Betting NHL West over East Is The Sharpest Play In Hockey
By JAMES BISSON
When it comes to non-conference play in the National Hockey League, the West has clearly been the best.
Since the 2004 lockout, the Western Conference has dominated regular season play against its East counterparts, putting together a 558-354-47-62 record in that span and earning 53.46 units ($5,346 if you wagered $100 on the West) over those five seasons. The East has gone just 463-439-49-70 in that same time frame, burning bettors for an embarrassing 107.20 units lost.
This may not resonate as much with regular fans, but the trend is too tempting for bettors to ignore – particularly if it continues into the 2010-11 campaign.
The one-sided nature of the showdown isn't limited to one or two outlier seasons: it has been consistent since the lockout. Here are the West's overall winning percentages against the East over that time:
2005-06: .590
2006-07: .613
2007-08: .600
2008-09: .570
2009-10: .626
Simply put, the West has won roughly six of every 10 matchups against the East over the past five seasons. And with last year serving as the most one-sided season yet (West earned 32.76 units, East lost 46.21 units), it doesn't appear that the trend will cease as we enter 2010-11.
The reasons for the chasm could be attributed to a pair of factors.
Talent disparity: The West has traditionally had the strongest regular-season teams, with San Jose and Detroit leading the way while Vancouver, Calgary, Colorado and Anaheim have also enjoyed their share of post-lockout success. Aside from Pittsburgh, Washington and New Jersey, the East has largely struggled to match the skill of its West rivals.
Geography: With their conference spread out over three time zones, West teams are well-conditioned to handle the rigors of travel. The same can't be said for their East counterparts, who enjoy the luxury of having all 15 teams contained within the Eastern time zone. When East teams finally do venture toward the Pacific, they're forced to make adjustments to their schedules and often struggle as a result.
While the talent disparity can shift over time, the role of travel will always be a factor, especially when East teams make the journey west.
When facing the West, Eastern Conference teams will often find themselves on road trips of three or more games. The Florida Panthers, for example, will open the 2010-11 campaign with road games in Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. The Atlanta Thrashers open by hosting Washington, then hit the road for consecutive games in Los Angeles, San Jose and Anaheim.
These trips have proven to be costly for East teams. The West has a remarkable 314-146-25-26 home mark against the East (+27.38 units) since the lockout, providing bettors with one of the easiest default plays available: when East visits West, take the West and smile.
Fourteen of the 15 teams in the conference have winning home records against the East since 2005, led by Vancouver (27-5-0-1), San Jose (26-4-1-2), Detroit (27-9-3-1) and Calgary (23-5-2-3). Detroit is the obvious oddball on this list on the basis of being in the Eastern time zone, but the Wings' home dominance is more a product of its consistently deep and talented roster than any other factor.
Conversely, the Boston Bruins own the best road record against West opponents at a pedestrian 16-12-1-4. The worst road warriors include Ottawa (13-18-3-2), Philadelphia (13-19-1-3), Toronto (10-22-1-0) and Carolina (8-23-3-2).
Bettors should pinpoint spots on the calendar where East teams make West road trips, and take advantage of what has become one of the most consistent regular-season trends since the resumption of play.
Handicapping East-West matchups in East locales is more difficult. The West has a decent record in these games (244-208-22-36) and has made 26.08 units over the last five seasons, but has struggled in Carolina (24-12-1-0), Montreal (21-8-1-3), New Jersey (20-10-0-3) and Pittsburgh (23-12-1-3). Easier targets include Boston (12-13-2-6), Florida (12-13-2-6) and Toronto (10-18-1-4).
East-West games in East cities are generally a toss-up, so bettors should opt for the favorable matchup above all.