NHL Standings
NHL Standings: Your Guide to the League
The NHL, with its 32 teams battling it out across conferences and divisions, can be a whirlwind for new fans. But the standings are here to help! This breakdown of the season, playoffs, and how the standings work will have you a hockey wiz in no time.
Understanding the Season
- 32 teams, 2 conferences (Eastern & Western), 4 divisions (Atlantic, Metropolitan, Central, Pacific)
- Season runs October to April, with 82 games per team (home and away)
- Wins = 2 points, Losses = 0 points, Ties (or overtime/shootout losses) = 1 point
- Top 3 teams in each division + 2 wild cards from each conference make the playoffs (16 total)
- Playoffs are a best-of-seven, four-round battle for the Stanley Cup
NHL Standings: The Big Picture
- Think of the standings as a leaderboard showing each team’s rank based on wins, losses, and other stats.
- They update after every game, so the picture can change throughout the season.
- Standings are key for fans to track teams’ performance and predict playoff chances.
- You can also spot trends, like winning or losing streaks.
NHL Standings and Betting:
- Standings help you identify strong and struggling teams, making it easier to pick games to bet on.
- For example, a high-ranked team vs. a low-ranked team might have odds favoring the stronger team.
- Standings can also show how teams perform in different situations.
- Is a team better at home or away? Do they dominate their division? Analyze these details to inform your bets.
Why Standings Matter for Betting
- NHL standings are a goldmine for bettors because they reveal a team’s past performance, hinting at future outcomes.
- Consistently high-ranked teams with strong win-loss records are likely favored (higher betting odds).
- Lower-ranked teams might be underdogs (lower odds).
- Standings can even hint at potential playoff matchups, helping you place bets on future games and the Stanley Cup champion.
By understanding the NHL standings, you’ll be a more informed fan and, potentially, a savvier bettor. So, dive into the standings and enjoy the exciting world of NHL hockey!
The NHL standings rank the 32 NHL teams based on their performance during the regular season. The team's win-loss record determine the standings, with the team with the most wins at the top and the team with the fewest wins at the bottom.
The NHL Wild Card standings are a ranking system that determines which teams will qualify for the playoffs as Wild Card teams. The two teams in each conference with the highest point totals, who are not in the top three of their respective divisions, qualify as Wild Card teams.
Daily throughout the regular season, usually after the completion of each day's games.
