The 2021 NHL season heads into its final third and things are beginning to heat up. One of things heating up is Colorado, which hasn’t lost in regulation play since March 8.
Florida and Washington have taken over the lead in their respective divisions and watch out for Nashville, which won eight of its last ten games to move into fourth place in the Central Division.
There are a number of teams to keep an eye on as you navigate betting the remainder of the 2021 NHL season.
Most Profitable
In addition to Washington, there are three more teams up over $600 on the season – Florida, Carolina, and Winnipeg.The Panthers are 29-6-4 and recently took over first place in the Central Division from Tampa Bay.
Carolina is 25-9-3 overall and Winnipeg is 22-13-3. The Hurricanes have been a strong moneyline bet through the season. The Jets own the NHL’s best record against the spread at 29-9.
The New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins are two more profitable teams thus far in 2021. The Islanders are 24-10-3 overall and an impressive 23-15 ATS. Pittsburgh is just 17-21 ATS, but they are a virtual moneyline lock at home. The Penguins are 16-3-1 at PPG Paints Arena.
Minnesota is another profitable home team. The Wild are third in the West at 23-11-2 and the team is 13-3 at home.
NHL GRAND SALAMI & WHY IT IS FUN TO BET
Backing the Capitals in the 2021 NHL Season
What is extremely interesting this 2021 NHL season is the play of the Washington Capitals.
Yes, they still have one of the greatest scorers in league history in Alexander Ovechkin, but he’s aging and, besides, Washington wasn’t really supposed to contend for a Stanley Cup were they?
Regardless of their chances for a Cup, the Caps are a team bettors should continue to watch the remainder of the 2021 NHL season. Thus far, Washington is up $739 for the season. The Caps are 25-9-4 on the season and they are 12-3 SU in their last 15 games.
The Caps are not a solid spread bet. They are actually 0-5 ATS in their last five games. Bettors can also find value in Caps’ totals.
Washington is just 28th in shots per game, but the Caps are second overall in the NHL in scoring average (3.47 goals per game). They are eighth in penalty kill percentage and they don’t give up many power play goals (0.53 per game, 10th).
Because of the Caps’ scoring, the total has gone Over in four of the last five Capitals games. For the season, Washington is 21-15 to the Over.
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Betting Stanley Cup Futures
Reigning Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay has been the favorite to repeat for most of the season. The Lightning are currently listed at +550. Tampa stumbled a bit lately and, as mentioned, was overtaken in the Central Division by Florida, which is a longshot at +2000.
As the season continues, the more the Lightning win the more likely their odds to win the Stanley Cup will shrink. Even without Nikita Kucherov, the Lightning roster is capable of winning another title. History stands in their way though as Pittsburgh in 2016 and 2017 are the only repeat Cup winners since the late 1990s.
Vegas checks in at +650 with West Division rival Colorado at +750. The Avalanche is red-hot recently going 8-0-2 during a 10-game stretch. Colorado has the highest goal differential in the NHL outscoring opponents by 49 goals.
Toronto, an early season favorite, has fallen off a bit. The Maple Leafs (+800) still lead the all-Canadian North Division, but Toronto suffered through a seven-game stretch from March 4 to 19 that saw the team win just one game.
Auston Matthews has 25 goals already and he and Mitch Marner are among the NHL’s top point scorers. Matthews is fourth in the league and Marner is fifth right now.
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2021 NHL Season Totals
If you’re looking to capitalize on totals for the remainder of the 2021 NHL season, keep an eye on the Philadelphia Flyers. They are nothing spectacular, but the Flyers score enough and are just bad enough defensively to lead the league in Overs at 25-11.
Philly is 14th in scoring averaging 3.03 goals per game. On the defensive end, the Flyers rank 30th allowing 3.67 goals per game. In a game where totals usually fall between 5.5 and 6.5, it’s easy to see why the Flyers have so many Overs.
