allowing 3.47 GA/G, which ranks 29th in the league. The offense certainly isn’t doing anything to help, as they are averaging just 2.6 GF/G on the season and have tallied just 21 goals in their last 10 games. San Jose fans are wishing there was sim button to get to next season already.
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