NHL 2023 playoffs odds and predictions - Stanley Cup Final
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Florida Panthers: Stanley Cup Finals Preview and Prediction
Introduction:
The stage is set for an epic showdown in the Stanley Cup Finals, as the Vegas Golden Knights and the Florida Panthers prepare to battle for hockey's ultimate prize. Following their impressive performances in the Conference Finals, Vegas secured a hard-fought 4-2 series win against the Dallas Stars, while Florida swept the series against the Carolina Hurricanes with a commanding 4-0 triumph.
This SCF series preview will provide insights into this highly anticipated matchup and offer a prediction on which team will emerge as the Stanley Cup champions of 2023.
Team Overview:
Vegas Golden Knights:
The Vegas Golden Knights have been a perennial contender since their inception, consistently showcasing their depth, skill, and tenacity. Led by their captain Mark Stone, the Golden Knights possess a potent offense capable of overwhelming opponents. Defensively, the team relies on a strong defensive unit to shut down opposing attacks. The goaltending tandem of Adin Hill and Jonathan Quick adds strength and stability between the pipes.
Florida Panthers:
During the playoff spring, the Florida Panthers have emerged as a formidable force, boasting a talented roster and a hunger for success. Led by their captain Aleksander Barkov, the Panthers possess a high-powered offense that can strike at any moment. Additionally, their defensive core provides solid support at both ends of the ice. Goaltender and Conn Smythe trophy winner favorite Sergei Bobrovsky brings his experience and ability to make game-changing saves, further strengthening the Panthers' chances.
Key Factors:
Offensive Firepower:
The Stanley Cup Finals will feature two potent offenses that can light up the scoreboard. The Golden Knights' depth, scoring prowess, and ability to generate scoring chances pose a significant challenge for any opponent. On the other end of the rink, the Panthers' dynamic top line and depth contributors can overwhelm defenses with speed and skill. The team that can consistently capitalize on offensive opportunities may have the advantage in this series.
Defensive Strength:
Defensive play will play a crucial role in determining the outcome of the series. The Golden Knights' defensive unit combines physicality and smart positioning to stifle opposing attacks, while the Panthers' disciplined defensive structure can frustrate opponents and limit high-quality chances. Both teams possess talented defensemen who can contribute offensively and shut down opposing stars. The ability to neutralize the opponent's offense could prove decisive in this tightly contested series.
AI Odds and Prediction:
In what promises to be a captivating Stanley Cup Finals series, the Vegas Golden Knights are predicted to emerge as the champions, albeit by a slim margin. While the Florida Panthers have been very impressive throughout the playoffs, the Golden Knights' balanced lineup, experience, and depth give them a slight edge. Vegas' ability to control the game's tempo and capitalize on scoring chances may prove to be the difference-maker.
Probability to win the SCF 🏆
Team
pwin
Odds
Vegas Golden Knights
50.52 %
1.98
Florida Panthers
49.48 %
2.02
Conclusion:
The Stanley Cup Finals clash between the Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers is poised to deliver exhilarating hockey and fierce competition. Both teams possess tremendous skill, depth, and determination, making for a thrilling series that will captivate fans. While the Panthers, led by Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, are a formidable opponent, the Golden Knights, with their captain Mark Stone, Jonathan Marchessault and the recent addition of Jack Eichel, have the edge in terms of their balanced lineup, experience, and overall performance throughout the playoffs. Our prediction says the Vegas Golden Knights will hoist the Stanley Cup in 2023.
Br Sebastian
May 18 2023
NHL 2023 playoffs odds and predictions - 3rd Round
No Oilers or any other Canadian team in the SFC. Once again.
It's the Conference Finals — let's delve into the exciting matchups and break down the predictions on which team from East and West will advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Eastern Conference Final preview and prediction: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Florida Panthers
The Carolina Hurricanes and the Florida Panthers are set to clash for a thrilling showdown. Both teams have displayed remarkable talent and determination throughout the postseason, but the Hurricanes enter this series as slight favorites. Nonetheless, with the Panthers' offensive firepower and resilience, the series is expected to be fiercely contested. NHL fans will be treated to an intense and captivating matchup as these two talented teams vie for the ultimate prize in professional hockey.
Team Overview
Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes have been a force to be reckoned with this season, boasting a well-rounded roster and impressive depth. Led by their formidable centermen, featuring Sebastian Aho and Jordan Staal, the Hurricanes possess a potent offensive attack. Furthermore, their strong defensive core, led by Brent Burns and Jaccob Slavin, provides a solid foundation in their own zone. Goaltender Frederik Andersen has been stellar, further bolstering their chances of success.
Florida Panthers
The Panthers have had a remarkable season, solidifying their position as one of the league's top contenders. Led by superstar Aleksander Barkov, along with talented wingers Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe, the Panthers possess a high-scoring offense that can challenge any opponent. Additionally, their defense, anchored by Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling, showcases skill and physicality. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky's experience and talent make the Panthers a formidable team.
Key Factor: Offensive Firepower
Both teams boast explosive offenses capable of finding the back of the net consistently. The Hurricanes possess depth throughout their forward lines — even with the long list of injured core players — while the Panthers rely heavily on the offensive prowess of their top players. Special teams play, particularly the power play, could be a significant factor in this series, as both teams possess potent units. Note that Teuvo Teräväinen is likely to return to the lineup, which might shuffle up the Carolina power play.
Prediction
The Carolina Hurricanes are favored to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. Their balanced roster, strong defensive play, and outstanding goaltending puts them ahead of the Florida Panthers. While the Panthers possess exceptional talent and the ability to push the series to its limits, the Hurricanes' overall depth, balanced roster and consistency make them the predicted victors.
Western Conference Final preview and prediction: Vegas Golden Knights vs. Dallas Stars
The Western Conference Finals of the NHL playoffs present an exciting showdown between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Dallas Stars. Both teams have demonstrated their mettle throughout the postseason, so predicting which team will advance to the Stanley Cup Finals is extremely difficult. With both teams boasting impressive rosters and a recent history of some playoff success, fans can anticipate a clash of skill, intensity, and strategic gameplay.
Team Overview
Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights have established themselves as a formidable force in the league since their inception. With a talented roster featuring scoring threats such as Mark Stone and Jonathan Marchessault, the Golden Knights possess an explosive offensive arsenal. Their defensive core, anchored by Alex Pietrangelo and Shea Theodore, provides stability and puck-moving prowess. Goaltender Adin Hill has been solid throughout the playoff spring, which bolsters their chances of success.
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are no strangers to deep playoff runs, having reached the Stanley Cup Finals in the 2020 season. Led by captain Jamie Benn and dynamic forwards Roope Hintz, Jason Robertson andTyler Seguin, the Stars possess a potent offensive lineup. Their defense, spearheaded by the offensively oriented Miro Heiskanen and defensive backbone Esa Lindell, boasts skill, playmaking ability and defensive reliability. In net, Jake Oettinger has demonstrated his ability to elevate his game during crucial moments.
Key Factor: Goaltending & Defensive Battle
The series between the Golden Knights and Stars will showcase a compelling goaltending duel. On both sides of the rink, a relatively inexperienced netminder will get the nod. Goaltending performances will be pivotal in determining the outcome of this series. That being said, both teams boast strong defensive units capable of stifling opposing offenses and limiting scoring chances.
Prediction
In a closely contested series, the Dallas Stars are predicted to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals as slight, slight favorites. The Stars' playoff experience, strong defensive play, and potent offensive weapons give them a slight edge over the Golden Knights. However, it is important to note that the series is expected to be fiercely competitive, and the Golden Knights have the talent and determination to push the series to its limits, and are more than capable of mounting a strong challenge.
AI Odds and Predictions
For both Conferences, our Hockey NHL AI has calculated the series win probabilities:
Probability to win the 3rd round series
Team
pwin
Odds
Carolina Hurricanes
51.45 %
1.94
Florida Panthers
48.55 %
2.06
Vegas Golden Knights
49.18 %
2.03
Dallas Stars
50.82 %
1.97
Br Sebastian
May 2 2023
NHL 2023 playoffs odds and predictions - 2nd Round
The second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs starts tonight!
Opening round recap
In the first round, home teams had more distractions than ever before: away teams recorded 31 wins (62% win rate), summing up for most road wins ever in round 1. Six out of the eight first-round match-ups were clinched on the road, which just demonstrates the amount of parity there is in the NHL.
The Cup favorites from the two Conferences, Boston and Colorado, both got eliminated. Other than that, the favorite teams in the other series all prevailed.
And yay, finally Toronto made it to the 2nd round!
Predicting second-round series winners
The Maple Leafs get to face Florida Panthers who were able to eliminate Boston Bruins, the record-breaking President Trophy winners. Now that Toronto got over the hump, they may very well be unstoppable.
In our predictions, Edmonton has the edge over Golden Knights, the only series where the team with the home-ice advantage isn't the favorite to advance to the Conference finals. Let's see if Vegas can shut down the Oilers that operate on a 56.2% Power Play success rate and 4.17 GF/GP.
Seattle could be another underdog that'd prevail: they already knocked out Colorado as I anticipated in the predictions for the previous round. This round they face the Dallas Stars and the red-hot Roope Hintz (5+7 in 6 playoff games this season), and according to our predictions, the series is a coin-flip. Also, anything can happen in the series between the Hurricanes and the Devils — again, a good example of parity in the league.
Probability to win the 2nd round series
Team
pwin
Odds
Toronto Maple Leafs
51.44 %
1.94
Florida Panthers
48.56 %
2.06
Carolina Hurricanes
50.31 %
1.99
New Jersey Devils
49.69 %
2.01
Dallas Stars
50.42 %
1.98
Seattle Kraken
49.58 %
2.02
Vegas Golden Knights
48.99 %
2.04
Edmonton Oilers
51.01 %
1.96
Br Sebastian
Apr 18 2023
NHL 2023 playoffs odds and predictions - 1st Round
Predicting first round series winners
Two conferences, four divisions, and eight pairs of teams equal lots of opening-round playoff hockey. Without further ado, let's look at the numbers already!
Probability to win the 1st round series
Team
pwin
Odds
Colorado Avalanche
52.15 %
1.92
Seattle Kraken
47.85 %
2.09
Dallas Stars
50.28 %
1.99
Minnesota Wild
49.72 %
2.01
Boston Bruins
55.17 %
1.81
Florida Panthers
44.83 %
2.23
Toronto Maple Leafs
51.1 %
1.96
Tampa Bay Lightning
48.9 %
2.04
Carolina Hurricanes
52.1 %
1.92
New York Islanders
47.9 %
2.09
New Jersey Devils
50.33 %
1.99
New York Rangers
49.67 %
2.01
Vegas Golden Knights
51.7 %
1.93
Winnipeg Jets
48.3 %
2.07
Edmonton Oilers
53.11 %
1.88
Los Angeles Kings
46.89 %
2.13
If you're interested in how we derive our playoff series predictions, check out our postfrom a couple seasons ago.
Based on our predictions, Boston, Edmonton, Colorado, and Carolina are the most likely favorites to advance to the second round. However, the margins are small. Also, keep an eye on especially on Seattle Kraken; based on our data they are the underdog that might surprise the reigning champion, and go further than expected on average this postseason.
Br Sebastian
Apr 17 2023
NHL 🏆 winner odds and predictions for the 2023 playoffs
📣 We will update the latest Cup winner predictions here in this post, as the playoffs progress.
It's that time of the year again
It's the beginning of the playoffs spring, and you can feel the excitement. Anything can happen, says a New Yorker. If you followed our playoff predictions last season, you know it's (almost 😉) anybody's game. Before round 1 last season, we had predicted Toronto to win it all, but they just couldn't break the curse of the opening round. But after round 1, also our predictions changed drastically as our system is dynamically able to learn the new bracket and possible outcomes. As a result, since the beginning of round two last season, we had placed our money for Colorado to bring home the Cup — which they did! 🎉
Predicting the Stanley Cup winner
Boston absolutely dominated the regular season. They are not only a familiar face in the playoffs but also seem to compete in a different league: Boston enters the playoffs with an eight game winning streak, 9-1-0 in their last ten games, and carry a goal differential of +128! Other contender teams have a hard time to match even a half of it.
So, the Maple Leafs haven't won a playoff series since spring 2004. However, they are coming in behind the overpowered Bruins, which might alleviate some of their mental challenges. In addition, also Toronto has been quite hot at closing the regular season: four game winning streak and 7-1-2 in their last 10 — maybe this is their year, at least on the 1st round 😁.
In the Western Conference, it's business as usual. Edmonton is winning games where the score is 7-5 and they're coming in as the hottest team of the league, but their game plan may fall short in the tighter playoff games (which already happened in the G1 OT loss against the Kings). Minnesota has a solid regular season behind them, but they haven't proven themselves in the playoffs. Colorado, Dallas, Vegas, and Los Angeles are common logos in the postseason. Seattle from the first wild card berth may offer a pleasant surprise — our predictions rank them reletively high in the Cup prediction chart.
Stanley Cup winner prediction (after Conference Finals)
Team
pwin
Odds
Vegas Golden Knights
50.52 %
1.98
Florida Panthers
49.48 %
2.02
Stanley Cup winner prediction (after 2nd round)
Team
pwin
Odds
Dallas Stars
25.62 %
3.9
Carolina Hurricanes
25.51 %
3.92
Vegas Golden Knights
24.79 %
4.03
Florida Panthers
24.08 %
4.15
Stanley Cup winner prediction (after 1st round)
Team
pwin
Odds
Edmonton Oilers
13.08 %
7.65
Dallas Stars
12.66 %
7.9
Toronto Maple Leafs
12.6 %
7.94
Vegas Golden Knights
12.56 %
7.96
Carolina Hurricanes
12.46 %
8.03
Seattle Kraken
12.44 %
8.04
New Jersey Devils
12.31 %
8.12
Florida Panthers
11.89 %
8.41
Stanley Cup winner prediction 🏆
Team
pwin
Odds
Boston Bruins
7.27 %
13.76
Colorado Avalanche
6.74 %
14.84
Edmonton Oilers
6.63 %
15.08
Vegas Golden Knights
6.39 %
15.65
Toronto Maple Leafs
6.33 %
15.8
Carolina Hurricanes
6.32 %
15.82
Seattle Kraken
6.18 %
16.18
New Jersey Devils
6.17 %
16.21
Dallas Stars
6.17 %
16.21
Minnesota Wild
6.1 %
16.39
New York Rangers
6.09 %
16.42
Tampa Bay Lightning
6.06 %
16.5
Winnipeg Jets
5.97 %
16.75
Florida Panthers
5.91 %
16.92
Los Angeles Kings
5.85 %
17.09
New York Islanders
5.81 %
17.21
Enjoy the postseason!
Sebastian
Jun 14 2022
NHL 2022 playoffs odds and predictions - Stanley Cup Final
The Stanley Cup Final is going to be a series where veterans meet rookies. I already discussed the topic in the very first post of the 2022 playoffs and predicted that the theme of this postseason could very well be experience against inexperience. And now we have Tampa Bay Lightning who are looking for a "threepeat" up against the new generation from Colorado Avalanche.
It's rare to even reach the finals three times in a row: with a win, Tampa would achieve something exceptional — it was the 1980-1983 New York Islanders who won the Cup four in a row the last time. What an epic final series we're about to witness!
Avs vs. Bolts
In the NHL, a berth in the SCF requires sacrifices, effort, and even a little luck, to beat the other teams that all fit into a very small marginal. But for the two finalists, it has looked easy sometimes. Colorado, the team with the home advantage and the favorite for winning the Cup, has swept two teams these playoffs — Edmonton in the previous round and Nashville in the opening round. In fact, they have lost only two postseason games so far this Spring.
At the Eastern Conference, Tampa Bay has made their opponents look soft; they swept the President Trophy winner Florida Panthers and won four in a row against an out-of-puff Rangers team. However, the first-round series (that seemed like a warm-up round for Tampa 😎) against Toronto was decided in the game seven overtime, i.e., Tampa has also faced some adversity during the spring.
Predicting Stanley Cup winner
It's tougher than ever. Both teams deploy the team spirit, firepower, and superstars that win you Cups.
Colorado boasts star forwards Mikko Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, and Nazem Kadri, but also Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin have emerged as difference makers. Nevertheless, it's their star defenceman Cale Makar who actually leads the Avalanche in scoring!
The top dogs at Tampa Bay are their captain and goal scorer Steven Stamkos, scoring virtuoso Nikita Kucherov, and star defenceman Victor Hedman. Moreover, Tampa has Andrei Vasilevski between the pipes, an elite goaltender that every team would want to have as their starter.
Colorado has the home rink advantage, and they are well-rested and prepared for taking down the reigning champion Tampa Bay Lightning. Colorado must feel confident: they won both occasions when they met the Bolts during the regular season. However, I believe that both teams are aware that the regular season means absolutely nothing in the heat of the finals.
Probability to win the SCF
Team
pwin
Odds
Colorado Avalanche
51.41 %
1.95
Tampa Bay Lightning
48.59 %
2.06
As always in a playoff bracket, the winning trend will continue for one team — are the Bolts able to roll to the finish line like a dynasty and "threepeat" a 🏆 run, or can the Avs continue to dominate their opponents and win the Stanley Cup for the first time in 21 years?
Br Sebastian
May 31 2022
NHL 2022 playoffs odds and predictions - 3rd Round
And then there were only four teams, two Conference Finals, and one Stanley Cup winner left. The puck will drop tonight to kick-off the WCF, and the ECF will start on the next day!
Predicting third round series winners
It's exciting to see both teams — Colorado and Edmonton — advancing to the Western Conference Finals after fairly long droughts. Edmonton reached the 3rd round last time in 2006, when they eventually lost the Finals. On the other side of the rink, Colorado lost their previous Conference Finals in 2002 (after winning the Cup in the previous season). Edmonton's latest Stanley Cup winning season is from over three decades ago, 1990.
In the East, we have familiar faces from the Tampa Bay, who dominantly sweeped the President Trophy winning Panthers. In contrast, Rangers required all 7 games to defeat Carolina in a very tight series that featured six home team wins (except for the dramatic game seven). I have to mention the fatique factor here: Rangers will have only two days of rest before the game 1, while Tampa has been loading their "lightning fast" batteries for over a week!
Probability to win the 3rd round series
Team
pwin
Odds
Colorado Avalanche
51.04 %
1.96
Edmonton Oilers
48.96 %
2.04
New York Rangers
49.43 %
2.02
Tampa Bay Lightning
50.57 %
1.98
When looking things league-wide, it's interesting how Colorado has been the Cup favorite forthe past two rounds, while they were ranked 4th at the beginning of 2022 playoffs. If they advance to the Finals, they have the material for beating the East favorite Tampa, who are looking for a "threepeat". I have to say, even though the third round is yet to be played, Tampa looked scaringly solid against the Panthers, and Vasilevsky has an amazing goals-against record in his past seven elimination games: 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0. So be it Colorado or Edmonton who makes their way to the final, they will meet the toughest opponent of the playoffs there.
Br Sebastian
May 17 2022
NHL 2022 playoffs odds and predictions - 2nd Round
What you can say, we've witnessed an epic first round: five game sevens, from which two were decided in overtime! Based on the Conference QF (and our prediction probabilities), the margins will be even smaller in the following rounds.
Predicting second round series winners
It's nice to see some fresh new teams advancing to round 2. That being said, it's also tough to watch a team like Toronto to go through rough times like they currently are. But in the NHL, everything has to be earned. Let's see which teams earn a spot in the Conference Finals!
Probability to win the 2nd round series
Team
pwin
Odds
Colorado Avalanche
51.85 %
1.93
St. Louis Blues
48.15 %
2.08
Calgary Flames
50.91 %
1.96
Edmonton Oilers
49.09 %
2.04
Carolina Hurricanes
52.17 %
1.92
New York Rangers
47.83 %
2.09
Florida Panthers
51.02 %
1.96
Tampa Bay Lightning
48.98 %
2.04
Br Sebastian
May 2 2022
NHL 2022 playoffs odds and predictions - 1st Round
Just like every previous season, we'll post series winner predictions and odds for every playoff round. Let's kick off the playoffs!
Predicting first round series winners
All of our playoff predictions below are derived from regular season performance (read our post from a couple of seasons back to understand why). Here we go:
Probability to win the 1st round series
Team
pwin
Odds
Florida Panthers
52.4 %
1.91
Washington Capitals
47.6 %
2.1
Carolina Hurricanes
52.49 %
1.91
Boston Bruins
47.51 %
2.1
Toronto Maple Leafs
51.14 %
1.96
Tampa Bay Lightning
48.86 %
2.05
New York Rangers
49.87 %
2.01
Pittsburgh Penguins
50.13 %
1.99
Colorado Avalanche
53.63 %
1.86
Nashville Predators
46.37 %
2.16
Minnesota Wild
52.73 %
1.9
St. Louis Blues
47.27 %
2.12
Calgary Flames
53.44 %
1.87
Dallas Stars
46.56 %
2.15
Los Angeles Kings
49.28 %
2.03
Edmonton Oilers
50.72 %
1.97
The Eastern Conference is tougher than ever. All eight teams entered into the playoffs by a clear margin: New York Islanders were 16 points behind the Capitals "battling" for the final postseason berth. Moreover, all Eastern teams had either an excellent regular season or are seasoned playoff veterans with a recent track record for success, so expect the round 1 to be phenomenal.
The margins weren't that large in the Western Conference, where Vegas missed the last wild card spot by three points. The overall bracket seems similar to the East, though: teams that have recently gone deep in the playoffs (St. Louis, Dallas, L.A., Nashville) are challenging the new generation: Colorado, Calgary, Edmonton and Minnesota.
Maybe the theme of the 2022 playoffs will be about experience vs. inexperience.
Br Sebastian
May 2 2022
NHL 🏆 winner odds and predictions for the 2022 playoffs
📣 We will update the latest Cup winner predictions here in this post, as the playoffs progress.
NHL playoffs, they are here again!
Finally the playoffs are normalized — the Spring culminates with playoff hockey just like it did before Covid-19. Say goodbye to corona-tailored divisions and playoff pairs. Let's drop the puck already! 🏒
Predicting the Stanley Cup winner
Florida dominated the regular season but still has a lot to prove in the playoffs. Carolina ended the regular season with a surge and is looking for first round success against recent Cup winners, Penguins: last season the Canes were eliminated by Tampa Bay...
Calgary and Colorado are the clear favorites from the Western Conference. Minnesota has an outstanding regular season behind them, but they haven't recently excelled in the playoffs.
Toronto is statistically the Cup favorite, but the Maple Leafs haven't won a playoff series since spring 2004...
Tampa has won the Cup twice in a row now. In 2020, we predicted Tampa would win it all, and they did. Last season we didn't predict them to hoist the Cup at the beginning of the playoffs, although we had them as the favorite in each of their series. This season, Tampa is only in the middle of the pack in the forecasts: "three-peating" will be very hard, especially given how solid every playoff team in the Eastern Conference is.
Stanley Cup winner prediction (after 3rd round)
Team
pwin
Odds
Colorado Avalanche
51.41 %
1.95
Tampa Bay Lightning
48.59 %
2.06
Stanley Cup winner prediction (after 2nd round)
Team
pwin
Odds
Colorado Avalanche
26.25 %
3.81
Edmonton Oilers
25.17 %
3.97
Tampa Bay Lightning
24.57 %
4.07
New York Rangers
24.01 %
4.16
Stanley Cup winner prediction (after 1st round)
Team
pwin
Odds
Colorado Avalanche
13.13 %
7.62
Carolina Hurricanes
12.91 %
7.75
Calgary Flames
12.81 %
7.81
Florida Panthers
12.63 %
7.92
Edmonton Oilers
12.35 %
8.1
St. Louis Blues
12.19 %
8.2
Tampa Bay Lightning
12.13 %
8.24
New York Rangers
11.83 %
8.45
Stanley Cup winner prediction
Team
pwin
Odds
Toronto Maple Leafs
6.66 %
15.02
Carolina Hurricanes
6.62 %
15.11
Calgary Flames
6.62 %
15.11
Colorado Avalanche
6.59 %
15.17
Minnesota Wild
6.52 %
15.34
Florida Panthers
6.49 %
15.41
Edmonton Oilers
6.41 %
15.6
Boston Bruins
6.36 %
15.72
St. Louis Blues
6.23 %
16.05
Tampa Bay Lightning
6.16 %
16.23
New York Rangers
6.13 %
16.31
Pittsburgh Penguins
5.99 %
16.69
Washington Capitals
5.89 %
16.98
Dallas Stars
5.85 %
17.09
Los Angeles Kings
5.77 %
17.33
Nashville Predators
5.7 %
17.54
Check out our Stanley Cup winner predictions from last season to see how we predict the postseason series.
Enjoy the postseason!
Sebastian
Oct 12 2021
NHL time: 2021 - 2022 regular season starts tonight!
It's been a long while since the regular season previously started in October. Covid-19 seems to be "under control", fans can again attend live games, and the traditional divisions are back — the familiar road to playoffs may start again. And what an opening night there'll be: Seattle Kraken will make their NHL debut, and the two most recently most successful teams will clash against each other!
Seattle Kraken expect intense debut vs. Vegas Golden Knights
Kraken is looking for a flying start to their first-ever regular season. Last time, when a new team entered the league, the newcomer team won their first three games (and went on having another, a five game win streak, after their first loss). We all know it was the Vegas Golden Knights: they had a record-breaking inaugural season, reaching all the way to Stanley Cup Finals. So it's a nice coincidence that it's the old new kids on the block, Golden Knights, that Kraken has to beat when they try to start the season with a win streak of their own.
Dynasty vs. dynasty
The first game of the 2021 - 22 season will be Tampa Bay Lightning against Pittsburgh Penguins. The two powerhouses last met each other over a year and a half ago, so loads of energy is expected on both sides. Tampa will be celebrating their second 🏆 in as many seasons, but I guess it won't scare off the Pens as they are the ones who have also won it twice in a row. I predict the Pens will take the W — and Tampa can rightfully blame the Cup hangover for the loss.
Game start times
I kept it short for the game previews, as numbers speak more than a thousand words. The opening night has two really special matchups, here are the start times for both games (and also for the first dozen upcoming games in the following days). As always, you'll find the games also from our predictions, where free betting picks are available. Check out the numbers for each game, and bet smartly!
Oct. 14
TBL vs. PIT, 19:30 ET
VGK vs. SEA, 22:00 ET
Oct. 15
TOR vs. MTL, 19:00 ET
WSH vs. NYR, 19:30 ET
COL vs. CHI, 22:00 ET
EDM vs. VAN, 22:00 ET
ANA vs. WPG, 22:00 ET
Oct. 16
BUF vs. MTL, 19:00 ET
OTT vs. TOR, 19:00 ET
FLA vs. PIT, 19:00 ET
NYR vs. DAL, 19:00 ET
CAR vs. NYI, 19:00 ET
CBJ vs. ARI, 19:00 ET
DET vs. TBL, 19:30 ET
NSH vs. SEA, 20:00 ET
LAK vs. VGK, 22:30 ET
Oct. 17
NJD vs. CHI, 19:00 ET
PHI vs. VAN, 19:00 ET
ANA vs. MIN, 22:00 ET
Enjoy the season!
Sebastian
Jun 28 2021
NHL 2021 playoffs odds and predictions - Stanley Cup Final
Enjoying the Stanley Cup Finals in the middle of the summer is definitely one of the rare positives Covid-19 entailed for the hockey world. The final series is going to be a classic favorite vs. underdog contest, no matter the outcome. But what a sensation it would be, if Montréal Canadiens could take the toughest sports trophy winnable on 🌍 from the reigning champion Tampa Bay Lightning.
Bolts vs. Habs
Montréal has been a clear underdog in all prior series this playoff spring. It surprised and advanced past Toronto, despite being down 3-1 in the series. Then the Habs sweeped Jets 4-0 and won 4-2 against Vegas, not that presumptive either. Now, the Canadiens bettors are close to hitting the Stanley Cup jackpot, as the Habs reached the finals from the worst overall playoff seed.
On the other hand, Tampa has been the favorite in all of their series (already for a couple of seasons). Still, the most recent opponents haven't been particularly soft; Florida, Carolina, and Islanders all had very strong seasons and looked promising right before the playoffs. Florida and Carolina were not maybe as playoff-tested as Islanders, but Tampa didn't care about the past efforts and marched to the finals quite convincingly. Since losing the round 1 series to Columbus Blue Jackets back in 2019, Tampa has not lost back-to-back games in a playoff series.
The trend will continue for one team — are the Bolts able to roll to the finish line, match the expectations, and repeat, or can the Habs pull off the fourth and largest surprise of the 2021 playoffs and win the Stanley Cup for the first time in 28 years?
Probability to win the SCF
Team
pwin
Odds
Tampa Bay Lightning
54.54 %
1.83
Montreal Canadiens
45.46 %
2.2
Br
Sebastian
Jun 12 2021
NHL 2021 playoffs odds and predictions - 3rd Round
Four division winners with very different backgrounds. This should be interesting...
Predicting third round series winners
It's not a traditional conference final this season, and we all know why. Instead of two best teams from eastern and western conferences battling for the conference champion title and a spot in the 🏆 final, we have four teams coming out on top from their respective divisions. Most importantly, these teams have only played against their fellow divisional teams, i.e., from now on, teams matching up will be complete strangers for each other!
Tampa and Isles last played against each other in September, while Vegas and Montreal last met in January 2020! That's nine and 17 months, respectively 🙀.
Probability to win Round 3
Team
pwin
Odds
Vegas Golden Knights
56.47 %
1.77
Montreal Canadiens
43.53 %
2.3
Tampa Bay Lightning
52.82 %
1.89
New York Islanders
47.18 %
2.12
As we can see from the table above, this round we have clear favourites to advance to the finals. Vegas was down 2-0 in the series against the Cup favourite Colorado, but never looked back and won four straight games. Even losing the game 1 in a blowout, the advanced statistics showed that Vegas wasn't as bad as the scoreboard would indicate. The Canadiens easily sweeped the Jets, and are on a roll. All in all, expect Vegas to advance.
In the other matchup, the star-powered Tampa will be the favourite against the Islanders. The Islanders lineup is very solid, and the role of each line suits well for the playoffs. Moreover, they have Barry Trotz as their head coach, who has been very successful in the playoffs in recent years. However, the opposing Bolts have been very successful, too, winning the previous Stanley Cup. It will be skill and experience against dump-and-chace grinding...
Br Sebastian
May 29 2021
NHL 2021 playoffs odds and predictions - 2nd Round
Predicting second round series winners
It's tough. The two best teams of the regular season (Colorado and Vegas) are facing each other already in the round 2. What else would you expect but a coin-flip scenario? A similar situation occurs in the Discover Central division where top contender teams Tampa Bay and Carolina are battling for the division title. According to data, Tampa has a narrow advantage...
You have to win all of your opponents, they say, but still, it feels wrong. On the other hand, expect to see the best playoff hockey of the season, so enjoy!
Probability to win Round 2
Team
pwin
Odds
Winnipeg Jets
51.39 %
1.95
Montreal Canadiens
48.61 %
2.06
Boston Bruins
52.55 %
1.9
New York Islanders
47.45 %
2.11
Colorado Avalanche
50.0 %
2.0
Vegas Golden Knights
50.0 %
2.0
Carolina Hurricanes
49.05 %
2.04
Tampa Bay Lightning
50.95 %
1.96
First round notes
Both Crosby and Ovechkin were sent to 🏌. Since their respective Cup runs (2017 and 2018), the playoffs stamina for Pens and Caps has been way below their standards. Maybe the era of the two superstars is coming to an end...
The season also unexpectedly ended for the Edmonton Oilers and Connor McDavid, who is ready to take the mantle of the best player of the league from Crosby. Well, at least it was a surprise for McDavid who confidently promised they'd be challenging for the Cup before the playoffs even started.
Toronto hasn't won a playoff series since spring 2004...
Br Sebastian
May 14 2021
NHL 2021 playoffs odds and predictions - 1st Round
Like last season, we'll post series winner predictions and odds for every playoff round. Let's kick off the playoffs!
Predicting first round series winners
Once again, like all of our postseason predictions, the 1st round predictions below are derived from regular season performance (read our post from the last season to understand why).
This time there is no playoff bubble, so the teams battling in the series are ordered based on the home-ice advantage, i.e., the team with the advantage is listed above their opponent.
Probability to win Round 1
Team
pwin
Odds
Toronto Maple Leafs
53.32 %
1.88
Montreal Canadiens
46.68 %
2.14
Edmonton Oilers
52.63 %
1.9
Winnipeg Jets
47.37 %
2.11
Pittsburgh Penguins
52.83 %
1.89
New York Islanders
47.17 %
2.12
Washington Capitals
48.96 %
2.04
Boston Bruins ✅
51.04 %
1.96
Colorado Avalanche ✅
54.92 %
1.82
St. Louis Blues
45.08 %
2.22
Vegas Golden Knights ✅
52.17 %
1.92
Minnesota Wild
47.83 %
2.09
Carolina Hurricanes ✅
51.87 %
1.93
Nashville Predators
48.13 %
2.08
Florida Panthers
49.7 %
2.01
Tampa Bay Lightning ✅
50.3 %
1.99
1st round tips
The "Canada Cup", i.e., the Scotia North division seems to have the clearest set-up for the first round. Toronto and Edmonton are the clear favorites based on our data, and they should prevail to the second round fairly painlessly. The downside for gamblers is that viable odds will be very hard to find if you want to place your bets for the favorites.
The hardest division to even reach the 2021 playoffs was the MassMutual East division. Now, each of the best four is looking to defeat two of their rivals to win the division. Caps and Pens have the home-ice advantages, while statisticswise only the Pens have upper hand against their respective foe. As a Caps fan, I'm certainly hoping for another Caps - Pens round two series, but I'm also aware that the B's have a slight upper hand when the puck drops on Saturday.
The Honda West division boasts the President Trophy winner Colorado. Note that Vegas finished the season with an equal point total and they are the favorites to win the Stanley Cup according to our data. Both should advance over their opponents, but keep in mind that St. Louis is a playoff-tested team and Minnesota is having a remarkable season.
The Discover Central division offered the biggest regular-season surprise for the hockey fans. Seeing Florida finish second in the regular season and Dallas not making the playoffs is definitely unexpected. (Well, maybe Pens winning the MM was also a bit surprising.) Moreover, the usual regular-season powerhouse Tampa only reached the 3rd playoff slot. The long and unusual Cup run in the corona bubble must have taken its toll, and might also reflect into this postseason. However, according to nhl.com, Tampa will be getting Kucherov and Stamkos back for game 1. Both of them must be hungry for a repeat!
Br
Sebastian
May 13 2021
NHL 🏆 winner odds and predictions for the 2021 playoffs
📣 We will update the latest Cup winner predictions here in this post, as the playoffs progress.
Playoff time, it's here again!
It was only seven months ago when Tampa hoisted the Stanley Cup. The circumstances then were quite eccentric, due to the coronavirus pandemic that paused the hockey world for months and pushed the season finale into an opinionated playoff bubble.
This time, the playoffs are normally played in spring (although overdue a month from the normal schedule), and home-ice advantage and live audience are back. However, the shortened regular season and corona-tailored divisions provide us some very unusual playoff pairs. Moreover, the traditional conference finals are now semi-finals between strangers — teams advancing to Round 3 will meet each other for the first time in several months!
Predicting the Stanley Cup winner
Last time we predicted Tampa would win it all, and they did. Let's see if they can repeat (and be the unanimous champions of the corona era), or if the favorite — it's the Vegas Golden Knights this season — can go all the way again and keep our prediction streak alive!
Stanley Cup winner prediction (after 3rd round)
Team
pwin
Odds
Tampa Bay Lightning
54.54 %
1.83
Montreal Canadiens
45.46 %
2.2
Stanley Cup winner prediction (after 2nd round)
Team
pwin
Odds
Vegas Golden Knights
28.39 %
3.52
Tampa Bay Lightning
26.26 %
3.81
New York Islanders
23.46 %
4.26
Montreal Canadiens
21.89 %
4.57
Stanley Cup winner prediction (after 1st round)
Team
pwin
Odds
Colorado Avalanche
13.96 %
7.16
Vegas Golden Knights
13.96 %
7.16
Boston Bruins
13.0 %
7.69
Tampa Bay Lightning
12.92 %
7.74
Carolina Hurricanes
12.44 %
8.04
New York Islanders
11.74 %
8.52
Winnipeg Jets
11.3 %
8.85
Montreal Canadiens
10.69 %
9.35
2021 Stanley Cup winner prediction
Team
pwin
Odds
Vegas Golden Knights
7.12 %
14.04
Colorado Avalanche
7.09 %
14.1
Boston Bruins
6.58 %
15.2
Tampa Bay Lightning
6.51 %
15.36
Pittsburgh Penguins
6.46 %
15.48
Florida Panthers
6.44 %
15.53
Carolina Hurricanes
6.44 %
15.53
Minnesota Wild
6.39 %
15.65
Washington Capitals
6.31 %
15.85
Toronto Maple Leafs
6.14 %
16.29
Edmonton Oilers
6.12 %
16.34
Nashville Predators
5.97 %
16.75
St. Louis Blues
5.79 %
17.27
New York Islanders
5.77 %
17.33
Winnipeg Jets
5.5 %
18.18
Montreal Canadiens
5.37 %
18.62
Check out our Stanley Cup winner predictions from last season to see how we did it and how we predict the postseason series.
Enjoy the postseason!
Sebastian
Mar 30 2021
Asianhandicap predictions and odds insights are now available for NHL!
Compare casinos — AHC
Asianhandicap odds are here!
We're excited to announce that the fan favorite bet event type — asianhandicap — has landed into our product! The asianhandicap predictions are available for subscribers (upcoming games) and for every sports enthusiast (past games). The following handicap values (applied on the home team goal amount) are analyzed: -2.5, -1.5, +1.5 and +2.5. The predictions are compared against the odds offered by the casinos, to find out the most profitable betting events.
Just like other event types found on our homepage, also asianhandicap predictions are calculated only for full-time, at least for the time being. However, if available, we also render asianhandicap odds for each period of the game. As a side note, predicting the periodic events for all event types in our offering is in our long-term roadmap, but not a feature to be expected for the ongoing season.
Double-edged sword?
It's the game-changer. Asianhandicap odds can turn wins into losses, and losing into winning. But how should you really use them?
Our mission is to provide the instruments for betting with an edge, for every gambler out there. Hence, utilizing the asianhandicap predictions almost feels like a double-edge: if you are certain that team A (say, Philly) is going to blow up team B (you probably guess which one), why not apply a little handicap against team A to have larger odds, i.e., larger profits? Sadly, this is not how it works in the long run; casinos are actually pushing down the larger odds, rendering them statistically unprofitable most of the time. Still, the odds against a handicap are relatively high, so it's tempting to pick them if the winner seems to be clear.
The asianhandicap insights below demonstrate the problem with the against handicap odds (the first one is just the overview, swipe left to see insights for different handicaps):
Bufffalo 3 - 4 Philadelphia (OT) | 30.3.2021
The images above are just examples from one game, but they highlight the general trends of the casinos in asianhandicap odds.
Picking the clear favorite to win by a multi-goal difference has typically the most negative expected value (although this particular example has a positive EV for event PHI -2.5 ).
Picking the clear favorite to win with a handicap has a moderately negative expected value.
Picking the underdog in any handicap circumstances has usually positive expected value.
It's the exceptions that prove the rule that we are after. With our analytics, you can find the optimal games to bet according to your preferences: be it going for the blowout wins, or playing it safe and using a helping handicap (maybe if you happen to be a Buffalo fan 😃).
Lastly, it's worth mentioning that the asianhandicap +2.5 was our most economically profitable event type during the 2018 - 2019 NHL regular season (it has been a strong event type on all other seasons as well), according to the baseline simulations. The other handicap variations weren't that bad either:
It's a great reminder that grinding the modest odds might actually be the key to success, rather than trying to gamble on the high risk, high reward against handicap odds. At least in the long run — there's just nothing sweeter than picking your favorite team to win by a goal and a half and seeing the empty netter slide in 💰.
Let's bet with the double-edge!
Br
Sebastian
Feb 28 2021
Does the house always win? The Kelly criterion case study.
Generous casinos?
Virtually every casino and bookmaker website on the planet offer generously the basic information about the Kelly criterion. No doubt, it is arguably the best weapon for gamblers to gun down the bookies, given its ability to calculate a bet size that will maximize the profits in all situations.
But why are the bookmakers so willingly giving away free information about a formula that is most likely beneficial for the gamblers? Are they just trying to lure unadvised gamblers to their platform, or trying to improve their SEO? Are we missing something? Let's find out!
Case study – Threeway betting
We ran a couple thousand simulations with a generally robust machine learning classifier, RFC. Each simulation comprises all games of the 2019 – 2020 NHL regular season and covers both predicting and placing bets for the regulation result of a game. The differences in the individual simulation runs are observed due to different feature extraction and model configurations. In real life, on an ongoing season, subscribed users who followed our predictions would have profited more than the median index, since they'd have had the best model configurations available.
We train an AI model that ensembles the classifiers that performed the best historically and use that ensemble model in predicting and gambling.
I want to emphasize the importance of a large amount of simulations: we really cannot know beforehand which model will deliver the largest profits, but based on the data from prior seasons, we have a very good approximation. Hence, for future upcoming games, we can train an AI model that ensembles the classifiers that performed the best historically and use that ensemble model in predicting and gambling.
However, in the context of this case study, we can leave the fancy ensemble AI aside and look into the distributions of the individual raw simulations. Swipe the images below to see how fractional Kelly betting strategy affects the profits during the season! The first image visualizes Kelly fraction 16 (kelly/16), i.e., the bet size calculated by Kelly criterion divided by 16. The fraction decreases, i.e., bet size gets larger, as you swipe to the right. The Kelly fraction is also reported in the title of the image.
Discussion
There are two key observations to be made:
Underbetting ensures long term profitability,
Overbetting yields the largest profits, on the condition that the predictions enable profitable betting.
Overbetting is always penalized more than underbetting when the predictions include uncertainty.
The risk averse strategies, namely kelly/16, kelly/10, and kelly/8, are profitable at the end of the season for every individual simulation. The profits are ok, too, medially at 140% – 150%. On the other hand, the risk tolerant strategies, kelly/6, kelly/4 and especially kelly/2, are able to record substantial peak profits. However, the downside of the riskier strategies is most evidently illustrated in the kelly/2 image: overbetting is always penalized more than underbetting when the predictions (that Kelly criterion uses to calculate the bet size) include uncertainty. As a result, the kelly/2 betting strategy barely survives through a full regular season, losing 90% of the starting bankroll, medially.
Consequently, I wouldn't recommend rolling with the plain Kelly criterion, or half Kelly (kelly/2), when the probabilities of the betting event are only estimates. And in sports betting, the predictions are always estimates! Even kelly/4 is usually a suboptimal betting strategy that bends towards excessive overbetting. This is something that the bookmakers "forget" to mention when they promote using the plain Kelly criterion, or when they describe the superiority of the half Kelly strategy.
And by the way, the house doesn't always win. Looking back to older seasons, it didn't win in 2020, or 2019 or 2018 (check out our prior performance here). With optimally selected Kelly fraction, the chances are that the house keeps losing against our predictions also in the future.
Br
Sebastian
Jan 12 2021
Betting for beginners
The sports betting industry offers a wide selection of occurrences and games available for betting, ranging from NHL to political elections. Moreover, for each game/occurrence, the industry has invented enormous amounts of different event types, of which gamblers can make wagers on.
Here we introduce the most common betting event types, in sports betting in general and also for NHL games, as all of them are researched as classification tasks in our analysis models. In addition, all betting event types discussed in this post are available with profitability estimations at oursite.
ODDS EVENT TYPES
The sports betting industry has various event types to offer for their customers. In this post, the most prevalent event types are discussed, and they are referred to with their most common naming conventions, in order to provide coherence throughout the post.
It should be emphasized that some bookmaker companies may use different event type naming and business logics in bet processing in their platforms, but all content at our website follow the event type definitions given here.
Moneyline
Moneyline (ml ) events offer win odds for teams participating in a match or game. In other words, predicting ml outcome means predicting the winner of a match or a game. Therefore, ml events are available for betting only for such games or matches that will have an explicit winner once the game or the match has ended.
In ml gambling, a bet placed for the home team wins if the home team wins the game, and loses if the home team loses the game. Similar conditions apply for bets placed for the away team – bet for away team win succeeds if the away team wins, and loses if the away team loses the game. Ice hockey is an example sport where ml events are wagerable – ice hockey games can be tied after three periods, i.e., regulation time, but ties are decided either with an overtime period and/or a shootout. On the other hand, for example, soccer matches in most leagues and formats can end in a tie, and hence ml events as such are not typically available for soccer.
Threeway
Threeway (1x2 ) events have three possible outcomes: a home team win, an away team win, or a tie. Hence, all games or matches that are possible to record a tie at some point of the game/match, are eligible for 1x2 betting. Such targets are, for instance, ice hockey game result after the regulation time, or full soccer match result (without overtime).
A 1x2 bet for the home or away team wins if the corresponding team wins the game or match. A bet for a tie wins if the game ends in a tie, and loses otherwise. Note that in 1x2 events for hockey games winning either on overtime or in a shootout still counts as a tie, since the bet is placed for the game result at the end of regulation time.
Asian handicap
Asian handicap (ahc ) is a bet event type used to primarily even out the imbalance between the two teams facing each other in a game or match. This results in odds that attract bettors to place bets more evenly for both teams; a less riskier, more lucrative position for the bookmaking companies.
Leveling out the win probabilities for the participating teams is done by posing a handicap on one of the teams: the team's final goal total is either increased (positive handicap) or decreased (negative handicap) by the amount of the handicap value. Consequently, to level the win chances of an underdog team, either a positive handicap value can be added to their goal total – or equivalently with a different notation – a negative handicap value can be subtracted from the goal total of the opposing, favorite team. Moreover, ahc can be used to further increase the imbalance between teams, to offer higher winning odds for the underdog team (and smaller odds for the favorite team). This is achieved by handicapping the underdog team so that the underdog is required to win the game with a goal margin at least larger than the handicap value.
The handicap values, i.e., the values added to or subtracted from one of the team’s goal total, are typically either whole numbers (+/- 1, 2, 3, etc.) or decimal numbers that end with .5 (+/- 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, etc.). The former includes a possibility for tie results, while the latter is used exactly for avoiding tie outcomes.
Let’s consider the game seven of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final as an example of how the handicap values are used in practice. St. Louis Blues won the game 4 - 1 against Boston Bruins. With any handicap value from -0.5 to -2.5 assigned to the Blues, the Blues would still be considered the winner in the ahc context, since they would have 3.5, 2.5 or 1.5 goals remaining, respectively after applying the handicap, all more than the 1 goal by the Bruins. Any positive handicap would also result in a win by the Blues, as the handicap would only increase their goal count above 4. However, a -3 handicap applied for the Blues would result in a 1 - 1 tie, and any handicap smaller than -3 applied for the Blues would result in a win by the Bruins, in the ahc context.
The handicap values available for ahc betting are not limited to the whole and decimal numbers discussed in this section. Some bookmakers offer also quarter handicaps (+/- 0.25, 1.25, 2.25, etc.) and (+/- 0.75, 1.75, 2.75, etc.), whose result interpretation and payout policies may differ between the bookmaker companies. The quarter handicap values are not further discussed, as only the .5 decimal handicap analysis are offered at our site – ahc will be available soon in the game cards for subscribed users!
Over/Under
As handicap value was used to measure goal differences for the ahc events, a goal limit value is used to measure goal amounts for Over/under (o/u ) events. Again, the goal limits are commonly whole numbers (+/- 1, 2, 3, etc.) or decimal numbers that end with .5 (+/- 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, etc.). The goal limit can be used to measure the number of goals scored by either one of the teams, or the total goal amount of the game or match. In our analysis process, we work with decimal goal limits (ending with .5) that measure game total goal amounts in regulation time, i.e, overtime (or shootout) goals are not included in the goal count.
In o/u events, the available bet selections are over or under. Let’s revisit the previously introduced example game: St. Louis Blues won 4 - 1 against Boston Bruins, which results in a goal total of 5 for the game. If the o/u goal limit was 4.5 or lower, the winning selection would have been over. But goal limits 5.5 and higher would have resulted in under selection to win. If the goal limit was exactly 5, the bet would have been invalidated, i.e., the stake would have been returned to the gambler, since neither over nor under won or lost.
Period events
All event types previously discussed are usually also offered as periodical events by the bookmakers. For hockey games, for instance, one can place bets for the winner of the first period (1x2 event), the winner of the second period with a -1.5 handicap on the home team (ahc event), the total goals scored in the third period (o/u event), or the winner of the overtime period (ml event).
Moreover, to give an idea about the large spectrum of odds available at the odds markets, bookmakers can offer odds for the same event types for any arbitrary time period, e.g. for the first 10 minutes of the game, or for the game time frame 40:00 - 45:00.
Odds recap
As already mentioned multiple times, there are a lot of different odds offerings on the market. This post should provide you the basic knowledge about odds since we discussed the most common odds events:
Moneyline (winner)
Threeway (winner or tie)
Over/under (game goal amounts)
Asian handicap (winner with a handicap)
Most of the time, the odds are about winning, and different event types have different conditions for determining the winner. Over/under events provide a nice variation to the mix – if a game doesn't have profitable winner odds to offer, a wide variety of goal amount odds might suit you better.
Now, after reading this post, you are definitely ready to try out our NHL odds predictions, no matter how much (or little) prior gambling experience you have 🎲
Br
Sebastian
Dec 24 2020
NHL Announces the 2021 regular season schedule
Merry Christmas!
NHL delivered the perfect Christmas present for all hockey fans by publishing the complete 2021 regular season schedule. Technically, it's the 2020-21 schedule, but as we have previously learned (e.g. by TSN) the NHL is targeting a January 13th start at the earliest. Now, this is also confirmed by the NHL and the complete regular season schedule is available in their API.
Game dates (and times)
I'm not going to paste the whole season here, since the first days of the season are enough to demonstrate the differences in the shortened and Covid-19 shadowed season. Note that the game start times below are reported in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
Jan. 13
PHI vs. PIT, 22:30
Jan. 14
TOR vs. MTL, 00:00
TBL vs. CHI, 01:00
EDM vs. VAN, 03:00
COL vs. STL, 03:30
Jan. 15
BUF vs. WSH, 00:00
NJD vs. BOS, 00:00
NYR vs. NYI, 00:00
FLA vs. DAL, 00:00
DET vs. CAR, 00:30
NSH vs. CBJ, 01:00
WPG vs. CGY, 01:00
EDM vs. VAN, 02:00
ARI vs. SJS, 02:00
VGK vs. ANA, 03:00
LAK vs. MIN, 03:00
Jan. 16
BUF vs. WSH, 00:00
PHI vs. PIT, 00:00
TBL vs. CHI, 00:00
FLA vs. DAL, 00:00
OTT vs. TOR, 00:00
COL vs. STL, 02:00
NJD vs. BOS, 18:00
ARI vs. SJS, 21:00
As can be seen, back to backs at the same arena are very common. And based on the current schedule data, the trend continues throughout the season.
With the new divisions and playoff seeding, all the back to backs are going to be super exciting especially at the tail end of the season. Winning both of the games in regulation grants 4 standing points while the opposing team gets none – an eight point separation in the standings, in practice. In a playoff race, it will be huge.
New season, new year, new UI
Make sure to follow our predictions when the new season begins! We have a bunch of new updates coming up along with the AI models tuned up for yet another exceptional season!
