at the Christmas Break. The GOOD, The BAD and The UGLY

[LeRinkRat]

The GOOD

Tampa Bay Lightning: the "Bugs" 1st in the league, Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division with 58 points in 37 games played 6 points up on the Toronto Maple Leafs in all three. BEST team per game goals for average at 4:08 and for/against differential at 1.22

Toronto Maple Leafs: see "Bugs". the Leafs are 2nd in the league. Eastern Conference and Atlantic with 52 points in 37 games. 2nd only to the Bugs in team per game goals average and differential with 3.78 and 1.00

Washington Capitals: 1st in Metro Division with 47 points in 35 games played 2 up on the Columbus Bluejackets and 5 up on the Pittsburgh Penguins who have both played 36 games. Alex Ovechkin leads the race for the Rocket Richard trophy yet AGAIN this season with 29 goals 3 ahead of the Sabres Jeff Skinner

Winnipeg Jets: 1st in the Western Conference and Central Division with 50 points in 36 games played 3 points up on the Calgary Flames and 4 over the Nashville Predators

Calgary Flames: 2nd Western Conference and 1st Pacific Division with 47 points 2 up on San Jose Sharks, 3 up on Vegas Golden Knights and 4 up on Anaheim Ducks in their division

The BAD

LA Kings: bottom of the Western Conference and Pacific Division with just 31 points in 37 games played BUT did win their last three games vs Jets 4-1, @ Sharks 3-2 (OT) and @ VGK 4-3 (OT)

New Jersey Devils: bottom of Eastern Conference and Metro Division with just 31 points in 35 games. 4th worst team goals against average in the league with a 3.51

Chicago Blackhawks: tied bottom of Central Division and tied 2nd from bottom of league and Western Conference with just 32 points in 39 games played. have the 2nd worst team goals against average of 3.69 vs a goals for of 2.85 the WORST for/against differential in the league

St Louis Blues: same situation as Blackhawks only with just 34 games played for 32 points

The UGLY

Vegas Golden Knights: 44 points in 39 games played does put them currently in 3rd Pacific Division BUT are just 7-5 in Divisional games so far where they dominated last season and just LOST their last two home games @ T-Mobile Arena to the Canadiens and Kings both in OT. goalie Marc-Andre Fleury tied for the league lead in wins with 20 on 34 starts BUT looked to be getting "over worked" the OT losses his last two AND backup Malcolm Subban has LOST all 5 of his starts this season

Florida Panthers: my Cats with 36 points in 35 games played and have the 5th worst goals against average in the league with a 3.49. a team with their "young gun" lineup that can score "like a rabbit on a date" when they get it going should NOT be 8 points out of a playoff spot. same old WEAK D & G yet again this season

Ottawa Senators: bottom of the Atlantic with 34 points on 37 games played and tied for 2nd from bottom in Eastern Conference. they have the WORST team goals against average in the league with 3.89 vs a goals for of only 3.19

Philadelphia Flyers: tied with Senators 2nd from the bottom of Eastern Conference and 2nd from bottom of Metro Division to only the Devils with 43 points in 35 games played. 3rd worst team goals against in the league at 3.57

Edmonton Oilers: once again Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and company disappoint so far this season with just 39 points in 36 games good enough to currently hold the 2nd Wild Card in the West BUT with the Dallas Stars and (of all teams) the Vancouver Canucks hot on their tail

OPINIONS ??? :hockeyref:

 

[LeRinkRat]

futures odds at Christmas break

Eastern Conference William-Hill / Westgate
Lightning 5-2 / 5-2
Maple Leafs 7-2 / 4-1
Capitals 5-1 / 5-1
Penguins 5-1 / 6-1
Bruins 13-2 / 7-1
Bluejackets 10-1 / 12-1
Sabres 15-1 / 15-1
Islanders 22-1 / 40-1
Canadiens 28-1 / 25-1
Hurricanes 30-1 / 30-1
Flyers 50-1 / 40-1
Rangers 50-1 / 50-1
Devils 50-1 / 50-1
Panther 60-1 / 50-1
Red Wings 125-1 / 150-1
Senators 150-1 / 150-1

Western Conference
Jets 7-2 / 5-2
Predators 4-1 / 4-1
Sharks 4-1 / 6-1
VGK 9-2 / 4-1
Flames 6-1 / 6-1
Avalanche 12-1 / 10-1
Wild 13-1 / 20-1
Ducks 18-1 / 30-1
Oilers 18-1 / 30-1
Stars 22-1 / 30-1
Blues 40-1 / 150
Coyotes 50-1 / 50-1
Canucks 60-1 / 100-1
Kings 100-1 / 150-1
Blackhawks 125-1 / 250-1

Stanley Cup
Lightning 5-1 / 5-1
Maple Leafs 7-1 / 8-1
Jets 8-1 / 6-1
Predators 17-2 / 8-1
Sharks 9-1 / 12-1
VGK 10-1 / 8-1
Capitals 10-1 / 10-1
Penguins 10-1 / 12-1
Bruins 14-1 / 14-1
Flames 15-1 / 12-1
Bluejackets 22-1 / 25-1
Avalanche 25-1 / 20-1
Wild 30-1 / 40-1
Sabres 30-1 / 30-1
Ducks 40-1 / 60-1
Oilers 40-1 / 60-1
Stars 50-1 / 60-1
Islanders 50-1 / 80-1
Canadiens 60-1 / 50-1
Hurricanes 75-1 / 60-1
Blues 100-1 / 300-1
Flyers 125-1 / 80-1
Rangers 125-1 / 100-1
Devils 125-1 / 100-1
Coyotes 125-1 / 100-1
Panthers 150-1 / 100-1
Canucks 150-1 / 200-1
Kings 250-1 / 300-1
Blackhawks 300-1 / 500-1
Red Wings 300-1 / 300-1
Senators 300-1 / 300-1

NHL Divisions Westgate

Atlantic
Lightning -175
Maple Leafs +140
Bruins 15-1
Sabres 30-1
Canadiens 40-1
Panthers 100-1
Red Wings 1000-1
Senators 1000-1

Metro
Capitals +125
Bluejackets +180
Penguins 2-1
Islanders 60-1
Rangers 80-1
Flyers 100-1
Hurricanes 100-1
Devils 300-1

Central
Jets -140
Predators +150
Avalanche 13-2
Stars 30-1
Wild 30-1
Blues 300-1
Blackhawks 500-1

Pacific
VGK +140
Flames +175
Sharks 2-1
Ducks 30-1
Oilers 30-1
Coyotes 300-1
Canucks 500-1
Kings 500-1

"of interest" in Pacific Ducks 30-1. they are only one point out of 3rd place in the division. are only 4 points out of 1st and currently hold the 1st Western Wild Card. lost their last 3 roads @ Sabres, @ Bruins and @ Rangers BUT have had recent four game and five game win streaks. play 1st game out of the break @ San Jose but then play a six games home stand at Honda Center where they are 10-4-5. #1 goalie John Gibson is 3rd in the leage in Save % with a .926 and hopefully get key injured players like Corey Perry, Cam Fowler and Rickard Rakell back soon

 

[B.A.R.]

Interesting note on the Ducks. Thx for taking the time.

 

[RetroVK]

lol Knights future odds. What league are they watching?

 

[jedi ninja]

lol Knights future odds. What league are they watching?

They’ve been pretty good the last month plus. Lost their last 2 but still took a point in each game. They won’t have the magic of last year, but they’re as good as anyone out West.

 

[RetroVK]

They’ve been pretty good the last month plus. Lost their last 2 but still took a point in each game. They won’t have the magic of last year, but they’re as good as anyone out West.

Not saying with the best goalie in the league the knights cannot get on a run and win the cup and in that sport we have certainly seen middle of the pack teams win it but they don't come close to having value at 10-1

 

[jedi ninja]

Not saying with the best goalie in the league the knights cannot get on a run and win the cup and in that sport we have certainly seen middle of the pack teams win it but they don't come close to having value at 10-1

For sure. You’re right about the value all day. Do you think it’s due to them actually being located in Vegas. Limit some exposure from casual fans who can easily get bets down?

 

[RetroVK]

For sure. You’re right about the value all day. Do you think it’s due to them actually being located in Vegas. Limit some exposure from casual fans who can easily get bets down?

Not sure ..

Last year the Stations properties gave out a ton of futures free bets to win the cup on the knights so I was pretty confident they would lose in either the conference finals or cup finals. Lots of support for them here.

I think the home ice advantage goes down once opponents get used to coming to Vegas and being prepared to play the game instead of the tables... and once the fan base gets more normalized .. just a hell of a home ice edge right now.

 

[LeRinkRat]

thanks for the response, guys. people in Las Vegas are STILL NUTS for the Knight's and T-Mobile probably STILL the best "home ice advantage" in the league along with Winnipeg and Nashville because of the home crowd. VGK games are absolutely CRAZY and Nashville games remind me of going to Munn Arena for Michigan State hockey games years ago. it is like a "college crowd" there.

the only concern here in Las Vegas is that Gallant may "wear out" Fleury although "Flower" WANTS to PLAY every game. I am NOT sold on Malcolm Subban as the VGK backup although he DID play well in Columbus with a 30 save 1 goal game in that 0-1 loss vs Bobrovsky's 28 save shutout

VGK have 17 games remaining vs Divisional opponents of the 43 games remaining in the regular season. those 17 are probably the key to where the VGK end up in the Pacific starting with four of their first five coming out of the Christmas Break they get vs Avalanche THEN @ Kings, @ Coyotes on a B2B, vs Kings then @ Ducks with those last four ALL Divisional games

 

[gsro]

I think Edmonton underperforming had a lot to do with the GM and not so much the coach but it looks like the coaching change has had a real positive influence on McDavid and the rest of the team and it looks like they've bought into the "boring" Ken Hitchcock system which seems to work for a few years and then he loses the dressing room. But they've done so well since then and climbed back into a playoff spot...I mean if you consider all things, we know in the NHL you need to run 3 lines deep to be anything relevant and they have no one after spending maj or their cap on Leon and McDavid... Running McDavid out 25+ every game is not good coaching in the long run but I don't really blame Mclellan either since each game he was essentially coaching for his job and who wouldn't throw out their prized lambo each opportunity they got?

 

[LeRinkRat]

well for awhile it looked like the Oilers had finally found a goalie in Mikko Koskinen BUT he gets "blown up" his last giving up 4 goals on just 6 shots in the 1st period to the Canucks @ Edmonton and allowed 5 and 3 GA's his two starts before that and has become just as inconsistent as Cam Talbot AND, as you stated. you can NOT win one "star" line. after McDavid, Draisaitl, Hugent-Hopkins and Ciasson the Oilers lineup gets pretty "thin". Nurse and Klefbom are decent on defense but after that the D is "thin" too