Hockey Handicapping Articles

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.

Tracking the Calgary Flames: Season-Long NHL Picks and Handicapping for Hockey
by Trevor Whenham - 12/22/2014

Well, it is officially and unquestionably getting ugly. The Flames have lost eight games in a row, and with that they are at real risk of seeing their once immensely-promising season dissolve into a pile of frustration. Where they are now — out of the playoffs and really struggling to make anything happen — is where a lot of people, with me among them, thought that they would be at this point at the start of the season.

NHL Hockey Odds and Picks: Scouting the Week Ahead
by Alan Matthews - 12/22/2014

The Chicago Blackhawks have pulled away from the field by quite a margin in the odds to win the Stanley Cup at +400. The Hawks, who still trail Anaheim for the most points in the West, lead the NHL in goals-against average despite No. 1 netminder Corey Crawford missing a large chunk of the season with injuries (back now). They are No. 1 in penalty killing and No. 4 in goals per game. It's a team that doesn't appear to have any major flaws.

NHL Handicapping: Betting and the Buffalo Sabres Hot Streak
by Trevor Whenham - 12/19/2014

Out of the gate it seemed certain that the Buffalo Sabres were going to be the worst team in the NHL. On Nov. 13 they were just 3-13-2 and seemed poised to challenge historical records for futility. Since then, though, they have been a different team. They have won seven of their last 10 games, and 10 of their last 14, and are like an entirely different team. It’s a shocking turnaround — and one that has been very lucrative for those bettors who were savvy enough to get on the bandwagon early.

Tracking the Calgary Flames: Season-Long NHL Picks and Handicapping for Hockey
by Trevor Whenham - 12/15/2014

We knew that the hard times were coming at some point for these overreaching Flames, and now they are here. The team has dropped five games in a row, and for the first time all year would not be in the playoffs if they were to start right now.

NHL Hockey Odds and Picks: Scouting the Week Ahead
by Alan Matthews - 12/15/2014

I mentioned last week when Ottawa fired head coach Paul MacLean that on any short list of the next coach to go had to be Edmonton's Dallas Eakins. I just didn't expect that to come true so quickly. Eakins was fired Monday, with general manager Craig MacTavish to serve as the interim coach until handing over the job to Todd Nelson, who will be promoted from Edmonton's AHL affiliate in Oklahoma City and learn under MacTavish's wing for a while.

NHL Handicapping: Edmonton Oilers Coaching Situation
by Trevor Whenham - 12/15/2014

I live a short three-hour drive from Edmonton. Growing up, there was nothing I likeed more than hating the Oilers. They were bitter rivals and worthy enemies. When my hometown Calgary Flames beat them — and that didn’t happen much in those days — the city partied. The Flames have gone through some rough years in the last few seasons.

NHL Betting: Handicapping Home and Road Discrepancies
by Trevor Whenham - 12/11/2014

When it comes to evaluating NHL teams over the longer term, one of the simplest but most powerful ways to do it is by looking for significant differences between their records at home and on the road. Playing on the road is very tough — rinks have different characteristics, trips can be long, and crowds can have clear impacts on officiating. If a team is as good on the road as at home then they are reasonably easy to respect — unless they are lousy in both places, of course.