Statistical Patterns for NHL Betting
Anyone who watches any kind of sport – especially those who watch with some of their own money at stake – understands the importance of statistics. Statistics can impact almost every detail of a game, and ultimately, its outcome.
But also, it is not just spectators and speculators who have to pay close attention to the data. Analysts, coaches and commentators all use data to make predictions and form strategies. In the NHL, the story is no different. Managers, athletes and fans are all seeking an advantage. This can often be found through analyzing statistical patterns to make better predictions.
Sports analytics?
Although it can sound daunting to the unaccustomed, sports analytics is relatively simple. Essentially, it’s all about doing the math to work out potential outcomes for different games and to answer questions about the status or performance of particular athletes. Broadly speaking, sports analytics can be divided up into two different camps: on-field and off-field. The first is used to analyze the performance of players and answer questions of players’ strengths and weaknesses, and how these might play out in upcoming games. Off-field statistics tend to be used in the business end of sport. Off-field seeks to answer questions, such as how can we sell more tickets? How can we get fans to engage more? How can we make this more profitable?
Over recent years, technology and interest in data analytics has been honed to such a level that it plays a crucial part in how we look at sports. As AI and machine learning come into play, this is likely to continue. There are now machine learning programs that can measure all sorts of variables within a game and compare them across the board.
Sports analytics in the NHL
Analytics is responsible for transforming the sports betting world, and NHL betting trends are no exception. Gamblers and fans now have more data to inform their bets than ever before. It has become essential to have an understanding of the facts and figures to get anywhere in the sports betting or gambling game.
In sports betting and online gaming, regression analysis is one of the most common ways in which analytics is used. This strategy involves looking at the most important or dominant factors that will impact the end result of a game. The problem is that there is often a sea of different factors that can be difficult to work through, which can feel daunting when your bet is on the line.
So, in regression analysis, we work out how different factors are weighted in order of importance (how much they could affect the outcome of a game) and then examine this in relation to other factors to determine which are the most important. Regression analysis has its problems, though – one of the main issues is that it cannot easily determine between causation and correlation. It is possible to see which things often happen together, but not which one happens as a result of the other.
The NHL has a very keen interest in sports analytics and is continuously collecting and looking at data, with teams using this information to make managerial decisions, since very early on. The use of data in the NHL continues to be a game changer. So, when placing bets on the NHL, you need to have some idea of how the data comes into play.
Some of the most common statistics that fans and teams look at are aspects like Corsi. Corsi is to do with the number of shots taken. It is worked out by looking at the shots in goal, the ones that missed and the ones that were saved. The higher a team’s Corsi, the more possession a team can be said to have and therefore the more likely they are to score and potentially win.
Another common adaptation of Corsi is the Fenwick. Fenwick is concerned with unblocked shot attempts (those that went in or missed). This is typically used to determine which team has a higher chance of scoring. It can also be used to measure the performance of particular players and overall teams.
Conclusion
So, if you are planning to bet on the NHL this season, it is becoming ever more important to start looking at the analytics. As technology improves and more fans have access to live data on matches, competition is heating up when it comes to making predictions. Fortunately, it is becoming easier to access the word of statistics and you do not have to be a numbers genius to get a good grasp on the potential outcomes.
