2019-20 NHL season betting review: Most profitable road teams
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After examining which teams were most profitable on home ice this season, let's break down the squads that built reputations as road warriors.
If you had bet $100 on every road team this year, here are the profits that the most successful ones would have earned.
1. Colorado Avalanche, +$1,212
Getting away from the altitude seemed to do the Avalanche some good this season. They possessed the NHL's best win percentage away from home with a straight-up record of 24-13 (64.8%), and they raked in the profits thanks to an average line of -116, which ranked fifth-shortest in the NHL. Their total got a major boost from a run of nine successive road victories between Feb. 4 and March 2.
2. New York Rangers, +$1,209
Just $3 off top spot, the Rangers settle for second place on our list of road warriors. They managed a win percentage of 55.9% away from home with a record of 19-15 SU, but they earned some bettors small fortunes thanks to an average line of +144. Only six teams had longer such averages, and none of those clubs had a road win percentage better than 42.9%. Oddsmakers severely underestimated the Rangers and failed to adjust to their road success.
3. Edmonton Oilers, +$950
The Oilers were third in overall profits away from home despite owning the league's seventh-best win percentage on the road. No team was more profitable as a road 'dog, with Edmonton posting a 19-14 record in that spot to net $1,237 in profits. Conversely, the Oilers were just 1-3 as road favorites (-$287).
4. Washington Capitals, +$711
The Capitals finished one win shy of matching Colorado's SU record on the road, but they were fourth among teams on this list with an average line of -122. To understand the full impact of the average line on the relationship between record and profits, look no further than the Tampa Bay Lightning. They were 21-15 SU on the road this season but had the NHL's shortest average line at -145 for a net figure of -$165.
5. Florida Panthers, +$423
Boasting the worst road winning percentage of any team on this list are the Panthers, who finished 18-16 SU away from home. Twelve other teams netted profits on the road this season, but Florida earned its place in these rankings thanks to a strong second half: The Panthers posted an 11-6 record away from home in 2020, a stretch that accounted for all of their campaign's road profits and then some (+$587).
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.