Tweet
NHL at the Break: Who's the Hottest?
Find out which teams to keep any eye on with the latest edition of the NHL Power Rankings
Hockey is an often over-looked option for sports bettors, but sharp cappers know there can be major value found on the ice.
1. Tampa Bay (-215) – The Bolts are the new No. 1 after winning eight of their last nine, including a win over former top team, Chicago.
2. Washington (-212) – An overtime loss to Philadelphia keeps Washington out of the top spot this week. The Caps are starting to show a bad habit of losing to bad teams.
3. Chicago (-210) – The Blackhawks have cooled considerably, especially on offense with just three goals in the last four games as of Thursday. An injury to Jonathan Toews has to have the Windy City worried.
4. Florida (-200) – The found their groove with two huge wins over Chicago and Tampa Bay, then picked apart the hapless Leafs. The Panthers netted 14 total goals in those games.
5. NY Rangers (-193) – The Blueshirts took advantage of a very soft schedule in the last week and don’t have too much resistance in the next five games either, playing the Flyers, Pens, Wild, and Devils twice.
6. Los Angeles (-190) – Vincent Lecavalier has points in six of his first 10 games with L.A., totaling four goals and two assists.
7. Anaheim (-185) – The Ducks are hot but are in the headlines for the wrong reasons: Shawn Horcoff is banned for using PEDs and Clayton Stoner was illegally hunting bears. C’mon!
8. St. Louis (-180) – Injuries are starting to catch up to the Blues, who have dropped two straight after winning five of their previous six games.
9. Boston (-173) – Scary moment for the Bruins with G Jonas Gustavsson leaves the game with heart issues. Although it seems he should be OK and good to go soon.
10. Pittsburgh (-170) – Evgeni Malkin has eight points in the past six games, keeping the Pens afloat with three straight wins and a 4-1-1 record in that span.
11. NY Islanders (-165) – The Islanders keep leaning on their defense to get the job done, ranked No. 2 in penalty kill (87.2) in the NHL.
12. Dallas (-163) – No team in the NHL is happier to see the calendar flip to February than the Stars. Dallas is 3-6-2 in January as of Thursday.
13. San Jose (-155) – San Jose is the hottest team in the NHL right now, but I’m a little apprehensive to move them higher. The Sharks have points in 10 straight games but have faced a bulk of basement teams during this streak.
14. Nashville (-150) - Ryan Johansen is finding his place with his new organization and has helped the Preds catch fire over the last four games.
15. Detroit (-147) – The Red Wings slide back, not because of play but because teams behind them in the rankings are playing better hockey.
16. New Jersey (-145) – The Devils had their four-game streak cooled by the Penguins. Can New Jersey return to that winning form after an extended All-Star hiatus.
17. Arizona (-140) – The Coyotes enter the break by scoring two of fewer goals in six of their last seven games.
18. Calgary (-130) – Dennis Wideman’s stupid, stupid, stupid hit on a linesman is the cherry on top of the crap sundae that has been Calgary’s three-game losing skid.
19. Colorado (-125) – The young Avs have won five of their last six games, heading into the break, and hate to see the schedule shut down for a few days during the All-Star celebrations.
20. Carolina (-117) – Cam Ward has been activated and will get some extra time to recover from a concussion due to the All-Star break.
21. Philadelphia (-115) – The Flyers had dropped three in a row before winning at Washington in overtime as a monster +195 underdog.
22. Ottawa (-110) - Erik Karlsson took the All-Star break as an opportunity to fire some shade at the Sens front office, stating that Ottawa was a “budget team” without any “high-skilled” players. That’s not captain talk.
23. Columbus (+100) – Nothing cures a three-game losing skid like a double dose of the Habs. The Jackets scored 10 total goals in a home-and-home with Montreal.
24. Montreal (+107) – And speaking of the Canadiens, can you believe this team was No. 1 in our NHL power rankings not that long ago. The All-Star break can’t come soon enough for the Habs.
25. Minnesota (+110) – 2016 has been cruel to the Wild, who have won only three of their 13 games this month for a measly eight points.
26. Vancouver (+113) – Three losses in their final four games before the break have the Canucks falling further back in the playoff race and leaving little hope for Canadian hockey fans.
27. Winnipeg (+117) – The Jets at least go into the break with a win over Arizona, snapping a three game skid and giving the club just its third win in the past nine outings.
28. Buffalo (+123) – The Sabres scored three goals in each of their final two games before the break, which is something their offense has done only a handful of times thanks to the 28th ranked scoring attack in the NHL.
29. Edmonton (+130) – The Oilers are eager to get Connor McDavid back on the ice. He might be the only reason to watch Edmonton in the second half of the season.
30. Toronto (+133) – For the first time in a long time, Toronto sports fans are wishing away hockey season and counting down the days until Blue Jays’ Opening Day.
*Power Ratings compute offensive and defensive statistics into one number for each team, while accounting for factors like recent performances and strength of schedule. Power Ratings can be used as a baseline for relative spread index to compare current or future match-ups between two teams. The relative spread does not account for non-statistical factors like home-field advantage, recent injuries, game time decisions, rivalries, publicity, and weather.*
Enjoy the All-Star festivities!
Find out which teams to keep any eye on with the latest edition of the NHL Power Rankings
Hockey is an often over-looked option for sports bettors, but sharp cappers know there can be major value found on the ice.
1. Tampa Bay (-215) – The Bolts are the new No. 1 after winning eight of their last nine, including a win over former top team, Chicago.
2. Washington (-212) – An overtime loss to Philadelphia keeps Washington out of the top spot this week. The Caps are starting to show a bad habit of losing to bad teams.
3. Chicago (-210) – The Blackhawks have cooled considerably, especially on offense with just three goals in the last four games as of Thursday. An injury to Jonathan Toews has to have the Windy City worried.
4. Florida (-200) – The found their groove with two huge wins over Chicago and Tampa Bay, then picked apart the hapless Leafs. The Panthers netted 14 total goals in those games.
5. NY Rangers (-193) – The Blueshirts took advantage of a very soft schedule in the last week and don’t have too much resistance in the next five games either, playing the Flyers, Pens, Wild, and Devils twice.
6. Los Angeles (-190) – Vincent Lecavalier has points in six of his first 10 games with L.A., totaling four goals and two assists.
7. Anaheim (-185) – The Ducks are hot but are in the headlines for the wrong reasons: Shawn Horcoff is banned for using PEDs and Clayton Stoner was illegally hunting bears. C’mon!
8. St. Louis (-180) – Injuries are starting to catch up to the Blues, who have dropped two straight after winning five of their previous six games.
9. Boston (-173) – Scary moment for the Bruins with G Jonas Gustavsson leaves the game with heart issues. Although it seems he should be OK and good to go soon.
10. Pittsburgh (-170) – Evgeni Malkin has eight points in the past six games, keeping the Pens afloat with three straight wins and a 4-1-1 record in that span.
11. NY Islanders (-165) – The Islanders keep leaning on their defense to get the job done, ranked No. 2 in penalty kill (87.2) in the NHL.
12. Dallas (-163) – No team in the NHL is happier to see the calendar flip to February than the Stars. Dallas is 3-6-2 in January as of Thursday.
13. San Jose (-155) – San Jose is the hottest team in the NHL right now, but I’m a little apprehensive to move them higher. The Sharks have points in 10 straight games but have faced a bulk of basement teams during this streak.
14. Nashville (-150) - Ryan Johansen is finding his place with his new organization and has helped the Preds catch fire over the last four games.
15. Detroit (-147) – The Red Wings slide back, not because of play but because teams behind them in the rankings are playing better hockey.
16. New Jersey (-145) – The Devils had their four-game streak cooled by the Penguins. Can New Jersey return to that winning form after an extended All-Star hiatus.
17. Arizona (-140) – The Coyotes enter the break by scoring two of fewer goals in six of their last seven games.
18. Calgary (-130) – Dennis Wideman’s stupid, stupid, stupid hit on a linesman is the cherry on top of the crap sundae that has been Calgary’s three-game losing skid.
19. Colorado (-125) – The young Avs have won five of their last six games, heading into the break, and hate to see the schedule shut down for a few days during the All-Star celebrations.
20. Carolina (-117) – Cam Ward has been activated and will get some extra time to recover from a concussion due to the All-Star break.
21. Philadelphia (-115) – The Flyers had dropped three in a row before winning at Washington in overtime as a monster +195 underdog.
22. Ottawa (-110) - Erik Karlsson took the All-Star break as an opportunity to fire some shade at the Sens front office, stating that Ottawa was a “budget team” without any “high-skilled” players. That’s not captain talk.
23. Columbus (+100) – Nothing cures a three-game losing skid like a double dose of the Habs. The Jackets scored 10 total goals in a home-and-home with Montreal.
24. Montreal (+107) – And speaking of the Canadiens, can you believe this team was No. 1 in our NHL power rankings not that long ago. The All-Star break can’t come soon enough for the Habs.
25. Minnesota (+110) – 2016 has been cruel to the Wild, who have won only three of their 13 games this month for a measly eight points.
26. Vancouver (+113) – Three losses in their final four games before the break have the Canucks falling further back in the playoff race and leaving little hope for Canadian hockey fans.
27. Winnipeg (+117) – The Jets at least go into the break with a win over Arizona, snapping a three game skid and giving the club just its third win in the past nine outings.
28. Buffalo (+123) – The Sabres scored three goals in each of their final two games before the break, which is something their offense has done only a handful of times thanks to the 28th ranked scoring attack in the NHL.
29. Edmonton (+130) – The Oilers are eager to get Connor McDavid back on the ice. He might be the only reason to watch Edmonton in the second half of the season.
30. Toronto (+133) – For the first time in a long time, Toronto sports fans are wishing away hockey season and counting down the days until Blue Jays’ Opening Day.
*Power Ratings compute offensive and defensive statistics into one number for each team, while accounting for factors like recent performances and strength of schedule. Power Ratings can be used as a baseline for relative spread index to compare current or future match-ups between two teams. The relative spread does not account for non-statistical factors like home-field advantage, recent injuries, game time decisions, rivalries, publicity, and weather.*
Enjoy the All-Star festivities!