People get excited about preseason hockey for different reasons. Some watch for new line combinations or schemes. Some watch to see if specific players are going to make the opening day roster. I get excited because preseason hockey means Vegas has dropped their odds on point totals.
Despite what all the commercials and pamphlets say, sports betting (in moderation) is fun. How do I know it’s so fun? If it wasn’t, there would be a bronze statue of Pete Rose would be in Cooperstown right now. Pay enough attention to the spreads and you realize Vegas knows these teams better than they know themselves, hence why “the house always wins.” But when it comes to team point totals, it’s always a fun debate.
I’m not going to break down all thirty teams’ chances against their lines but I will be picking a handful that stand out to me. I’m going to be using the Bovada lines (www.bovada.com) so if you agree, disagree or have an opinion on a team I left out, please let me know. The best part about this is the (hopefully healthy but this is the internet so who knows) debates.
2014-15 NHL Prop Bet Guide
Quick introduction for those of you who might be confused as to what I’m talking about. NHL team point totals are exactly what you think they are; the amount of points a specific NHL team will end with. Vegas carefully picks a number, and you can bet on whether the total will be higher (over) or lower (under). The reasoning for picking either can range from an incredibly detailed thinking to “my gut says that’s too high/low”. So now without further ado, here are a few totals, and why I think I’ll be right.
Anaheim Ducks: Total 105.5
2013-14 point total: 116
OVER
(You’ll notice all totals end in .5, this is to avoid a push.) This line seems WAY to low for the Ducks this year. Last years team finished with 116 points and you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who thinks the Ducks haven’t gotten even better this year with the addition of Ryan Kesler. I find it hard to believe this team drops below 110 points this year so I’m all in on the over on this one.
Boston Bruins: Total 109.5
2013-14 point total: 117
UNDER
This one falls under the category of “gut call” but the Atlantic division got stronger while the Bruins stayed largely stagnant (due to cap space.) I still think Boston wins the divison but you can’t underestimate the ground that Montreal and Tampa Bay has gained on them this year. I’m not near as confident as I was with the Ducks pick, but I just can’t see them picking up 110 points as easily as they did last year.
Carolina Hurricanes: Total 81.5
2013-14 point total: 83
UNDER UNDER UNDER DIVE DIVE DIVE
This line is a STEAL. I’m currently about to take a trip to Vegas and put my entire life savings ($400, an Xbox 360, and some Pokemon cards in my parent’s attic) on the under here. I was going to be on the under even with a healthy Jordan Staal, but now? It seems like stealing (you should screencap this paragraph for when the Canes unexpectedly break 90 points this year.) A team with a legitimate shot at winning the Connor McDavid sweepstakes has no business breaking 80 points.
St Louis Blues: total 105.5
2013-14 point total: 111
OVER
There isn’t much to say besides the fact that I really like the addition of Paul Stastny up front. Much like Anahiem, I don’t see this team getting stronger and simultaneously dropping seven points. I see the Blues finally reaching the status of full fledged contenders this year. I’m not saying they weren’t contenders before, but they were the top of the second tier behind Chicago and LA. With Stastny they’ve officially turned the West into a three team race.
Montreal Canadiens: Total 94.5
2013-14 point total: 100
OVER
You would think a team that made the Eastern Conference Final would earn some respect from Vegas, but you’d be wrong. Montreal should once again break triple digits in point total again behind the strong play of Carey Price, and swapping Danny Briere for P.A. Parenteau is a definite upgrade. Again, they’ll settle into the 2/3 seed behind Boston but it’s going to be a lot closer than it was last year.
These are the five teams I am most confident about going forward into the 2014-15 season. As I said above, if you think I’m wrong, right, or if you want to talk about one of the 25 teams I left off leave a comment (remember, it’s “you’re a douche” not “your a deush”) or drop a tweet my way (@robbedy) and please address all refund requests to PO box # why did I make a bet solely off what a random stranger wrote on the internet?
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on twitter @robbedy.
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