Bet on the hockey coaches

With the NHL back in effect and plenty of more things to bet on this fall as compated to the last one, it's important to take a look at anything that can possibly give you an edge when picking winners in pro hockey. While it's great that ties are a thing of the past, hockey can be unpredictable and erratic, still making it difficult to come out on top.

 

One thing to look at it the bench boss. Every team has a head coach. Some are good and some are great. It's the great ones that can actually make a difference in the outcome of a game. Given that matchups, line changes and set plays can determine the victors from the losers, coaches should be an integral part of your decision-making process when choosing NHL winners.

 

Case in point is the example of the Canadiens versus the Bruins from Tuesday night. Montreal head coach Claude Julien decided to go with one less forward and one extra defenseman, making regular blue liner Mathieu Dandeneault play some forward as well as defense. The result was a more defensive-minded club that excelled in the third period at killing off penalties. The Canadiens won the game 4-3 and Julien's decision played a vital role.

 

So when would the coach behind the bench be something that should sway your choice for the night? Well, when two teams are evenly matched on paper and you just can't decide who you want to wager on, take a look at who the coaches are. Minnesota's Jacques Lemaire is considered one of the top three coaches in hockey and he can devise schemes and systems for shutting down any offense. Conversely, Vancouver's Marc Crawford is known for being able to get his players to score goals.

 

So, if the Canucks were to go up against a good squad such as Boston, and you can't quite decide who to go with, take a shot on Vancouver because of Crawford. While Bruins' head coach Mike Sullivan is highly touted, he doesn't yet have the NHL experience to match wits with Crawford.

 

The bottom line is to read up on the head coaches of teams and what strategies they like to implement. We don't suggest you base your picks of the night on the head coaches. Rather, we look at this theory as more of way to differentiate between two close teams. It's just another layer of betting research that just might make you some money in the long run.