It’s hard to believe, but the NHL is actually playing preseason games right now. For the first time in three seasons, the league will play an 82-game schedule.
Tampa Bay is the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion. Can the Lightning win the 2022 NHL Stanley Cup? That’s a great question, but a better one might be can the Lightning reach 107 points?
We answer that question and a few others in this look at NHL regular season team points odds and picks.
Detroit Red Wings – UNDER 77.5 Points (-105)
Yes, Steve Yzerman is building a potential winner in Detroit. That winner is still years away. In last year’s shortened season, the Red Wings went 19-27-10. In the COVID-shortened season before that, Detroit was 17-49-5 and the last time the NHL played 82 games the Red Wings record was 32-40-10 for a total of 74 points.
The only player on the roster making over $6 million is Dylan Larkin. What that means is that Yzerman has plenty of cap space to continue the rebuild. That’s why the Wings will not hit 78 points this season. Detroit will spend this season trying to figure out whether or not Alex Nedeljkovic (traded from Carolina in the offseason) is the answer in goal. Take the Under.
Vegas Golden Knights – OVER 106.5 Points (+100)
Vegas had the most wins in the NHL (40) last season. That’s because they had the best defense and Marc-Andre Fleury in goal. Fleury was traded to Chicago and Robin Lehner will step in for Fleury, but the rest of the Knights have what it takes to win 50 games in 2021-22.
Mark Stone (20 G, 61 PTS) and William Karlsson (39 PTS) give the Knights consistency and the additions of Nolan Patrick and Evgenii Dadonov make them a real threat to win the Pacific Division and contend for a Stanley Cup.
When it’s all said and done, Vegas will challenge its franchise record 51 wins in its first season (2017-18) and go Over 106.5.
Tampa Bay Lightning – OVER 107.5 Points (-115)
The last two times the NHL played an 82-game schedule, the Lightning total 113 and 128 points. They totaled 92 in the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season and 75 points in last season’s 56-game schedule. Both of those totals extrapolate to eclipse this year’s total of 107.5.
Tampa Bay is a two-time defending Stanley Cup champion with a roster that remains full of stars. Nikita Kucherov, who scored 32 points in 23 postseason games last year, is back and healthy. Brayden Point (48 PTS) led the Lightning in regular season scoring. Victor Hedman (45) is still one of the best defensemen in the NHL and a healthy Steven Stamkos (34 PTS in 38 games last season) make Tampa Bay a favorite to three-peat.
The Lightning easily win 50-plus games again in 2021-22. Play the Over.
New York Islanders – OVER 98.5 Points (-115)
The Islanders are a team on the rise in the NHL. In 2020-21, they lost in the conference semifinals to Tampa Bay. Last year, the Islanders lost to – you guessed it – Tampa Bay in the Stanley Cup semifinals (essentially a conference semifinal) in seven games.
The interesting thing is New York went that far last year without their captain and star Anders Lee. He missed most of the regular season and all of the postseason with a knee injury. With Lee back and most of the roster from a year ago, this team is ready to take the next step.
The Isles are outstanding on defense and the combination of Semyon Varlamov and Ilya Sorokin make New York a legitimate threat to Tampa Bay’s three-peat. Last year’s 32 wins extrapolates to 47 in an 82- game season. The Islanders can easily win 47 this season and likely will win more. That will put New York Over 98.5.
Florida Panthers – UNDER 102.5 Points (-115)
Yes, Florida appears to be trending upward. They won 37 of their 56 games last season. The defense is strong. G Chris Driedger was lost to Seattle in the expansion draft, but Sergei Bobrovsky can still get it done. Spencer Knight is the future in goal, but what Florida lacks is offensive skill.
The Panthers had just two 20-goal scorers in last year’s shortened season. The Panthers have eclipsed the 102.5-point mark just once in franchise history – 2015-16. That season ended just as the last two seasons have – with losses in the first round of the playoffs. This one will too and the Panthers will go Under 102.5 in the President’s Cup race.
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