by Sean Murphy
Wednesday, Nov 10, 2021As I do each and every week, I'm taking a look around the NHL to uncover some current trends and angles that you need to be aware of.
With over a month of data to work with, this is the time of year when we can really exploit some weaknesses in the hockey betting marketplace. Here are four situations to keep an eye on in the days ahead.
Sleepless (away from) Seattle
The Kraken got their inaugural campaign off to a competitive start by collecting at least a point in two of their first three road games. Since then, the bloom has come off the rose, so to speak, as they've now dropped six straight games away from home, failing to manage even a point in their last five road tilts. The good news is, Seattle will be back in the Emerald City for its next six games before heading back on the road at the end of the month. The Kraken are hemorrhaging goals right now, having given up a whopping 16 in their last four contests. Not surprisingly, the 'over' has cashed in each of their last four contests heading into Thursday's home date with Anaheim.
Quack, Quack
Few expected much of the Anaheim Ducks heading into the season with most projecting them to hold down one of the bottom three spots in the Pacific Division. A much different story has unfolded so far as Anaheim sports a 7-4-3 record, having won each of its last five contests following Tuesday's overtime win in Vancouver. With that being said, the Ducks will face the Kraken in Seattle on Thursday having gone a miserable 4-22 in their last 26 games following a one-goal victory over the last two-plus seasons, outscored by 1.5 goals on average in that situation. Of the Ducks last five victories, only one came away from home.
Return to Glory?
It's been a number of years since the Detroit Red Wings were relevant. A picture of consistency in the 90's and early-00's, the Winged Wheel has fallen on hard times. This season has been different, though, at least in the early going. Detroit has won each of its last three games and has surprisingly won more games than it has lost 13 contests into the campaign. Perhaps the Wings youth movement is finally paying off. Rookie Lucas Raymond looks like the real deal and is an early front-runner in the Rookie of the Year race. If captain Dylan Larkin can stay healthy (that's been a knock on him throughout his career) there's reason to believe that Detroit can sustain something positive for a change. The Red Wings will get two more home games against Washington and Montreal before heading on the road for a tough four-game western road trip.
Baby, it's a Wild World
Save for a brief 1-3 lull in late October, the Minnesota Wild have gotten off to a flying start this season. Heading into Wednesday's matchup with the lowly Coyotes in Arizona they've reeled off three straight wins, scoring a whopping 15 goals in the process. Perhaps we should pump the breaks a little, however, noting that Minnesota has been winning in spite of its goaltending tandem rather than because of it. Cam Talbot has posted a .904 save percentage while handing the lion's share of the action with nine starts in 11 games. Backup Kaapo Kahkonen had a miserable preseason and has picked up right where he left off during the regular season, recording a .860 save percentage while allowing seven goals in only two games. While the offense is more than capable of shouldering the load, there's no question the Wild are operating with a rather thin margin of error given their inability to keep pucks out of their own net. Keep an eye on the back-to-back set on Wednesday-Thursday this week as Kahkonen is likely to be in goal for one of those games.
With over a month of data to work with, this is the time of year when we can really exploit some weaknesses in the hockey betting marketplace. Here are four situations to keep an eye on in the days ahead.
Sleepless (away from) Seattle
The Kraken got their inaugural campaign off to a competitive start by collecting at least a point in two of their first three road games. Since then, the bloom has come off the rose, so to speak, as they've now dropped six straight games away from home, failing to manage even a point in their last five road tilts. The good news is, Seattle will be back in the Emerald City for its next six games before heading back on the road at the end of the month. The Kraken are hemorrhaging goals right now, having given up a whopping 16 in their last four contests. Not surprisingly, the 'over' has cashed in each of their last four contests heading into Thursday's home date with Anaheim.
Quack, Quack
Few expected much of the Anaheim Ducks heading into the season with most projecting them to hold down one of the bottom three spots in the Pacific Division. A much different story has unfolded so far as Anaheim sports a 7-4-3 record, having won each of its last five contests following Tuesday's overtime win in Vancouver. With that being said, the Ducks will face the Kraken in Seattle on Thursday having gone a miserable 4-22 in their last 26 games following a one-goal victory over the last two-plus seasons, outscored by 1.5 goals on average in that situation. Of the Ducks last five victories, only one came away from home.
Return to Glory?
It's been a number of years since the Detroit Red Wings were relevant. A picture of consistency in the 90's and early-00's, the Winged Wheel has fallen on hard times. This season has been different, though, at least in the early going. Detroit has won each of its last three games and has surprisingly won more games than it has lost 13 contests into the campaign. Perhaps the Wings youth movement is finally paying off. Rookie Lucas Raymond looks like the real deal and is an early front-runner in the Rookie of the Year race. If captain Dylan Larkin can stay healthy (that's been a knock on him throughout his career) there's reason to believe that Detroit can sustain something positive for a change. The Red Wings will get two more home games against Washington and Montreal before heading on the road for a tough four-game western road trip.
Baby, it's a Wild World
Save for a brief 1-3 lull in late October, the Minnesota Wild have gotten off to a flying start this season. Heading into Wednesday's matchup with the lowly Coyotes in Arizona they've reeled off three straight wins, scoring a whopping 15 goals in the process. Perhaps we should pump the breaks a little, however, noting that Minnesota has been winning in spite of its goaltending tandem rather than because of it. Cam Talbot has posted a .904 save percentage while handing the lion's share of the action with nine starts in 11 games. Backup Kaapo Kahkonen had a miserable preseason and has picked up right where he left off during the regular season, recording a .860 save percentage while allowing seven goals in only two games. While the offense is more than capable of shouldering the load, there's no question the Wild are operating with a rather thin margin of error given their inability to keep pucks out of their own net. Keep an eye on the back-to-back set on Wednesday-Thursday this week as Kahkonen is likely to be in goal for one of those games.
