Hockey Handicapping Articles

2013 Stanley Cup Picks: Bruins vs. Blackhawks Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 6/11/2013

If you would have told the NHL and NBC TV officials that they would be given a Boston Bruins-Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup Finals back in the winter, they would have taken it in a second. Would the NHL maybe preferred to have had Pittsburgh advance over Boston from the East Finals? Probably, just because of Sidney Crosby.

NHL Handicapping: Penguins Top Contender for Cup
by Trevor Whenham - 5/31/2013

The Pittsburgh Penguins came into the NHL Playoffs as the favorite to win the Stanley Cup, and there is no reason to question that at this point. They are scoring like crazy, getting good play from across the roster, and look angry and determined. I expect them to win the Cup — plain and simple. So, why is that, and what knocks are there against their chances? Let’s take a look:

Kings at Blackhawks Picks and Series Betting Odds
by Alan Matthews - 5/30/2013

NHL and NBC Sports officials must be literally jumping for joy with hockey's Final Four. Pittsburgh, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles. Those are the past four Stanley Cup Champions, only the second time that has ever happened in the conference finals. You have the No. 2 and No. 3 TV markets. Two Original Six teams. The defending champions trying to become the first club to repeat in 15 years. And, of course, the biggest hockey star on the planet, the Pens' Sidney Crosby. What more could the NHL ask for after alienating its fan base with the lockout?

Stanley Cup Playoffs Power Rankings
by Trevor Whenham - 5/23/2013

And then there were eight. The NHL Playoff field has been cut in half, and it will soon be much smaller still. Before it shrinks, though, it’s a good time to assess the eight teams that remain. These power rankings take three things into consideration — their potential to win it all, their current performance, and their attractiveness as a betting interest:

NHL Handicapping: Capitals a Stanley Cup Contender?
by Trevor Whenham - 4/17/2013

In this short 48-game NHL regular season, it was easy to write off the Capitals after their disastrous start. It seemed obvious that a fast start was essential for a team to be a real contender because it would be too hard to dig out of a hole. At 2-8-1, Washington’s start was anything but fast. They weren’t dead just yet, though. To be a contender they needed to not just improve but completely reinvent themselves in order to make up the gap with so little time to do it.

Hockey Predictions: NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Props Odds and Picks
by Alan Matthews - 4/11/2013

Probably no major sportsbook emphasizes hockey more than Bovada, which probably isn't surprising considering it's based out of Canada. The site releases NHL special props each week, and this week there are some playoff and division winning odds that I'd like to look at.

NHL Handicapping: Trade Deadline Grades
by Trevor Whenham - 4/4/2013

Losing out on Jarome Iginla hurt — especially because they seemed to have a deal but got rejected by the player. They turned things around nicely, though. Jaromir Jagr has more playoff success behind him than Iginla, and the price was better, too. Adding Wade Redden for essentially nothing was a nice character move as well. They fell further behind Pittsburgh, but they still got better.

Hockey Betting impact of NHL Lockout
by Trevor Whenham - 3/6/2013

The NHL Lockout has created a tough season to handicap. Heading into the season, we had to guess how things were going to turn out — what was going to matter and what was going to give teams an edge. We couldn’t rely on the preseason for evidence, and the circumstances of this lockout made it tough to rely on history. We just had to come up with some theories and hope they were right. Here’s a look at some of the theories that held up along with some that haven’t:

NHL Handicapping: Can Canadiens Keep Up Winning Ways?
by Trevor Whenham - 2/28/2013

The Montreal Canadiens are the biggest positive surprise in the Eastern Conference of the NHL this year. We have gotten so used to them being perfectly average in recent years. They may or may not make the playoffs most years, but they certainly aren’t a real threat to do anything once they get there. This year, though, they have the best record in the conference, and they are playing like an entirely different squad than what we are used to — or what we expected heading into the season given the team they had on paper.

NHL Handicapping: Can Washington Capitals Bounce Back?
by Trevor Whenham - 2/21/2013

Something is rotten with these Washington Capitals. This is a team that came into last season as the Stanley Cup favorite. The core is largely the same as it was back then, but the wheels have fallen off so badly since then that not only are they at the bottom of the East, but it hardly counts as a surprise. This is a classic case study of how quickly things can turn for good teams when they don’t have their chemistry right.

NHL Handicapping: Blackhawks as Top Stanley Cup Contender?
by Trevor Whenham - 2/14/2013

The Chicago Blackhawks have unquestionably gotten off to the best start in the NHL so far. Through 13 games they have yet to suffer a loss in regulation. They sit at 10-0-3, which gives them 23 points — the best in the league, and a massive seven-point lead in the Central Division. Most people expected the Blackhawks to be solid this year, but no one expected them to run away with things. Oddsmakers are buying in, though — the team is now the 13/2 favorite to win the Stanley Cup, solidly ahead of the Penguins at 8/1.

NHL Handicapping: Studs and Duds
by Trevor Whenham - 2/11/2013

It’s hard to believe, but we are already a quarter of the way through this mess of an NHL season. It has been a very difficult season to handicap so far because of the lack of a preseason, the fact that some players were playing while others weren’t, and the condensed schedule. Because it was so tough to figure out what to expect heading into the season, it is particularly important to keep track of how teams are performing for bettors so far. Here are the best and the worst teams in the league so far in terms of delivering wins for bettors:

NHL Handicapping: Teams to Back Right Out of the Gate
by Trevor Whenham - 1/17/2013

The only thing we can know for sure in this abbreviated NHL season is that we don’t know very much. We just can’t. Teams have been out of action for far too long. Many major lineup changes have been made, and several new coaches are in charge. Some players have been playing — in Europe and the AHL — while others haven’t. There is no preseason, and very little practice time before the season starts.

2013 NHL Player Props Odds and Betting Picks
by Alan Matthews - 1/16/2013

Thankfully, it appears we should have labor peace in the four major American sports leagues for the next several seasons after the NHL owners resolved their ugly lockout with the players recently. It was the third lockout among the Big 4 in about a year – amazingly, baseball appears to have the best owners-union relationship going right now – but at least it didn’t cause another lost hockey season.

NHL Handicapping: January Games to Key On
by Trevor Whenham - 1/15/2013

With no preseason and a bizarre offseason, it is going to be very tough for bettors to have an accurate sense of where teams are at heading into this short NHL season, which starts on Saturday night. That means that those bettors are going to have to watch key early games early in the season closely to learn as much as they can about where teams are at and what can be expected.

NHL Handicapping: Teams Poised for Strong Starts
by Trevor Whenham - 1/10/2013

In any year it is important for handicappers to get comfortable with what they expect from NHL teams before the season starts. Which teams will be ready to jump out of the gate fast, and which ones are destined for issues? This year, though, this will be even more important than usual. The shortened season, and the preseason that essentially doesn’t exist, means that a strong start is more important than ever. If a team isn’t ready to compete right away then they can get into a hole that can ruin its whole year. Games will come in rapid-fire succession, and each game means more than in a regular season.

NHL Handicapping: Tips for Betting on Early Games
by Trevor Whenham - 1/8/2013

The NHL finally got their heads out of their dark places and got back on the ice. That means that for the second year in a row we have a shortened season in a major sport — and all of the headaches that go with that. As we get ready to handicap the NHL when it starts in less than two weeks, here are five factors you’ll need to consider when looking for teams that could leap out of the gate and those that could start with a limp.

NHL Betting: Update on Labor Situation
by T.O. Whenham - 9/14/2012

There aren’t that many bettors who care about the NHL. There should be more, and there probably would be if the sport was better at self promotion — or at least at not looking ridiculous too often. As the sport spirals towards yet another work stoppage, though, bettors need to be paying attention.

2012 NHL Free Agency: Winners and Losers
by T.O. Whenham - 7/5/2012

There were two big free agents on the market this year — Americans Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. A lot of teams took a stab at landing one of them. Minnesota, improbably, landed both. They made a massive commitment to them — 13 years each and almost $200 million combined. It immediately makes this team very relevant, though. For a team that has never really managed to matter in their existence and which fell out of the playoffs last year after a red-hot start, this is the type of talent injection that could be considered a bargain down the road if it turns out like it could.

2012 NHL Free Agency Predictions
by T.O. Whenham - 6/30/2012

July 1 is not only Canada’s birthday, but the opening day of free agency for the country’s favorite sport. Teams can talk to free agents for the first time on that day, and action is typically intense. This year’s free agent class is an interesting one. Teams have been aggressive in securing their own players, or trading for rights of players and negotiating new deals, so there is very little depth in the class. At the top-end, though, there are some very good players that will be heavily in demand.