NHL Betting: Most Profitable Teams This Year

The NHL Conference Finals rage on as the New York Rangers out of the Eastern Conference and Los Angeles Kings from the West continue to be the odds makers’ favorites to meet in the Stanley Cup Finals starting in little more than a week.

Looking back at the 2011/2012 regular season, there were a couple of teams that not only turned in very successful performances on the ice, but also provided a very healthy return on investment for anyone who decided to hitch their wagon to their star. There were a few teams that were less than stellar in the win/loss column, but provided a handsome return as well.

The following is a recap of the most profitable teams in the NHL in terms of their return on the moneyline and overall record against the puck-line during the regular season.

Moneyline Moneymakers

There was no team in the NHL that posted a better record over the second half of the season than the Pittsburgh Penguins. They played so well down the stretch that NHL odds makers opened them as the odds-on-favorites to win the Stanley Cup right before the start of the playoffs. The Philadelphia Flyers made the Penguins’ stay in the postseason a short one by eliminating them in six games of the first round. Nonetheless, Pittsburgh’s +2767 return on the moneyline was far and away the best in the NHL.

The Penguins finished the regular season with 108 points, which was second only to the Rangers in the Eastern Conference and they had an overall record of 51-25-6. Pittsburgh was deadly playing at home with the best record in the East at 29-10. It was also one of the better road teams in the league at 22-15-4. The Penguins finished the regular season as the highest scoring team in the league with an average of 3.33 goals-per-game. They were tied for 15^th in goals allowed with a goals-against average of 2.66.

The team with the next best return on the moneyline in the regular season was the Phoenix Coyotes at +2171. They continue to stay alive in the postseason, but face an uphill climb with a 3-1 deficit to the Kings heading into Tuesday night’s Game 5. Phoenix has proven to be costly to wager on in the playoffs with a -464 return on the moneyline over the span of 15 games.

The Coyotes won a heated battle for the Pacific Division title with a 7-1-2 record down the stretch to end the season with 97 points and an overall record of 42-27-13. They were ranked 18^th in the NHL in scoring with an average of 2.56 goal-per-game and fifth in goals allowed, giving-up an average of 2.37 goals-per-game.

The best of the rest in the NHL on the moneyline included the Nashville Predators at +1401, the Ottawa Senators at +1129 and the Detroit Red Wings at +995. All three of these teams made it into the postseason.

After Phoenix, the regular season return for the other three teams left in the playoffs is +839 for the Kings, +676 for the Rangers, and -712 for the New Jersey Devils.

Puck Line Profits

The top team in the league against the puck-line in the regular season was one that did not even make it into the postseason. The Florida Panthers finished 12^th in the East with 82 points and had an overall record of 33-33-16. Their ability to keep games close resulted in a very profitable 51-31 record against the puck line.

The Coyotes added to their overall profitability picture with a healthy 50-32 record against the puck line, which was the second-best record in the league. Combined with the return on the money line, Phoenix easily wins the award as the most profitable team in the NHL during the 2011/2012 season.

Another team that turned in a very healthy record against the puck line but failed to qualify for the playoffs was the East’s 11^th-place Winnipeg Jets, who played their first season north of the border after relocating from Atlanta following the 2011 season. The Jets posted a 48-34 record against the puck line to go along with a decent +734 return on the money line.