With the NHL schedule set to soon hit the holiday break -- with no games on Dec. 24, 25 or 26 -- it's the perfect time to examine some betting trends from the first three calendar months of the 2024-25 campaign. Which teams are best when favored at home? Which underdogs are overperforming? Find out the answers there, along with an updated set of Power Rankings, voted on by the ESPN hockey family.
How we rank: A panel of ESPN hockey commentators, analysts, reporters and editors sends in a 1-32 poll based on the games through Wednesday, which generates our master list. Note: Previous ranking for each team refers to the previous edition, published Dec. 13 .
Betting stats are through Wednesday's games; points percentages are through Thursday's games. Victoria Matiash identified betting trends for the West, while Sean Allen handled the East. 1.
Washington Capitals Previous ranking: 2 Points percentage: 70.97% Editor's Picks Six trades that NHL teams should make after roster freeze, including Provorov, Gourde, Boeser 37m Rachel Doerrie NHL trade grades: Report cards for Kakko, Fowler, Trouba, more 1d Ryan S. Clark, Greg Wyshynski NHL Bubble Watch: Projecting the playoff hopes for all 32 teams 3d Greg Wyshynski The Capitals excel as underdogs, with a 9-3 record (75.
0%) against the spread on the road (61.5% is the league average) and a 5-1 record (83.3%) at home (62.
6% league average). That's a fun trend, but how often are the Caps going to be considered underdogs as they continue to.
