NHL Betting Schedule Breakdown: March 17 – March 23
With just one month remaining in the NHL regular season, rest and fatigue will be important factors to consider when handicapping games and playoff chances. This week’s betting schedule breakdown highlights rest mismatches for the week of March 17 – 23.
The table below shows how home-ice advantage was influenced by rest last season:
| Rest Diff | Games | Home Win % | Implied Odds |
| Home > | 373 | 59.0% | 55.9% |
| Home = | 690 | 53.8% | 55.4% |
| Home < | 249 | 47.8% | 50.8% |
Here’s how rest has impacted home-ice advantage this season:
| Rest Diff | Games | Home Win % | Implied Odds |
| Home > | 322 | 60.6% | 56.2% |
| Home = | 543 | 55.1% | 54.7% |
| Home < | 206 | 48.1% | 52.1% |
Monday, March 17th
Monday’s schedule mostly features teams playing on equal rest, but there is one mismatch. The Calgary Flames are in Toronto after a couple of days off, and therefore, they will have a one-day rest advantage over the Maple Leafs.
| Other | Rest Days | Visitor | Home | Rest Days | Other |
| 1 | BUF | BOS | 1 | ||
| 1 | PHI | TBL | 1 | ||
| 1 | NJD | CBJ | 1 | ||
| 2 | CGY | TOR | 1 | ||
| 1 | LAK | MIN | 1 |
Tuesday, March 18th
Calgary continues its road trip on Tuesday, concluding the second half of its back-to-back at Madison Square Garden. Calgary’s opponent, the New York Rangers, will be playing their third game in four days. St. Louis will also play its third game in four days, but the Blues will be in Nashville facing a rested Predators team. The Vancouver Canucks will play their third game in four days as well when they host the Winnipeg Jets.
The Edmonton Oilers will play their fourth game in six days when they host the Utah Hockey Club, while the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and Chicago Blackhawks will each have a one-day rest advantage over their opponents.
| Other | Rest Days | Visitor | Home | Rest Days | Other |
| 2 | OTT | MTL | 2 | ||
| 2/2 | 0 | CGY | NYR | 1 | 3/4 |
| 1 | NYI | PIT | 2 | ||
| 1 | DET | WSH | 2 | ||
| 3/4 | 1 | STL | NSH | 2 | |
| 1 | ANA | DAL | 1 | ||
| 1 | SEA | CHI | 2 | ||
| 1 | UTA | EDM | 1 | 4/6 | |
| 1 | WPG | VAN | 1 | 3/4 |
Wednesday, March 19th
There are just two games on Wednesday, but both games feature rest mismatches. The Colorado Avalanche will return from a two-day break when they begin a three-game Canadian road trip against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Meanwhile, Minnesota will host the Seattle Kraken, who will be playing their second game in as many nights.
| Other | Rest Days | Visitor | Home | Rest Days | Other |
| 2 | COL | TOR | 1 | ||
| 2/2 | 0 | SEA | MIN | 1 |
Thursday, March 20th
Thursday is one of two days that feature 14 games on the schedule. Colorado will conclude the second half of its back-to-back against the Ottawa Senators, while Toronto will do the same in New York against the Rangers. However, several other matchups feature rest mismatches.
The New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Los Angeles Kings, and Buffalo Sabres will all return from two-day breaks, each with a one-day rest advantage over their opponents. The Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights will have had three days off, but while they will have a rest advantage, their opponents will also be well rested.
| Other | Rest Days | Visitor | Home | Rest Days | Other |
| 2/2 | 0 | COL | OTT | 1 | |
| 3/4 | 1 | CGY | NJD | 2 | |
| 2/2 | 0 | TOR | NYR | 1 | 4/6 |
| 2 | PHI | WSH | 1 | ||
| 3 | FLA | CBJ | 2 | ||
| 1 | MTL | NYI | 1 | ||
| 4/6 | 1 | VAN | STL | 1 | 4/6 |
| 1 | ANA | NSH | 1 | ||
| 2 | TBL | DAL | 1 | ||
| 2 | LAK | CHI | 1 | ||
| 1 | WPG | EDM | 1 | ||
| 2 | BUF | UTA | 1 | ||
| 2 | BOS | VGK | 3 | ||
| 4 | CAR | SJS | 4 |
Friday, March 21st
Friday’s schedule features just one game. The Pittsburgh Penguins will return from a two-day break to host the Columbus Blue Jackets, who will be on the second half of a back-to-back.
| Other | Rest Days | Visitor | Home | Rest Days | Other |
| 2/2 | 0 | CBJ | PIT | 2 |
Saturday, March 22nd
Saturday’s schedule is packed with 14 games, but there really aren’t many rest mismatches. The Minnesota Wild and Seattle Kraken will both return from two-day breaks. They’ll have one-day rest advantages over their respective opponents, the Buffalo Sabres and Edmonton Oilers.
However, the Detroit Red Wings will have the biggest schedule edge, as they’ll have a two-day rest advantage against the Vegas Golden Knights. The Avalanche and Maple Leafs will both be playing their third game in four days, while the Calgary Flames will play their fourth game in six days.
| Other | Rest Days | Visitor | Home | Rest Days | Other |
| 1 | VAN | NYR | 1 | ||
| 1 | PHI | DAL | 1 | ||
| 1 | BUF | MIN | 2 | ||
| 1 | CHI | STL | 1 | ||
| 4/6 | 1 | CGY | NYI | 1 | |
| 1 | CAR | LAK | 1 | ||
| 1 | FLA | WSH | 1 | ||
| 1 | TBL | UTA | 1 | ||
| 3/4 | 1 | COL | MTL | 1 | |
| 1 | OTT | NJD | 1 | ||
| 3/4 | 1 | TOR | NSH | 1 | |
| 3 | DET | VGK | 1 | ||
| 2 | SEA | EDM | 1 | ||
| 1 | BOS | SJS | 1 |
Sunday, March 23rd
Almost all of the teams playing on Sunday will be doing so while fatigued, as 11 of the 14 teams will be on the second half of a back-to-back. The St. Louis Blues might have it the worst, playing their sixth game in nine days, though they’ll at least be facing a similarly tired Predators team.
The only two teams with a rest advantage are the Pittsburgh Penguins, who last played on Friday, and the Anaheim Ducks, who will be returning from a two-day break.
| Other | Rest Days | Visitor | Home | Rest Days | Other |
| 2/2 | 0 | PHI | CHI | 0 | 2/2 |
| 2/2 | 0 | BUF | WPG | 2 | |
| 1 | PIT | FLA | 0 | 2/2 | |
| 2/2 | 0 | NSH | STL | 0 | 6/9 |
| 2/2 | 0 | TBL | VGK | 0 | 2/2 |
| 2/2 | 0 | CAR | ANA | 2 | |
| 2/2 | 0 | BOS | LAK | 0 | 2/2 |