2023 NHL Money Betting Stats, Winners and Losers Analysis

NHL Money Winners and Losers

NHL money betting stats reveal many angles that bettors should consider heading into the latter part of the season. The NHL team standings doesn’t always indicate those teams are automatic wagers.

There are just 12 hockey teams that have turned a profit this season, with three owning a losing record. That’s enough to make your head hurt. There are some techniques that you can use to decipher which teams with great records are the squads to back down the stretch and which teams with poor records deserve a second look. 

Teams To Bet Down the Stretch

The Boston Bruins lead the National League in overall points and in total units won (+1171) through 51 games. Their upcoming schedule falls in the middle of the pack as far as the strength of the schedule goes. They have two meetings with the Montreal Canadiens coming up that you can mark down as wins now, but their next five are against teams over .500, or at least what the NHL calls .500.

Since 2005, the Bruins have been the most reliable franchise to bet with 7,672 units won and that’s on the puckline where they’re tops once again in 2022-23 with 1369 units won.

As an overall favorite, Boston is 25-16, +1392 units with 1172 of those units coming as a road favorite where they own a 12-4 record. Barring a major hockey injury, the Bruins are as safe of a wager moving forward as anyone in the league.

The biggest surprise in the league is by far the Seattle Kraken who have the third easiest schedule remaining. They have three games against the Dallas Stars but with three games against the Arizona Coyotes and two against the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks, the Kraken will surely stay in the hunt to win the Pacific Division.

Seattle is in the best spot for bettors when on the road after amassing 1280 units away from Climate Pledge Arena. That should be the strategy moving forward because the lines will get out of control at home against their weak schedule, but on the road, you should still get a decent number to run with.

Seattle is 16-8 on the road with wins in Los Angeles Kings, Boston, Toronto, and Colorado and 21-8 as a puckline dog (+313 units). The Kraken may not win the division, but they will be a reliable wager the rest of the way.

We’ve stated in previous columns that it’s our opinion that the New Jersey Devils will face the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Final. The Devils have three games with the Tampa Lightning and just one against division rival Carolina.

Their strength of schedule remaining ranks 11th but we like when the best NHL teams have a strong schedule because that means there is still money to be won because we won’t have to play money lines that exceed the -200 threshold that destroys bankrolls.

Only 11 times have the Devils been a favorite of -200 or more; they were 6-3 in those games, but a loss as a -300 favorite against the Flyers ensured a losing mark (-37 units) despite winning six of nine.

The best spot to play the Devils is as a dog where they’ve compiled a 19-5 record (+1237 units), second only to Seattle (+1280 units).

What Should We Do With These Teams?

The Habs fall into this category because, despite a 20-31 record, the team has turned a profit of 389 units. That’s not an indication of how well they’re progressing, that’s a signal that this team has such little respect among bookmakers that 20 victories were enough to swallow up 31 losses against the moneyline.

To make it even more confusing, Montreal is 26-25 against the puck line but has lost 610 units. This is a difficult position for most bettors because backing le Bleu-Blanc-Rougue, you will lose on most nights, putting players in an enjoyable position.

The numbers look good but with three games against Carolina Hurricanes, two against Boston, New Jersey, Toronto, and Tampa Bay left it’s hard to see where those unexpected wins are coming from. 

Unlike Montreal, we think there will be some chances for the Coyotes to cash some big plus money winners over their next 31 NHL games. Don’t get it twisted, we’re not suggesting for a second that Arizona is a team that should be a consistent bet-on option, but they do have three wins in their last five games and two straight victories as a +185 (Golden Knights) and +205 (Minnesota Wild).

Of their remaining 31 games, they’ll be +200 in 17 of those games with two others being a possibility. The Coyotes are 27-24 against the puckline (-175 units) an indication that they are playing hard and not getting blown out like the last two NHL seasons where they were a combined 66-70 (-978 units) against the puckline.

Moving forward, don’t hesitate to back the Coyotes, but like the Canadiens, expect some losses, if you want to avoid that then you can also ride with the ‘Yotes on the puckline.

The Orange and Black have squeezed out a profit this season with a win percentage that barely glides over .400. We feel good about the Philadelphia Flyers moving forward but not straight-up, we’d rather have Philly on a puck line ticket where they have been terrific, winning 1011 units with a 35-17 record.

When Philadelphia hired John Tortorella many thought it wasn’t a good fit, but we felt it was the perfect formula for long-term success. Torts has ruffled some feathers this season, but no one can say that the Flyers have given up and that’s all you can ask when looking for teams who will be on the receiving end of a fair puck line number. Philadelphia is 31-13 as a puck line underdog (+800 units), which is the best mark in the NHL by far. That’s the best situation to keep on riding the Flyers over the next 30 games.

Stay Away Teams

We know the usual suspects. No one is thinking they’re going to create a fat bankroll betting on the San Jose Sharks, Columbus Blue Jackets, or Anaheim Ducks.

Let’s focus on teams that we think are above-average clubs but should be avoided moving forward. The Buffalo Sabres have been a terrific story and will likely make the NHL postseason, but with a schedule that is the fourth most difficult, we think this is where we say goodbye to the fairytale.

They play the Bruins, Devils, Leafs, and Lightning twice with the Hurricanes and Stars sprinkled in. With a horrific penalty kill (73.3%) and a defense that allows almost 33 shots a night, it’s not likely Buffalo will continue to be profitable. 

After a 13-3 start, the VGK has gone from a Stanley Cup contender to a team that has cost moneyline bettors money. Vegas has yet to show us its identity mostly because it can’t stay healthy long enough to establish one.

We have no idea who this team is with a 24-28 puckline record (-514 units). Until they can regain their magic at home, we’re afraid they will never reveal how bettors should think of them.

After throwing out the 2021 NHL season where they were 21-7 as the ‘home’ team, the Golden Knights were 97-63 at ‘The Fortress’, a win percentage of 61%, but this year they are just 14-13 and have bad losses to teams like the Detroit Redwings as a -170 favorite and the Arizona Coyotes as a stunning -205 favorite.

No matter how up against the salary cap it appears the Knights are, you can bet that GM Kelly McCrimmon and President George McPhee will not stand pat. Perhaps after the third, we’ll have a glimpse of an identity. 

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