The Tampa Bay Lightning have been one of the most dominant teams in the NHL through the first quarter of the 2017-18 season with a 16-5-2 record through 23 games. For as impressive as Tampa Bay has been, it might come as a surprise that the Lightning is 10-13 against the spread this season. Tampa Bay has been one of most successful teams in the NHL early on this season but they have been far from the most profitable when it comes to the betting numbers. Here is a look at the NHL’s most profitable teams to bet on so far this season.
Vegas Golden Knights
ATS Record: 18-4
One of the biggest elements that contributes to NHL teams being profitable from a betting perspective is their ability to overachieve based on expectations. That has certainly been the case for the expansion Golden Knights in their first season. They weren’t expected to be this good. Vegas is on top of the Pacific division with a 15-6-1 record this season. The Golden Knights have had plenty of early success as underdogs on the money line through their first 22 games. Vegas has also posted an 18-4 record against the spread that ranks first in the NHL. In terms of betting profitability, no team has been better this season than the Golden Knights.
Colorado Avalanche
ATS Record: 16-6
Colorado owns the worst record in the Central division at 11-9-2. However, the Avalanche has been one of the best teams in the NHL in terms of betting profitability so far. A big part of the equation is the fact that Colorado has exceeded expectations ahead of a historically bad season a year ago. This is a team that finished with just 48 points last year. Every other team in the league had at least 69 points. Needless to say, not much was expected of them going into the 2017-18 season. However, they already have 24 points – half of what they had last year – in just 22 games.
The Avalanche own the NHL’s second-best record against the spread this season with a 16-6 mark ATS. Time will tell if Colorado is able to remain one of the most profitable NHL teams to bet on as the odds makers adjust to their overall improvement this season.
New York Islanders
ATS Record: 16-7
While their turnaround hasn’t been as significant as what Colorado has done early on, the Islanders are off to an excellent start at 14-7-2. New York owns the third-best goals per game in the NHL, which has translated in to their early season success. Even more importantly from a betting perspective is that the Islanders have been better than expected against some tough competition. New York ranks third in the NHL with a 16-7 record against the spread this season to rank among the top-three teams in the league in terms of betting profitability.
Detroit Red Wings
ATS Record: 16-8
Detroit is right there with the Islanders in terms of the most profitable teams to bet on in the Eastern Conference early this season. The Red Wings rank in the top-10 in both power play and penalty kill percentage, which has helped them hover above the .500 mark overall with a 10-9-5 record straight up so far this season. The lack of expectations has made the Red Wings an even better team to bet against the spread. Remember, this was a team that had just 79 points last year. The only teams in the Eastern Conference that had less points than them were the Buffalo Sabres (78) and the New Jersey Devils (70). They have already amassed 25 points in 24 games. While that’s not great, it’s still good enough for third place in the Atlantic Division.
Detroit is 16-8 against the spread this season. Their 66-percent cover rate ranks among the best in the NHL at the quarter mark of the year. It will be interesting to see whether or not the Red Wings can continue to exceed expectations and rank among the best teams to bet on in the NHL this season. Their playoff appearance streak ended last year but as of right now, they’re on pace to get back to the postseason.
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