Hockey Handicapping Articles

Tracking the Calgary Flames: Season-Long NHL Picks and Handicapping for Hockey
by Trevor Whenham - 2/18/2015

It’s still only February, so we don’t want to get too ridiculous about things, but this is an absolutely crucial game for both teams. Calgary is tied with Vancouver for second in the Pacific Division with 67 points. San Jose holds the final wild-card spot and is just a point behind Calgary. Then the Kings have 64 points and Minnesota has 63 — and a game in hand on the Flames.

NHL Handicapping: Can LA Kings Contend for Stanley Cup?
by Trevor Whenham - 2/17/2015

When a team wins two Stanley Cups in three years as the Los Angeles Kings have there is nothing fluky about them. Winning a single Stanley Cup is as hard as any feat in sports, so to win two you have to be very good — and more than a little lucky, too. If the playoffs were to start today, though, the team, would not win a third Stanley Cup for a simple reason — they would not even be in the postseason tournament. So, can the Kings turn things around? Or are they doomed for this year? And what does it all means for bettors? Let’s take a look:

NHL Handicapping: Banking on the Surprise New York Islanders
by Trevor Whenham - 2/17/2015

The New York Islanders have been a very pleasant surprise this year. Last season was a total disaster for the team, and you really had to wonder if they were ever going to figure things out. Right now, though, they sit atop the tough Metropolitan Division, have all but locked up a playoff position already, and have the potential to not only secure a top playoff position but to do some damage once they get there.

NHL Hockey Odds and Picks: Scouting the Week Ahead
by Alan Matthews - 2/16/2015

Two big trades in the NHL last week to analyze. I wrote in this column a week ago that Evander Kane had likely played his final game as a member of the Winnipeg Jets, and indeed Kane, who is out for the season, has. The former 30-goal scorer was dealt to Buffalo along with defenseman Zach Bogosian and a college goaltender with the Jets getting defenseman Tyler Myers, forwards Drew Stafford and Joel Armia, the rights to 2014 second-round pick Brendan Lemieux and Buffalo's latest first-round pick in 2015.

NHL Handicapping: Keys to Detroit Red Wings Success
by Trevor Whenham - 2/12/2015

What the Detroit Red Wings are doing now is really quite remarkable. It should be no surprise, though, given that this is a team that is about to make the playoffs for the 24th consecutive year. That should be all but impossible in the free agency era. Still, the fact that the Wings are not only in the playoff picture but matching the Lightning and Canadiens pretty much punch-for-punch in the fight to win the division is amazing.

Hockey Betting: NHL Grand Salami Wagering Expert Tips and Advice
by George Monroy - 2/10/2015

Wagering on NHL matchups can be quite different than betting on your standard football or basketball games. For one, NHL games don’t use a standard spread, and their lines are composed of either moneylines or pucklines. However, the most interesting way that hockey betting differs from NFL or NBA betting is through the grand salami—a wager that allows gamblers to bet on the combined totals for every single matchup of the day.

NHL Hockey Odds and Picks: Scouting the Week Ahead
by Alan Matthews - 2/9/2015

A few weeks ago when I looked at updated NHL futures odds, I thought the New York Rangers were great betting value to win the Eastern Conference for a second straight season. I no longer think that following the serious injury suffered by Blueshirts star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.

Tracking the Calgary Flames: Season-Long NHL Picks and Handicapping for Hockey
by Trevor Whenham - 2/6/2015

We are getting to that point of the season in which every game starts to really matter, and that is certainly the case here — for both teams. Pittsburgh can move back into first place in the very tight Metropolitan Division — first and fourth are separated by just three points. Calgary isn’t going to win their division, but they could finish second. More importantly, they need to keep winning to expand the small cushion they currently have over the teams currently sitting outside of the wild card picture looking in.

Tracking the Calgary Flames: Season-Long NHL Picks and Handicapping for Hockey
by Trevor Whenham - 2/4/2015

It has been a long while since we have picked a Flames game. Between the all-star break, a few games with lousy odds, and the distraction of the Super Bowl it just hasn’t happened. We’re back, though, and we are dealing with a gem. These Pacific Division foes are separated by just two points in the standings through 51 games — San Jose is in second in the division with 61 points, and Calgary has 59. Calgary has won their last two, and seven of their last nine — including an overtime win at San Jose.

NHL Handicapping: Tanking Teams to Bet Against
by Trevor Whenham - 2/4/2015

It is, all things considered, a pretty good time to be a really bad team in the NHL. Connor McDavid has been the presumed No. 1 pick in this spring’s NHL Draft for the last four or five years, and he has only strengthened that position lately. He is a generational talent — a guy like a Crosby who can instantly and dramatically change the fortune of a hard-luck franchise. It’s not a draft with just one prize, though. American forward Jack Eichel, who plays at Boston University, might be a step behind McDavid, but it’s a very small step. He’s a team-changer, too.

NHL Hockey Odds and Picks: Scouting the Week Ahead
by Alan Matthews - 1/26/2015

The NHL drops the puck on its second half on Tuesday, but there's plenty of time to look forward to the rest of the season. This week we get the rare chance to look at some Bovada NHL player props as a cross-sport wager with Super Bowl XLIX. Let's take a look -- obviously these are only valid if said hockey players are healthy enough to play Sunday.

NHL Hockey Odds and Picks: Scouting the Week Ahead
by Alan Matthews - 1/19/2015

The NHL All-Star Game is Sunday in Columbus, and the league continues its interesting format of choosing up sides not by conference but via what essentially is a fantasy draft. The two choosing captains are the Blue Jackets' Nick Foligno -- not exactly a household name but obviously picked because the game is in Columbus -- and the Blackhawks' Jonathan Toews. They will make their selections on Friday night, televised nationally by the NBC Sports Network.

Tracking the Calgary Flames: Season-Long NHL Picks and Handicapping for Hockey
by Trevor Whenham - 1/14/2015

It’s a road game for the Flames, but chances are good that it won’t feel much like it. The Phoenix area is a very popular winter destination for Calgarians trying to escape the endless chill of a Canadian winter, so whenever the Flames are in town there are more Flames jerseys than Coyotes ones. Given that Arizona isn’t exactly lighting it up this year, the imbalance could be particularly strong this time around.

NHL Hockey Odds and Picks: Scouting the Week Ahead
by Alan Matthews - 1/12/2015

We saw our fourth NHL coach fired this season last week as Toronto's Randy Carlyle not surprisingly got the hook. Carlyle's regular-season record in Toronto was an average 91-78-19. The Leafs are the Yankees of the NHL, so they should be a Cup contender every year, salary cap or not. Carlyle led the team to just one playoff berth, and the Leafs were eliminated in the first round by the Boston Bruins in 2013 -- you may remember that epic Game 7 collapse by Toronto. Carlyle was supposed to be a defensive guy, but the Leafs were outshot by 1,254 shots in his tenure. They are No. 2 in the league in scoring but 25th in goals against this season.

NHL Handicapping: Teams That Could Play Differently in Second Half of Season
by Trevor Whenham - 1/9/2015

The turn of the calendar in the NHL is significant each year not just because it marks a new year but also because the middle of the NHL season comes early in January for most teams. That means that early January is a good time not only to make resolutions you’ll never keep but also to look at where teams are at and where they might be headed. Each year we see teams that look very different in the second half of the season than they have in the first. Spotting those teams in advance can obviously be nicely-profitable.

NHL Handicapping: Evaluating the Montreal Canadiens Success
by Trevor Whenham - 1/8/2015

You can’t exactly call the Montreal Canadiens, who are tied with Pittsburgh for second in the Eastern Conference just two points behind Tampa Bay, a surprise this year. After all, they had 100 points and played in the conference finals just last year, and they had a solid offseason. No matter what, though, you would have to say that the team is definitely achieving at close to their full potential — or at least much closer to their full potential than many teams are.

Tracking the Calgary Flames: Season-Long NHL Picks and Handicapping for Hockey
by Trevor Whenham - 1/6/2015

The Flames and Red Wings meet for the first time this season as these matchups don’t happen as often as they used to now that Detroit is an Eastern Conference foe. Calgary wouldn’t mind playing them more like they used to — they have earned 12 points from the last 10 meetings between the teams, which is well above what they have done against some other decent teams.

NHL Hockey Odds and Picks: Scouting the Week Ahead
by Alan Matthews - 1/5/2015

It's not exactly breaking news to recommend that you bet against the Edmonton Oilers this NHL season as they are the worst team in the league and the only club yet to reach double-digit wins. However, really start wagering against the team now because it appears the Oilers already are waving the white flag on the year after two trades last week.

Tracking the Calgary Flames: Season-Long NHL Picks and Handicapping for Hockey
by Trevor Whenham - 12/29/2014

It’s like deja vu all over again. The last time we did a Flames preview it was when they are playing the Kings — just like they are now a week later. It’s all part of a weird stretch of games for Calgary — L.A., Edmonton, L.A. and Edmonton over a four-game stretch. The difference between this game and last week’s though, is that Calgary was in the midst of an eight-game losing streak and faltering last time. Now they have won their last two — starting with a crazy comeback against L.A. — and seem to have some of their mojo back again.

NHL Hockey Odds and Picks: Scouting the Week Ahead
by Alan Matthews - 12/29/2014

Hockey being what it is, I will rarely lead this column looking forward to an actual game that isn't a playoff matchup. However, the NHL's signature regular-season event is the Winter Classic, and that is staged Thursday for the first time in Washington, D.C. Nationals Park is the location as the Capitals host the Chicago Blackhawks.