NHL betting schedule breakdown & rest edges: Dec. 16 – Dec. 23
With the league’s holiday break coming up, hockey fans and bettors are about to get some well-earned rest—and they’ll need it. This week’s NHL schedule is a grind, with back-to-back games and plenty of holiday distractions. That’s why taking a close look at the schedule is more important than ever for making smart betting decisions.
The table below shows how home-ice advantage was affected by rest last season:
| Rest Diff | Games | Home Win % |
| Home > | 373 | 59.0% |
| Home = | 690 | 53.8% |
| Home < | 249 | 47.8% |
Here’s how rest has affected home-ice advantage this season:
| Rest Diff | Games | Home Win % |
| Home > | 144 | 58.3% |
| Home = | 258 | 52.3% |
| Home < | 90 | 45.6% |
So far this season, rest has had nearly the same impact it had last season.
Monday, December 16th
Monday’s schedule features only three games, but all are must-watch matchups. The Stars host the red-hot Washington Capitals in Dallas, marking the first half of a back-to-back for the road team. Next, we have a rematch of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final in Edmonton, where the Oilers face the Florida Panthers for the first time since losing Game 7 in June. Finally, the Colorado Avalanche take on the Vancouver Canucks, who have just five wins at Rogers Arena in 16 games, including only one home victory against a playoff team.
| Other | Rest Days | Visitor | Home | Rest Days | Other |
| 1 | WSH | DAL | 1 | ||
| 1 | FLA | EDM | 1 | ||
| 1 | COL | VAN | 1 |
Tuesday, December 17th
Washington is the only team playing back-to-back games on Monday and Tuesday, with a matchup against the Blackhawks in Chicago following its game against the Stars. However, Chicago is one of five teams playing its third game in four days. The Buffalo Sabres, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and St. Louis Blues all played back-to-back games over the weekend and now face opponents that have had two days off. All other games will be played between teams with equal rest, either one or two days.
| Other | Rest Days | Visitor | Home | Rest Days | Other |
| 3/4 | 1 | BUF | MTL | 2 | |
| 3/4 | 1 | CBJ | TBL | 2 | |
| 2 | LAK | PIT | 2 | ||
| 1 | NYI | CAR | 1 | ||
| 2 | NJD | STL | 1 | 3/4 | |
| 3/4 | 1 | NYR | NSH | 2 | |
| 2/2 | 0 | WSH | CHI | 1 | 3/4 |
| 2 | BOS | CGY | 2 | ||
| 2 | OTT | SEA | 2 | ||
| 2 | WPG | SJS | 2 |
Wednesday, December 18th
Winnipeg will wrap up its two-game California road trip in Anaheim on Wednesday after playing in San Jose on Tuesday. The Jets are favored, but the Ducks are coming off three days’ rest, which could leave room for an upset if Winnipeg isn’t sharp. Utah, Detroit, and Philadelphia are also returning from three-day breaks, though the Flyers and Red Wings face each other, leaving only Utah with a rest advantage. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Wild will have a one-day rest edge over Florida when the Panthers visit, as will the Toronto Maple Leafs when they host the Dallas Stars.
| Other | Rest Days | Visitor | Home | Rest Days | Other |
| 3 | PHI | DET | 3 | ||
| 2 | TOR | DAL | 1 | ||
| 1 | FLA | MIN | 2 | ||
| 1 | VAN | UTA | 3 | ||
| 2/2 | 0 | WPG | ANA | 3 |
Thursday, December 19th
Both Philadelphia and Vancouver will be back in action on Thursday. The Flyers will host the Los Angeles Kings, who will have had one day off, while the Canucks travel to Vegas to face the Golden Knights, coming off a three-day break. Meanwhile, the Blues, Blackhawks, and Blue Jackets will play their fourth game in six days, though they’ll technically have the same amount of rest as their opponents, who will also have had one day off. Additionally, Edmonton will hold a one-day rest advantage over the Boston Bruins, as will the Colorado Avalanche against the San Jose Sharks.
| Other | Rest Days | Visitor | Home | Rest Days | Other |
| 4/6 | 1 | STL | TBL | 1 | |
| 1 | LAK | PHI | 0 | 2/2 | |
| 1 | NJD | CBJ | 1 | 4/6 | |
| 1 | PIT | NSH | 1 | ||
| 1 | SEA | CHI | 1 | 4/6 | |
| 1 | OTT | CGY | 1 | ||
| 1 | BOS | EDM | 2 | ||
| 2/2 | 0 | VAN | VGK | 3 | |
| 2 | COL | SJS | 1 |
Friday, December 20th
Florida returns home for a quick stop after a five-game Western Conference road trip to host the St. Louis Blues, who will be playing their sixth game in nine days. By the end of this stretch, the Blues will have played 14 of their last 20 games on the road. Meanwhile, the Colorado Avalanche will play their second game in as many nights as they wrap up their three-game road trip in Anaheim.
Buffalo will hold a one-day rest advantage over Toronto when they meet for the second time in less than a week. The Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers will also enter their road games with a slight rest edge, while the remaining matchups will be played between teams with equal rest.
| Other | Rest Days | Visitor | Home | Rest Days | Other |
| 1 | TOR | BUF | 2 | ||
| 2 | MTL | DET | 1 | ||
| 6/9 | 0 | STL | FLA | 1 | |
| 2 | CAR | WSH | 2 | ||
| 2 | NYR | DAL | 1 | ||
| 1 | UTA | MIN | 1 | ||
| 2/2 | 0 | COL | ANA | 1 |
Saturday, December 21st
Saturday’s schedule features several tired teams, with Buffalo, Toronto, Detroit, Montreal, and Minnesota all playing back-to-back games. The Red Wings and Canadiens effectively cancel each other out, as they’ll face each other, though Montreal’s chances of winning back-to-back games seems slim unless it addresses its backup goaltending issues. Toronto faces the toughest challenge, hosting the Islanders, who will be coming off three days of rest, while Minnesota travels to face a rested Winnipeg team on the road. Aside from Buffalo taking on the Boston Bruins in the second half of a back-to-back, the remaining games will feature teams on equal rest.
| Other | Rest Days | Visitor | Home | Rest Days | Other |
| 1 | LAK | NSH | 1 | ||
| 1 | CHI | CGY | 1 | ||
| 1 | SJS | EDM | 1 | ||
| 2/2 | 0 | BUF | BOS | 1 | |
| 3 | NYI | TOR | 0 | 2/2 | |
| 2/2 | 0 | DET | MTL | 0 | 2/2 |
| 1 | PIT | NJD | 1 | ||
| 1 | CBJ | PHI | 1 | 3/4 | |
| 2/2 | 0 | MIN | WPG | 2 | |
| 1 | OTT | VAN | 1 | 3/4 | |
| 1 | SEA | VGK | 1 |
Sunday, December 22nd
Sunday is a light day, but there are some intriguing matchups. Edmonton continues its homestand, playing its second game in as many nights against the Ottawa Senators, who are also on a back-to-back. Washington and Colorado will host tired opponents as well, with Los Angeles and Seattle both playing road games on Friday. Meanwhile, the Lightning will have a one-day rest advantage when they face the Panthers.
| Other | Rest Days | Visitor | Home | Rest Days | Other |
| 1 | CAR | NYR | 1 | ||
| 1 | FLA | TBL | 2 | ||
| 2/2 | 0 | LAK | WSH | 1 | |
| 1 | ANA | UTA | 1 | ||
| 2/2 | 0 | SEA | COL | 1 | 3/4 |
| 2/2 | 0 | OTT | EDM | 0 | 2/2 |
Monday, December 23rd
The league will take a three-day break over the holidays from Dec. 24-26, but hockey fans can look forward to a packed schedule with 13 games on Monday. Most teams will likely feel the grind, as only two will enter with more than one day of rest. In fact, seven games will involve teams that played on Sunday, and every matchup features at least one team coming off a recently condensed schedule.
Utah, Anaheim, New York, Washington, and Carolina will all play on both Sunday and Monday, while their opponents will have had Sunday off. Tampa Bay and Florida will wrap up a home-and-home series after facing each other on Sunday. Additionally, more than a handful of teams will be playing their third game in four days or fourth in six days. Most notably, St. Louis will visit the Red Wings in Detroit after a two-day break, while Detroit will be playing their third game in four days.
| Other | Rest Days | Visitor | Home | Rest Days | Other |
| 2/2 | 0 | NYR | NJD | 1 | |
| 1 | WPG | TOR | 1 | 3/4 | |
| 2/2 | 0 | WSH | BOS | 1 | |
| 2 | STL | DET | 1 | 3/4 | |
| 2/2 | 0 | TBL | FLA | 0 | 2/2 |
| 4/6 | 1 | PHI | PIT | 1 | |
| 3/4 | 1 | MTL | CBJ | 1 | |
| 3/4 | 1 | BUF | NYI | 1 | |
| 2/2 | 0 | CAR | NSH | 1 | |
| 1 | CHI | MIN | 1 | 3/4 | |
| 1 | SJS | VAN | 1 | 4/6 | |
| 2 | DAL | UTA | 0 | 2/2 | |
| 2/2 | 0 | ANA | VGK | 1 |