The National Hockey League is ready for the 2020-2021 season. Check out what happened last week that got NHL handicappers excited about 2021 so you can plan ahead your bets and place them against their NHL odds.
NHL COVID-19 Update – December 22nd Edition
2020-2021 NHL Season
- When: January 13, 2021 – TBD 2021
NHL Stanley Cup Odds
- Colorado Avalanche +550
- Tampa Bay Lightning +800
- Vegas Golden Knights +650
- Boston Bruins +1100
- Toronto Maple Leafs +1000
- Philadelphia Flyers +1500
- Washington Capitals +1800
- Pittsburgh Penguins +1700
- Dallas Stars +2000
- St. Louis Blues 2000
- Vancouver Canucks +1800
- Edmonton Oilers +1500
- New York Rangers +2000
- Carolina Hurricanes +2100
- New York Islanders +2700
- Calgary Flames +2600
- Nashville Predators +2800
- Winnipeg Jets +2800
- Arizona Coyotes +5000
- Columbus Blue Jackets +3500
- Florida Panthers +3400
- Minnesota Wild +6700
- New Jersey Devils +4700
- Montreal Canadiens +2000
- San Jose Sharks +4700
- Anaheim Ducks +6700
- Buffalo Sabres +4600
- Chicago Blackhawks +4700
- Los Angeles Kings +7000
- Ottawa Senators +8100
- Detroit Red Wings +11000
NHL nails down the 2020-2021 season
The National Hockey League has straightened out most things. The NHL was the lone league among the Big Four that had yet to figure out their upcoming season.
The NFL has two weeks left in their season. So far so good for the National Football League, who, amazingly, hasn’t had to cancel any games. The NCAAF figured out their bowl games for the top 6 teams on the College Football Playoff Rankings.
Even the National Basketball Association team is ready to begin their season. Major League Baseball doesn’t start until April, which means they’ve got plenty of time to hash out any pandemic related details.
Only the NHL’s season appeared up in the air. Not anymore. Last week, the pro hockey league came up with a plan that should lead to an exciting 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The league’s start date remains January 13. Training camps open on Sunday, January 3. Teams that didn’t qualify for the restart this August can begin their training camps on December 31. Franchises can invite 36 Skaters and as many goalies as they want to training camp.
The biggest change? Teams will play a total of 56 games against divisional opponents. They will only play against teams in their division. The NHL went through a realignment. Check out the four divisions:
- 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
The league had to realign because Canada remains closed to travelers. By placing the Canadian squads into a single division, the NHL can ensure they play as much of the proposed 56 game regular season as possible.
NHL hoping to secure a COVID vaccine from a private company
The league is looking to secure doses of one of the approved vaccines from a private organization. They’ll distribute the vaccine once they get it to players, staff, and NHL personnel.
The National Hockey League wants to play games in home arenas. The situation is fluid, though.
Once the NHL comes out with their schedule we’ll have a better idea if that’s possible. Until then, rest assured knowing the 2020-2021 NHL Season will happen and that it’s going to happen soon.
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