The NHL Governors wanted parity in their league and by the looks of the close games in the first 86 games of the NHL season, they got it! I've never seen so many 1-goal games in all of my life following hockey.
Pretty soon the General Managers will have to scout the Men's Beer league to find that sniper who can score on a regular basis, because 65 minutes of hockey doesn't seem to produce enough regulation winners. From a Hockey fans perspective, it's great hockey to watch, from a betting perspective, it could make some guys reach for the Tums! In fact, here's the “Tums Teams”, as these clubs love to keep their fans interested to the last minute of the game and get the maximum viewership out of their faithful!
The New Jersey Devils and Detroit Red Wings have seen 4 of their 5 first games of the season decided by 1 goal games. So far, the Lightning and Oilers has seen every game decided by 1-goal this season, while Phoenix and Nashville have yet to play in a 1-goal game this year. Calgary is another team who likes to keep their fans interested; as 5 of their first 6 games have been decided by a goal. Therefore, how should a bettor approach the next game after their team has either won or lost by 1 goal? Teams who lost their last game by 1-goal are 21-17 SU in their next game, while teams coming off a 1-goal lost are 15-17 SU in the next meeting.
Furthermore, some teams have been playing in some crazy schedules like the Boston Bruins. They played their first 4 games on the West Coast, came home for 1 game and had to be on the road the next day for a road game in Buffalo. Fatigue plays a major role in back to back nights and even moreso when you play 3 games in 4 nights. Granted, I'm not a professional hockey player, but I do play competitive rec hockey in Ottawa and from my experience with our teams in back to back games, guys seem to have less gas in the tank in the second half of the game. Can you imagine what it's like for hockey teams with older guys who play in back to back games from different cities? In the early part of this season, teams in back to back games are 18-21 SU this season, while the advantage of playing in back to back games at home favors the home team, as they are 11-5 SU this season. A team playing in back to back games and the second game is an away game; they are 7-16 SU in this spot. Good example was the Boston Bruins last night; they played on Monday vs. Pittsburgh and had to hurry to Buffalo on Tuesday to play the Sabres and lost 3-2 in a shootout. Boston had control of this game in the first half, but fatigue played major role in their defeat in the second half.
Teams who play 3 games in 4 nights have shown it's a tough task to come out with some wins, but considering all the 1 goal games this season; they've done below average in this spot. Teams playing 3 games in 4 nights are 11-14 SU, while the home teams are 7-6 SU and away teams are 4-8 SU.
Nevertheless, the point of this article is to pay attention to all of the 1-goal games that are being played so far this season and never lay more than -140, because that comfort level you're looking for after the 1st period, is not there right now!
Here's a tip; Teams coming off two 1-goal loses are 6-12 SU in this role this season.
Now reach for the Tums and enjoy the rest of the season!
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The NHL Governors wanted parity in their league and by the looks of the close games in the first 86 games of the NHL season, they got it! I've never seen so many 1-goal games in all of my life following hockey.