The NHL regular season has reached the midway point, and there is a common theme in both the Western and Eastern Conferences. Parity and playoff race logjams are the NHL Betting Lines. Thus, gamblers face the two-edged sword of value opportunities while separating pretenders from contenders.
In the Eastern Conference, seven teams are fighting for the final three playoff spots. These clubs are within three points of each other. Namely, they are, in order, the Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, and the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. In the Western Conference, seven teams are battling for the final three playoff spots. There are five points separating these clubs. Correlate that they are the San Jose Sharks, Seattle Kraken, Los Angeles Kings, Utah Mammoth, Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks, and Nashville Predators.
Consider that gamblers can’t get too high or too low on any team’s results. The Olympic break in February forced the NHL to compress its schedule, jamming in too many games into too few days to complete it. As a result, every team will have days of fatigue or games where opponents are poorly rested. Thus, the parity.
Anaheim Ducks
Previously, new head coach Joel Quenneville had the Anaheim Ducks in a position to contend for the Pacific Division title. But injuries to Troy Terry, Jacob Trouba, and Petr Mrazek have proven to be a sports betting problem. In turn, the Ducks, who rank an impressive 10th in the NHL for goal scoring, rank an abysmal 32nd for fewest goals allowed. As a result, Anaheim has lost nine of its last ten games to fall out of playoff position. Anaheim is three points behind the Los Angeles Kings for the final Western Conference playoff spot. Anaheim has an NHL betting record of 21-21-3, with a 31-14 over/under record.
Quenneville was looking like Jack Adams Award (Coach of the Year) material until recent events. Now he will have to muster one of the greatest coaching performances of his career to gain the playoffs and a legitimate turnaround season.
On January 13, the Ducks host the Dallas Stars. Next is a January 16 game against the Los Angeles Kings, followed by a home game rematch against the Kings on January 17.
Seattle Kraken
By contrast, the Seattle Kraken were slumping so badly that the playoffs seemed like a pipe dream. However, Seattle has recovered to now own the seventh playoff position in the Western Conference. Seattle is 20-15-8 and 17-25-1 under the total. Late on, the Kraken got the money in eight of its last 11 games. Seattle is carried by a defense ranked 9th in the NHL for fewest goals allowed. By contrast, the Kraken rank 26th for goal scoring but 9th on the power play.
The Kraken have embarked on one of the most important and challenging road trips of their season. First, Seattle plays the New York Rangers on January 12. On January 14, the Kraken face the New Jersey Devils. On January 15, Seattle plays against the Boston Bruins. And then on January 17, Seattle faces the Utah Mammoth.
Chicago Blackhawks
The good news for fans of the Chicago Blackhawks is that Connor Bedard is back. Chicago was 5-6-1 without their marquee man and really struggled in the early going of his absence. Of great concern is the recent illness bugs biting the goaltenders. Top goalie Spencer Knight fell ill over the past weekend, and Arvid Soderblom was already suffering from an illness that was keeping him out of the lineup. But Drew Commesso earned a shutout road win over the Nashville Predators on Saturday to stem the tide. His reward was a trip back to the minors in Rockford, a signal that Knight and Soderblom should return soon.
At the beginning of the week, the Blackhawks were 19-19-4-3 and 19-26 under the total. Chiago is three points out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Chicago begins a 4-game homestand that could serve as a major opportunity. The Edmonton Oilers visit on January 12, followed by the Calgary Flames on January 15. Next are the Boston Bruins on January 17 and the Winnipeg Jets on January 19.