2021 Regular Season Analytics for All NHL Teams
Analytics can be a very useful tool when handicapping NHL games.
Analytics are even more meaningful with excessive data. The more data we have, the more likely the results are to be accurate insofar as predicting future outcomes.
Many websites exists which provide reliable analytics. I suggest looking at season-long data, as well as shorter-term data. Short term data means within the last 5 of 10 games (some sites show more recent results, which should be weighed into handciapping since teams will often improve or decline as the season goes along).
Now, more than four months into the 2021 season, we have a wealth of information that's available to us.
Here's the latest data from a site called EV Analytics:
NOTE: PUCKLINE RESULTS (POINTSPREAD RESULTS)
Here are a few major takeaways, keeping in mind these are puckline or against-the-spread results:
(1) Winnepeg Jets are the best return-on-investment this season. Betting on the Jets every game on the puckline would have netted a +21.41 percent return.
(2) The New York Rangers have been the other big moneymaker. Surprisingly, the Rangers have generated +18.85 percent profits betting them in each game this season.
(3) The Buffalo Sabres may have the worst record in the NHL, and they've burned their backers, but the St. Louis Blues have been the worst bet of the season overall. Betting St. Louis has given their backers the blues, to the tune of -27.70 in losses.
(4) Another surprise – Despite being in first place and likely to win the North Division, the Toronto Maples Leafs have been a bad bet on the puckline. Toronto has cost its backers an average of -15.73 percent per wager.
(5) Finally, only 9 teams have produced a profit by betting them blind, which means 70 percent of all teams have lost money for their backers. Winnipeg, NY Rangers, and NY Islanders are the only 3 teams with a +10 percent ROI this season.
