The National Hockey League is on the verge of another exciting season. After much haggling and discussions with both the governments of Canada and the United States, the NHL has decided on a January 13 start date. Like most professional sports leagues, though, news hasn’t stopped just because the NHL decided on a start date. Check out the latest National Hockey League news in our weekly update so can continue planning your bets against their NHL odds!
NHL COVID-19 Update – December 29th Edition
2020-2021 NHL Season
- When: January 13, 2021
NHL 2021 Stanley Cup Odds
- Colorado Avalanche +650
- Tampa Bay Lightning +800
- Vegas Golden Knights +750
- Boston Bruins +1100
- Toronto Maple Leafs +1200
- Philadelphia Flyers +1100
- Washington Capitals +1800
- Pittsburgh Penguins +1600
- Dallas Stars +1700
- St. Louis Blues 1800
- Vancouver Canucks +2800
- Edmonton Oilers +2000
- New York Rangers +1800
- Carolina Hurricanes +1800
- New York Islanders +2200
- Calgary Flames +3000
- Nashville Predators +2200
- Winnipeg Jets +3300
- Arizona Coyotes +5000
- Columbus Blue Jackets +3500
- Florida Panthers +4000
- Minnesota Wild +4500
- New Jersey Devils +4700
- Montreal Canadiens +6000
- San Jose Sharks +3000
- Anaheim Ducks +7000
- Buffalo Sabres +6000
- Chicago Blackhawks +6000
- Los Angeles Kings +7500
- Ottawa Senators +15000
- Detroit Red Wings +20000
Capitals goalie Henrik Lundqvist requires heart surgery
Most hockey fans feel that Henrik Lundqvist is one of the greatest hockey goalies of all time. For sure, the former New York Rangers and current Washington Capitals player has posted stats to backup that claim.
Lundqvist ranks sixth on the list of most saves with 466. He trails only Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy, Roberto Luongo, Ed Belfour, and Marc-Andre Fleury. Henrik also won the Vezina Trophy and Hart Memorial Trophy in the same season, 2012.
It’s a shame that Lundqvist must miss the upcoming season due to a heart condition. It’s more worrisome, though, that he must get open heart surgery for the condition. Last week, Lundqvist tweeted that he must undergo surgery for an “aortic valve replacement, aortic root and ascending aortic replacement.”
Lundqvist is 38-years-old, meaning we may have already seen Henrik play his last NHL game. If so, no doubt the great goalie will make the hall of fame on the first ballot.
Odds imply a Tampa Bay Lightning versus Colorado Avalanche or Vegas Golden Knights Stanley Cup
If you liked the Lightning, Avalanche, or Golden Knights right after the hub city Stanley Cup in August and September, you must love those three teams today. Tampa, Colorado, and Vegas dominated future book bets shortly after the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals.
The domination has continued. The odds on the Lightning haven’t changed from +800. But both the Golden Knights’ and the Avalanche’s rose +100 from their initial odds. Colorado may be an overlay at +650.
The Avs acquired Brandon Saad and Devon Toews. Saad will add power to the front line. Toews will make the blue line better. The Avalanche had a disappointing hub city playoffs. They could excel this season, making up for that disappointment.
Vegas and Tampa Bay both look tough, but if NHL future handicappers want to back a squad outside of the Avalanche, they should consider the Leafs, Flyers, or Bruins. All three squads look solid and all three improved in various ways during the off season.
NHL Season starts on January 13
The National Hockey League came out with this year’s schedules. The most important thing to know is that the league went through a division realignment for 2021. We’ve reprinted that alignment from last week’s NHL update blog.
- North: Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, Edmonton Oilers
- Central: Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, Caroline Hurricanes
- East: Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres, Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils
- West: Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, St. Louis Blues, San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild
Teams will play a 56-game schedule. The division realignment is in place to cut down on as much travel as possible. It makes sense because Canada and the United States aren’t on the same page as to how to deal with the pandemic.
The NHL season is just about here. Make sure to put your ice hockey handicapping hats on, sharpen the pencils, and get ready for another exciting quest for the Stanley Cup!
NHL Betting News
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