How To Profit From Bad NHL Teams

If sports gambling has taught me anything, it’s that there’s always a profitable angle. No matter the game, there’s always a way to make some money.

You, the NHL-watching public, might not think that applies to your sport but it really does. There’s a way to make money even off bad teams. Here are a few tips on how to bet on some of the worst teams in the NHL this season.

Flyers top side ATS

We knew the Philadelphia Flyers weren’t going to be good this year. That was plainly obvious when looking at the roster they assembled.

But with John Tortorella behind the bench, we should have known his team would be a strong working side with a lot of pride in their defensive game. They weren’t going to win much, of course, but given how Tortorella coaches, the Flyers were going to make their opponents fight tooth and nail for every win by keeping things tight and keeping the score close.

That’s exactly what’s happened this year. Philly is one of the better sides against the spread in the entire league at 30-13 ATS, generating +12.85 units of profit this season. When the Flyers play, put some money on them to cover the puckline.

San Jose sharks and the Total

The San Jose Sharks are a bad team this year with a 13-23-8 record. And of course, as a bad team, they concede a ton of goals. Their 168 goals allowed are the second most in the entire league. But unlike most bad teams, the Sharks can score.

The Sharks’ 134 goals has them 21st in the NHL for offense generated. That’s thanks in part to Erik Karlsson, who’s back at his peak with 56 points (13 goals) in 44 games.

Because of the Sharks’ inability to defend and their surprisingly decent offense, they’re one of the better teams at hitting the OVER on totals with a 28-15-1 record for +11.7 units of profit on the season.

So while you should bet on the Flyers to cover, you should be betting on the OVER in Sharks games.

First Period Losers

Not only are the worst teams in the NHL at the bottom of the standings for points, but they’re also at the bottom of the standings in terms of first-period losses. The bottom five sides are shown in the table below, with the Blackhawks and Blue Jackets both on the losing end of the score after the first period in 50 percent of their games to date:

There’s money to be made by fading these teams when it comes to first-period moneylines. Take, for example, an upcoming game between the Arizona Coyotes and Winnipeg Jets.

The Jets are favored on the full-game moneyline at -360. But the first-period moneyline only favors them at -260. You just turned a possible $27.76 profit on a Winnipeg ML win into a $38.46 profit on a first-period ML win. That’s an extra $10.68 in winnings on a $100 bet.

So consider wagering on the first-period moneyline against the worst sides in the league.

Futures Connor Bedard Odds

If you’re more of a futures bettor, then consider this. One of these teams will win the right to draft first overall and select Connor Bedard. And there’s money to be made there. Here are the odds for who might draft Bedard:

Thanks to the draft lottery, all of these picks are plus money. So you can make a profit with any pick (assuming you pick the right side).

My money is on the Anaheim Ducks at +500. While Chicago has the fewest points in the league at the time of writing, no side is worse than the Ducks, who have only four regulation wins on the season and a -81 goal differential. For comparison, the Blackhawks have eight regulation wins and a -60 goal differential. Chicago is bad but not as bad as the Ducks.