NHL Betting Review: Bruins best ATS
NHL Betting Review: Bruins best ATS
They just did squeeze into the playoffs a year ago before being sent home in seven games by the Montreal Canadiens. Now the Boston Bruins are one of the best in the Eastern Conference with a 14-3-4 record and 32 points on the campaign. And their backers have been reaping a grand reward with the Bruins' solid play as the Beantown skaters are 17-4 at the window, good enough for more than 19-units.
The great thing about hockey is it doesn’t take much to put a team over the top, both in the standings and at the window. Last season, the Boston Bruins barely made the playoffs before being ousted in the first round. Now, Beantown is the hottest team versus the betting odds (14-3-4, 17-4 ATS, +19.33 units) in the NHL and a sharp pick to represent the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup final.
Was there a roster overhaul in Boston? Nope. Was there a big infusion of cash? Not a chance. Patrice Bergeron got healthy, Milan Lucic continued to develop, and the players bought into head coach Claude Julien’s defense-first system.
It helped that goaltender Manny Fernandez returned after missing nearly all of 2007-08, although Fernandez is nothing more than an overpriced backup for Tim Thomas. Fernandez’s presence is keeping Thomas on his toes, and it’s paying off – the Bruins are second in goals against at 2.1 per game – and Thomas leads the league in goals-against average (1.80).
While Boston will probably drop in value against the moneyline because the public is just figuring out the Bruins, the great thing about hockey betting is this little thing called the puckline. Beantown can continue to dominate and make money because all it has to do is cover as 1½-goal faves at home and 1½-goal underdogs away from TD Banknorth Garden. So far so good: The Bruins are second in the NHL in average margin of victory at 1.05, meaning the good times can continue to roll as long as Thomas keeps up his Martin Brodeur impression.
'Over'time
What do bettors get when an NHL team produces far beyond expectations offensively, but can’t kill penalties? They get the Toronto Maple Leafs, the league’s best over play at 14-7 O/U.
The Leafs have surprised everyone by ranking seventh in goals per game (3.1) and fifth on the power play (21.8%), while holding up their end of the bargain in their own zone. By hold up its end of the deal, we mean Toronto is brutal in its own half of the ice. The Leafs are second last in penalty killing at an atrocious 74.4%, and are dead last in goals against per game (3.6).
This is a nice little cocktail for bettors, one that was unforeseen with Ron Wilson behind the bench. Wilson has the reputation of being a defensively minded head coach, but with his team headed for the golf course as soon as April hits, the Leafs are playing some firewagon hockey.
Oddsmakers have already started slapping Toronto with higher totals, and the Leafs have responded by allowing even more goals. The Leafs played over the 6-goal total set by books in last Saturday’s 5-4 overtime loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, and they did it again in Tuesday’s 6-3 loss to the Atlanta Thrashers.
Montreal at Detroit
Wednesday, Nov 26, 7:30 p.m. (ET)
The Canadiens (11-5-4, 6-14 ATS, -5.29 units) see some rare value on the moneyline when they meet the Red Wings (14-2-4, 5-15 ATS, -8.35 units) in Hockeytown as +168 underdogs.
Oddsmakers have Detroit as sizable –178 favorites for the game, with a garden-variety 5½-goal total on the board. Montreal usually gets at least light chalk despite recent struggles, because public expectations are high for the Habs.
It’s not entirely undeserved. The Canadiens remain one of the league’s better teams despite a pedestrian November that saw the team play .500 hockey. The once-vaunted power play is a shell of its former self, with Montreal connecting on only 15.2% of its opportunities with the man-advantage.
The Habs should take some pointers from Detroit, which has supplanted Montreal for the best PP in the NHL. The Wings convert on 32.9% of their chances, although it was their penalty killing that let backers down on Monday. Sami Salo’s power play marker lifted the Vancouver Canucks past Detroit 3-2 in overtime, as the Red Wings couldn’t cash as –137 road faves.
Montreal (-167) dropped a 4-3 decision in a shootout to the New York Islanders on the same night. The Habs were in control of the game until Ryan O’Byrne put the puck in his own net with four minutes remaining in regulation, spoiling the payday for Canadiens bettors.
They just did squeeze into the playoffs a year ago before being sent home in seven games by the Montreal Canadiens. Now the Boston Bruins are one of the best in the Eastern Conference with a 14-3-4 record and 32 points on the campaign. And their backers have been reaping a grand reward with the Bruins' solid play as the Beantown skaters are 17-4 at the window, good enough for more than 19-units.
The great thing about hockey is it doesn’t take much to put a team over the top, both in the standings and at the window. Last season, the Boston Bruins barely made the playoffs before being ousted in the first round. Now, Beantown is the hottest team versus the betting odds (14-3-4, 17-4 ATS, +19.33 units) in the NHL and a sharp pick to represent the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup final.
Was there a roster overhaul in Boston? Nope. Was there a big infusion of cash? Not a chance. Patrice Bergeron got healthy, Milan Lucic continued to develop, and the players bought into head coach Claude Julien’s defense-first system.
It helped that goaltender Manny Fernandez returned after missing nearly all of 2007-08, although Fernandez is nothing more than an overpriced backup for Tim Thomas. Fernandez’s presence is keeping Thomas on his toes, and it’s paying off – the Bruins are second in goals against at 2.1 per game – and Thomas leads the league in goals-against average (1.80).
While Boston will probably drop in value against the moneyline because the public is just figuring out the Bruins, the great thing about hockey betting is this little thing called the puckline. Beantown can continue to dominate and make money because all it has to do is cover as 1½-goal faves at home and 1½-goal underdogs away from TD Banknorth Garden. So far so good: The Bruins are second in the NHL in average margin of victory at 1.05, meaning the good times can continue to roll as long as Thomas keeps up his Martin Brodeur impression.
'Over'time
What do bettors get when an NHL team produces far beyond expectations offensively, but can’t kill penalties? They get the Toronto Maple Leafs, the league’s best over play at 14-7 O/U.
The Leafs have surprised everyone by ranking seventh in goals per game (3.1) and fifth on the power play (21.8%), while holding up their end of the bargain in their own zone. By hold up its end of the deal, we mean Toronto is brutal in its own half of the ice. The Leafs are second last in penalty killing at an atrocious 74.4%, and are dead last in goals against per game (3.6).
This is a nice little cocktail for bettors, one that was unforeseen with Ron Wilson behind the bench. Wilson has the reputation of being a defensively minded head coach, but with his team headed for the golf course as soon as April hits, the Leafs are playing some firewagon hockey.
Oddsmakers have already started slapping Toronto with higher totals, and the Leafs have responded by allowing even more goals. The Leafs played over the 6-goal total set by books in last Saturday’s 5-4 overtime loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, and they did it again in Tuesday’s 6-3 loss to the Atlanta Thrashers.
Montreal at Detroit
Wednesday, Nov 26, 7:30 p.m. (ET)
The Canadiens (11-5-4, 6-14 ATS, -5.29 units) see some rare value on the moneyline when they meet the Red Wings (14-2-4, 5-15 ATS, -8.35 units) in Hockeytown as +168 underdogs.
Oddsmakers have Detroit as sizable –178 favorites for the game, with a garden-variety 5½-goal total on the board. Montreal usually gets at least light chalk despite recent struggles, because public expectations are high for the Habs.
It’s not entirely undeserved. The Canadiens remain one of the league’s better teams despite a pedestrian November that saw the team play .500 hockey. The once-vaunted power play is a shell of its former self, with Montreal connecting on only 15.2% of its opportunities with the man-advantage.
The Habs should take some pointers from Detroit, which has supplanted Montreal for the best PP in the NHL. The Wings convert on 32.9% of their chances, although it was their penalty killing that let backers down on Monday. Sami Salo’s power play marker lifted the Vancouver Canucks past Detroit 3-2 in overtime, as the Red Wings couldn’t cash as –137 road faves.
Montreal (-167) dropped a 4-3 decision in a shootout to the New York Islanders on the same night. The Habs were in control of the game until Ryan O’Byrne put the puck in his own net with four minutes remaining in regulation, spoiling the payday for Canadiens bettors.
