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Looking for NHL predictions, tips, and analysis? You are in the right place. Just read on for a full briefing.
Teams to watch for the NHL season
Contents
It goes without saying that all NHL teams aspire to lift the NHL trophy at the end of the season. After all, if they didn’t believe that this was possible, there would be no point in playing in the league, to begin with. On that note, there are several teams that are tipped by the bookmakers to potentially win the Stanley Cup for the 2020/2021 season.
The first of these teams is Colorado Avalanche, who is tipped by almost every single bookmaker as the favorite to win. These guys definitely underperformed in the previous season, especially when you look at the stars that they have in their roster. However, fans and players alike will be hoping that Colorado can overturn these shortcomings in the 20/21 season and lift the trophy.
Secondly, most Canadian sportsbooks have the Vegas Golden Knights as second in line to claim the Championships. These guys did quite well in the 19/20 season, losing out just one round shy of the Stanley Cup final. There is no denying that the Vegas Golden Knights are a talented team, and if players like Reid Duke and William Carrier can gel together, there is absolutely no reason that these guys cannot win the title. They are definitely a team to watch ahead of the 20/21 Stanley Cup.
Last but not least, Tampa Bay Lightning is certainly hot contenders this season. If you can cast your mind back to last season, Tampa Bay Lightning managed to make the final before losing out to the Dallas Stars. The squad from last season has undergone quite a change, although many people believe that the Stars still have a great shot at victory, as reflected in the bookmaker odds for this team as well.
NHL season – predicted winners
While the odds are incredibly competitive at all of these three bookmakers, it is clear that Colorado Avalanche is the team that all have tipped for NHL glory. Even though this team is only listed narrowly ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights, it is still clear that Colorado Avalanche is the unanimous favorite. Of course, we will need to wait many months before we see whether these NHL predictions will come true, but the bookmakers obviously come up with these odds through complex statistical models and in-depth analysis.
That’s why the odds that you see at these sites are usually a pretty good representation of the true chance of victory for each individual team.
Potential NHL underdogs
We’ve talked a lot about the favorites for the NHL title so far, yet we haven’t gone into too much detail on teams that could potentially upset the odds and claim victory. This is precisely why we’ve put this quick section together, and each of the teams mentioned has odds that are much higher than the favorites.
Philadelphia Flyers
The first underdog team we’d like to draw your attention to is the Philadelphia Flyers. These guys aren’t on many punters’ radars right now, but when you look into the odds for the outright markets for this team, the value is just huge. As you may remember, the Flyers were devastating in the Metropolitan Division last season, and the team is looking as dangerous as ever for the upcoming NHL season.
Boston Bruins
While the Philadelphia Flyers were busy making their way to a second-place finish in the Metropolitan Division, the Boston Bruins were busy winning the Atlantic Division. These guys racked up a rather impressive 44 regular-season wins, although they couldn’t quite manage to replicate this form in the Stanley Cup. However, it’s clear that the Bruins can truly do some damage to the best teams, which is why they are a good shout.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs actually didn’t do all that well last season, but ahead of this year’s season, there have been many exciting changes to the roster. So, following the rather disappointing finish to last season, the players, coaching team, and fans alike will no doubt be hungry for Stanley Cup success. Taking all of this into account, it’s no real surprise that the Toronto Maple Leafs have made it inside the top 6 or 7 teams for victory at the Stanley Cup, as indicated by the odds at our recommended bookmakers.
Picking bookmakers with the best odds
As you can see from the table above, there are two bookmakers that both offer incredibly competitive odds for the NHL outright markets. These two bookmakers are William Hill and Sports Interaction, and the odds don’t actually fluctuate all that much between the two. Of course, the odds displayed in the table are for the NHL outright markets, but both bookmakers also offer reasonable odds for each individual NHL game too.
As you can imagine, while the odds are accurate at the time of writing, there is still plenty of hockey and other changes that will occur between now and next year. For that reason, we would encourage you to check back for the most up to date odds at the mentioned sites when you can.
Common NHL wagers to consider making
Outright winner
This bet is consistent with what we have been talking about throughout this post. Basically, the outright winner market is the one that is attached to the ultimate winner of the Stanley Cup. This market usually has quite high odds, especially if you decide to make your wagers before the season even begins. This is because a lot can happen through an NHL season, but if you lock in your bet early, you can potentially unlock some extra value.
Handicap
This market is ideal for when you see a strong NHL team go up against a weaker one. Of course, when this is the case, you won’t find very appealing odds in the main moneyline market, which is when you should start to look at the handicap market. This is where you can bet that the favorite will win the game by a set number of points, and the odds can occasionally be significantly higher.
Over/under
In hockey, there are many statistics that are monitored, yet the main statistic is the number of goals that the team puts on the scoreboard. After all, this is what decides hockey games in the first place, and you can actually bet using the over/under market for this. This can be for the total goals in a game or total goals for each individual game – the choice is yours.
Moneyline
Rather than trying to pick which team will win the Stanley Cup, you can always focus on individual games and try to predict the winner. This is what’s referred to as the ‘moneyline’, and it is usually one of the main markets that you will find on all bookmaker sites. Depending on how competitive or unpredictable a game is estimated to be, you might find quite competitive odds, but you can also find quite low odds on favorite teams.
NHL 2024 Special Bets
MVP for the season
Like many other major leagues that are played out within Canada and the USA, there are usually MVP markets that you can explore. Of course, this is based on individual players rather than team efforts, and the odds can be huge for this market.
Conference winner
While the outright markets apply to the NHL winners overall, you can actually bet on which team will win their own respective conferences. Of course, this is what determines the teams that will compete in the Stanley Cup.
Individual goal scorers
For each individual game, you will be able to wager on who the individual goal scorers might be. You can actually make these wagers in both the prematch markets and the in-play markets, and it is quite an exciting market to follow.
Make it to playoffs
Just like you can bet on which team will win their own conferences, you can also bet whether a team will make it to the playoffs or not. While you won’t find great odds for teams that are predicted to go far in the Stanley Cup, you can find appealing odds for those teams that will struggle to make it.
Top 3 types of bets to choose
We’ve talked about many different bets in the previous two sections, but out of all of the possible wagers you can make, we’d suggest sticking to the following three:
- Moneyline (individual games)
- Conference winner
- NHL outright winner
These markets are all easy to understand, and the odds can be quite competitive depending on the time that you are making your wager.
NHL hockey – FAQs
What is NHL outright betting?
NHL outright betting is when you are backing the team that will potentially win the Stanley Cup.
Who will win NHL 2024?
While we cannot say with any certainty, the favorite two teams right now include Colorado Avalanche and the Vegas Golden Knights.
How to bet on NHL?
Before you can make any of the wagers we have mentioned above, you must actually choose a betting site and get yourself registered.
Where to bet on NHL?
In order to bet on the NHL, it is necessary for you to create an account at an online bookmaker that is based in Canada.
Are there any free bets for NHL 2024?
Absolutely. When you join a betting site as a new customer you will get some free bets, and you can also find free bets throughout the course of the season too.
Where is the NHL 2020/2021 final?
Like other leagues in the USA/Canada, the final location will not be determined until we know what teams are involved.
Where is the NHL held?
The NHL season is split into four different conferences, with games being played throughout the USA and Canada.
What date is the NHL 2024?
The NHL governing body is currently hoping for a January 1st start to the 2020/2021 season.
