In this shortened 48 game season you can expect a lot more tight playoff races in the last 10 games of the season and every point counts almost double to what it does in a regular season. This factors into the over/under points predictions I have listed below and also into the over/under odds. The highest over/under point total from Bodog is 61.5 points for the Pittsburgh Penguins, while the lowest is 47.5 points for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Every other team is somewhere in the middle which shows just how close this season could play out.
As mentioned before Bodog.ca is the sportsbook providing these odds. If you are an American you can check out Bovada.lv, the sister site of Bodog.
I’m going to go through some of the over/under point props that I feel strongly about. If you want to see the entire list of odds you should visit Bodog.ca.
Over/Under Points Odds and Predictions
Minnesota Wild – 54.5 points
The Wild had the two big off season acquisitions when they signed Parise and Suter. They will also be adding Granlund to help with their top 6. Minnesota now has a decent top 6 forwards with Koivu, Parise, Heatley, Granlund, Setoguchi and Bouchard likely filling in those roles. They bolstered their D with Suter and have Backstrom in goal. On paper this looks like a solid team. But don’t be so quick to jump on the Wild bandwagon. They were the worst team in the second half of last season and bringing in a couple stars, although obviously a good move, might not make them the contender that is expected. They have no depth and in a shortened season they need their 3rd and 4th lines to produce some offense, which just won’t happen. Prorated over 82 games the Wild are projected to get 93 points by this over/under. I’m taking the under on that all day.
Play: Under 54.5 points
Montreal Canadiens – 53.5 points
This one is probably the most ridiculous over/under I see at the site. The Habs have already sent Gomez home and will have to pencil in a weaker player for their third line center this year. This screams giving up to me. Prorated over the 82 games they are projected for 91 points here. Last season they put up 78 and I don’t see how they have improved. This one is easy.
Play: Under 53.5 points
Ottawa Senators – 52.5 points
When I saw the Sens with a lower over/under for points than the Habs I was pretty shocked. The Senators did make a lot of changes to their lineup from last year. They are now without Foligno who they traded for Marc Methot. They lost Kuba to free agency and now Cowen to a season ending injury. Up front though they brought in Latendresse and Silfverberg is expected to slot in on the top line. The one issue is defence, but if they can bring someone in to fill Cowen’s void they should be fine. A team with Karlsson and Spezza on it should already be given the benefit of the doubt.
Play: Over 52.5 points
Toronto Maple Leafs – 53.5 points
The Leafs are another mystery here. That is 91 points over an 82 game season and they don’t look any better to me than last year. Hiring Carlyle and firing Wilson was a very good move, but enough to get them to 54 points? I don’t think so. They had 80 points last year and had a horrible second half of the season. This is expecting a lot of a poor team.
Play: Under 53.5 points
Washington Capitals – 54.5 points
The Caps had their worst regular season in a very long time last year, registering only 92 points. The 54.5 points projected here equals out to 93 points over an 82 game season. The Caps did lose Alex Semin, but Mike Ribeiro has joined the team and Adam Oates as the coach should give the talented players more room to work this season. Their roster really isn’t that impressive, but they did fairly well in the playoffs last year and this team expects to win. I like them to win the division again and beat this point total.
Play: Over 54.5 points
TSN.ca has some great NHL previews available for each team that will help you see how they have changed over the past year. Check that out and then visit Bodog.ca (Bovada.lv for Americans) to bet on these NHL props.
Tagged with: Over/Under • Points • Regular Season