NHL situational betting: When to fade each Pacific Division team
Atlantic | Metropolitan | Central | Pacific
It bears reminding, these picks are not to be taken as bible. There are plenty of factors to consider when placing a bet, and a lot can happen between now and the day of these games. Here, I've dug through schedules and identified spots where teams typically struggle, which you can monitor as the season progresses.
With that being said, it's onto the Pacific.
Anaheim Ducks
Date: Oct. 14, at Boston
Since the start of the 2016 season, the Ducks are 3-10 in away games after playing a back-to-back. We don't have to wait long to find them in that spot this season, as they have a back-to-back in Pittsburgh and Columbus before flying to Boston two days later for a Monday matinee. Puck drop is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. PT.
Arizona Coyotes
Date: Jan. 29, at Anaheim
It takes some time to get back into a rhythm when you have 10 days off in the middle of the season. The Ducks have the chance to get their legs back under them on the 27th - a luxury the Coyotes do not have before making the trip to Anaheim on the 29th. Expect some rust from Rick Tocchet's team at the Honda Center.
Calgary Flames
Date: Oct. 20, at Anaheim
The Flames are set for a rude awakening in the 2019-20 season, with 15 games over their first 29 days. The worst stretch sees the team play six in nine nights, flying from Calgary to Dallas, to Vegas, to San Jose, home to Calgary, and then Los Angeles, before concluding the brutal stretch with a Sunday game in Anaheim. The contest will mark the second half of their second back-to-back in a week.
Edmonton Oilers
Date: Feb. 16, at Carolina
Ask any player and they will tell you how much easier it is to get fired up for a game when 20,000 fans are packed into an arena. Do you know what's not typically a loud rink? PNC Arena on a Sunday afternoon in February. It's going to be tough for the Oilers to find their legs in what will be their fourth game in six nights, on a back-to-back flying from Florida to Carolina. The Oilers are 6-19 in this spot - second game in as many days on the east coast - since the start of the 2013-14 season.
Los Angeles Kings
Date: March 27, at St. Louis
No team in the Western Conference has more games on consecutive nights than the Kings. It makes for a number of tough stretches on their calendar, but perhaps none worse than in March when they have five games in seven nights. Three of these contests are on the road, with the final two coming on a back-to-back, playing in Nashville on Thursday, and in St. Louis on Friday. Toward the end of an exhausting season, how much are they really going to have left in the tank for their date with the Blues?
San Jose Sharks
Date: Dec. 10, at Nashville
Not all teams struggle with the dreaded back-to-backs. The Sharks actually have a winning record in the second half of them under Peter DeBoer. They typically struggle in the game that follows, especially when it's on the road - the Sharks are 5-12 in that spot over the past two seasons. Keep a close eye on their trip to Nashville in December, which follows a back-to-back in Florida the weekend prior, coming off a trip to Carolina. That's a lot of travel in a six-day span.
Other spots that fit this trend: Oct. 19, at Nashville; Oct. 27, at Ottawa; Dec. 31, at Detroit; Jan. 7, at St. Louis; Feb. 25, at Philadelphia; March 11, at Chicago; March 17, at Colorado.
Vancouver Canucks
Date: Nov. 30, at Edmonton
The Canucks have three road trips this season of at least five games. A number of teams don't even have one. That's not ideal for the Canucks, as they're 3-13 (18.8%) in the finale of road trips of at least five games since the start of the 2014-15 season. There are a few opportunities to exploit the trend this season, but one, in particular, stands out - a trip to Edmonton at the end of November. The game concludes an exhausting six-game trip which also includes stops in Dallas, Nashville, Washington, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. That's too many miles to count.
Other spots that fit this trend: Jan. 14, at Winnipeg; Feb. 6, at Minnesota.
Vegas Golden Knights
Date: Nov. 10, at Detroit
The Golden Knights have never won the second leg of a back-to-back against Eastern Conference teams in franchise history. They're 0-7 in that situation over their first two seasons of existence. No better time to test the theory than on Nov. 10, when we will definitely get the Red Wings at plus money. Vegas plays a Sunday matinee in Detroit after a Saturday night game in Washington. The Wings have the Saturday off and are home on the Friday.
Another spot that fits this trend: Dec. 3, at New Jersey.
Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.