NHL Betting Schedule Breakdown and Remaining Odds: Nov. 25 – Dec. 1

In the NHL, calm can be the difference between victory and defeat. For hockey bettors, understanding how strength of schedule impacts team performance is just as important as tracking stats. That’s why each week we’ll be taking a look at upcoming matchups to uncover rest-related weaknesses and potential scheduling pitfalls.

The following table shows how home advantage was affected by the break last season:

Here’s how rest has affected home advantage this season:

Monday, November 25th

The week starts strong with 11 games and every team is reasonably rested. Utah and Toronto were the only teams in action on Sunday, so neither club will play back-to-back on Monday. In multiple matches, teams play with equal rest, making it easier to evaluate performance based solely on talent and matchups. However, keep an eye on teams like Vegas and Dallas, who play four games in six days – a potential fatigue factor.

Tuesday, November 26th

Utah ends its four-game Eastern Conference road trip in Montreal, where the Canadiens had a two-day break. Boston and Vancouver will also be rested when they face each other in Boston, but this will be the first consecutive game for Montreal, Boston and Vancouver.

Wednesday, November 27th

With 30 of the league’s 32 teams in action, Wednesday is the busiest day of the week. Montreal, Boston and Vancouver play the second game of their back-to-back sets. Boston faces the Islanders, who had a day’s rest, while Montreal and Vancouver face opponents with three days’ rest.

Buffalo and Chicago have a two-day advantage at home against Minnesota and Dallas, respectively, while Toronto has a one-day advantage in Florida. In all other games, the teams are equally rested.

Friday, November 29th

After no games took place on Thursday due to the American Thanksgiving, 14 matches will take place on Friday – more than 12 on Saturday, which is unusual. Edmonton returns from a five-day break to face Utah, which had two days off after its road trip. This should give the Oilers time to get healthy again. Boston and Vancouver are playing their third game in four days, while all other teams had a day off.

Saturday November 30th

Of the 24 teams in action on Saturday, 20 also played on Friday, setting the stage for potential upsets. Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and St. Louis enjoy a two-day rest advantage over their opponents playing back-to-back. So far this season, home teams are 36-19 (65.45 percent) in games in which the away team played the previous day, while away teams are 12-13 (48 percent) against tired home teams.

Sunday December 1st

Five games will take place on Sunday, with two teams playing back-to-back in the second half. The Canadiens face the Bruins after playing the New York Rangers on Saturday, while Boston plays its fourth game in six days.

Continuing its California road trip, Ottawa travels to Anaheim to face the Ducks after Friday’s game against the Kings. Vancouver will also play its fourth game in six days when it takes on the Red Wings in Detroit. No team will start Sunday with more than one day off.