NHL Hockey Betting: Most Profitable Teams as of October 27, 2019
Most of the NHL hockey teams have played 10 or more games in the 2019-2020 regular season and it’s a good time to update their success (or failure) at the betting window. We’ll do this in several installments starting in this article with a rundown of the most profitable teams against the NHL hockey odds. This will be followed by a rundown of the biggest money losers in the NHL. We’ll also look at the over/under tendencies of NHL teams later this week. All records and stats are complete as of October 27, 2019:
MOST PROFITABLE NHL HOCKEY BETTING TEAMS AS OF 10/27/19
BUFFALO SABRES +7.4 UNITS
The Buffalo Sabres are tied with the Washington Capitals for the best record in the NHL at 9-2-1 and since they came into the season with relatively low expectations that has made them extremely profitable. The Sabres are scoring a ton of goals and rank #7 in team offense putting up 3.42 scores per game. They’re also defending well and are currently 7-T with the Pittsburgh Penguins allowing just 2.50 goals per game. Their 0.92 differential between goals scored and goals allowed is the fourth best in the NHL behind Colorado, Boston and Nashville. They’ve got the #4 power play hitting on 28.9% of man advantage opportunities though their penalty kill has been somewhat middling at #16 (81.1%). Sabres’ Captain Jack Eichel just keeps getting better and better. When he came into the league many expected him to be a goal scoring sniper a la New York Islanders’ great Mike Bossy but he’s become an extremely well rounded player and a solid team leader. Eichel currently leads the team in goals (6), assists (10) and points (16). Victor Olofsson has become deadly on the power play with 6 goals and 2 assists in man advantage situations. Carter Hutton has been very good in goal with a 6-1 record and a 2.27 goals against average and backup Linus Ullmark has a 3-1-1 record. For some reason, there’s a perception that Buffalo’s performance has been a fluke but statistics don’t lie and the deeper we get into the season the more valid they are. Buffalo is playing well in every phase of the game and their current futures price to win the Stanley Cup (+1400) will only get lower.
COLORADO AVALANCHE (+5.8 UNITS)
The overall league table as well as the Western Conference standings are getting tighter but Colorado continues to play solid hockey and check in with a record of 8-2-1 for 17 points. That puts them into a tie with Edmonton for the best record in the West and gives them the #4 record in the league behind Buffalo, Washington and Boston. They’ve had some injuries to deal with, the most serious being a lower body injury to top line right winger Mikko Rantanen. He’s on injured reserve and listed with a ‘lower body injury’. He got his skate caught in some choppy ice and it caused his foot to twist awkwardly so that suggests it’s an ankle injury. Avs head coach Jared Bednar didn’t shed much light on his prognosis with this update: "He's week-to-week. ... I should know more early next week.” The coach did add that he doesn’t expect it to be in the ‘four to six week range’. Avs are now second behind Nashville (4.09) in goals scored per game with 4.00. They’ve been decent on defense as well allowing 2.73 goals per game (#11) and that combination gives them the best goals scored/allowed differential in the NHL at 1.27. The power play has been decent (#11 at 22.7%) and they’ve got the #7 penalty kill (85.7%). They’ll hit a tough scheduling stretch in early November that has them playing 7 of their first 9 games of the month on the road. Avs down to +1200 to win the Stanley Cup and like the Sabres it’s doubtful that you’ll find a better price on them this season.
BOSTON BRUINS (+4.8 UNITS)
Where have we seen this before? The Bruins have started the season strong and are one back of the Sabres and Capitals for the best record in the East. At 8-1-2 and 18 points they’ve won three straight and have yet to lose in regulation at the TD Garden. They’ve not scoring a ton of goals and rank #18 in team offense putting up 2.90 per game but their defense and goaltending has been downright nasty. The Bruins are currently the only team in the league allowing fewer than two goals per game (1.90) and it’s a fair distance to second place where the Anaheim Ducks are allowing 2.17 goals per game. That gives them a 1.00 goals scored/allowed differential good for #3 in the league. Although the Bruins are middle of the pack in goals scored per game they’ve got the best power play in hockey hitting on 34.4% of man advantage chances and the #5 penalty kill at 86.2%. They’re also priced at +1200 to win the Stanley Cup but their relatively low goals per game is a concern. Then again, they’ve been so good in every other phase of the game it might not be as big of an issue as I’m thinking.
HONORABLE MENTION—NEW YORK ISLANDERS +4.5 UNITS
The Islanders have very quietly become the hottest team in hockey. They’ve made +4.5 units for their ‘financial backers’ this year which is #5 in the league but they’ve won 7 straight and have moved into fourth place overall in the Eastern Conference with a 8-3-0 record for 16 points. Their streak will be tested this weekend as they play back to back games against Tampa Bay at home on Friday and at Buffalo on Saturday. Pay attention to those games. Right now, the Islanders are +1600 to win the Stanley Cup and that sure sounds low for their form. The Arizona Coyotes are also +1600 and they’re nowhere near as good.
