Need a Profile for Winning NHL Wagers?

All of us have heard endlessly that defense wins championships, which is fine if you are betting in the postseason of a particular sport or the final game or series of games. However, the vast majority of action occurs during the regular season in any every sport, giving us countless more chances to win. With the NHL on the backside of their regular season, decided to see what characteristics one could find in determining winning hockey wagers.

Other than in Canada, the vast majority of people are now betting the money line in the NHL, based on its simplicity of having winners and losers, without a puck line (spread) to deal with. Here is the list of the Top 5 money-making teams in the NHL at this given moment with their true won/loss records.

1) Boston 38-14 +19 units
2) San Jose 36-12 +13.9 units
3) Washington 33-19 +10 units
4) New Jersey 32-19 +9.7 units
5) Calgary 30-20 +5.7 units

It is not a coincidence that each of these five teams leads their respective divisions. The only team missing is Detroit, who should creep back up in this list; however, they are like the New York Yankees, with bloated numbers placed on them. When the Red Wings lose as -200 to -300 favorites, it takes a toll trying to recoup those losses.

What do these teams do that separates them from the pack to win games and beat betting lines, they score goals. Fine, it’s not solving the current financial crisis; nonetheless it opens the door to potential wagering wealth. Here are the top scoring teams in the NHL.

1) Detroit
2) Boston
3) Washington
4) San Jose
5) Chicago

If you score on a consistent basis, your chances of winning are significantly increased. I know this sounds like Fox’s Tim McCarver in stating the obvious, but too often we can become overindulged in trying to find every edge imaginable, we lose sight of the obvious. Noted baseball expert and historian Bill James, probably said it best, “The idea of team sports is to score more than the other team.” Detroit making this group is not a surprise and Chicago actually has a winning record for the first time in years (28-21), because, they can score.

Next I took a gander at the importance of fast starts in a game and looked at from two angles. The first part of this study was to understand importance of scoring first and secondly, what scoring goals in the first period meant.

Scoring First
1) Detroit
2) San Jose
3) Vancouver
4) Boston
5) Philadelphia

In the 2008-09 campaign, seeing three of the top four teams here is not earth-shattering, as they pounce on opponents and keep the pressure on for 60 minutes. Philadelphia is close to showing a profit, with Vancouver the only anomaly. New Jersey and Washington are one goal behind Philadelphia, thus right in the mix.

Goals Scored 1st Period

1) San Jose
2) Chicago
3) Washington
4) Detroit
5) Boston

Very similar to above, as the more talented squads are able to secure an early lead and force the competition to play catch-up, which has been shown this season, the opposing teams don’t do very well.

The next category was team’s abilities to either close out games or come from behind which either did or could lead to victory. Deeper, more talented clubs have the resources to wear down inferior opposition and win presumably close games. Here are the best teams for goals scored in the 3rd period.

1) Boston
2) Washington
3) Detroit
4) Atlanta
5) Calgary

By now, the picture should start to look like a Vizio flat panel HDTV.

To wrap up our study of profiling winning bets in the NHL, we addressed the segment of power play goals. Since the strike season, a greater emphasis has been placed on special teams, meaning those that can either score with man advantage situations or are skilled as penalty killers, have a distinct edge in most games. Staying with our theme of scoring goals, hockey teams that can put the pressure on in the offensive zone have a real advantage. This can lead to opposing teams being out of position, playing scared, trying to not make a miscue. This can lead to goals or taking penalties, which leads to more scoring chances for these offensive-minded clubs. Here are the top 5 teams in power play goals scored this year.

1) Detroit
2) San Jose
3) Washington
4) St. Louis
5) Boston

Living in a very complicated world, sometimes taking the easiest route can be the most profitable.