- Betting lines for the NHL may be a tad off this season as the league will not be disclosing which players have tested positive for the Coronavirus.
- Fans and sports bettors will be gambling on the NHL with odds that have not been calculated with the most accurate data this season which will make betting on the matches problematic.
NEW YORK – Sportsbooks will have their work cut out for them when coming up with odds for NHL wagers this season.
Oddsmakers factor in a number of aspects regarding a game with a list of data and statistics to back them up. One of the biggest things taken into account is player injuries as they tend to have an effect on most game outcomes.
However, this season, any player that has tested positive for COVID-19 will remain unknown to the public making betting on the NHL a much more difficult task.
COVID-19 Affecting NHL Betting Odds
The NHL will keep players' names out of the media if they have the Coronavirus. While the athletes will be listed as injured on reports, the league will not be specifying the exact reason.
This falls in line with the NHL’s way of listing injuries as the league is notorious for vague terms such as “upper-body injuries” and “lower-body injuries”.
But, the odds are in favor of NHL players contracting the virus despite being in the bubble. This means that teams might have to say a player has other injuries as a way to cover up if they actually caught COVID-19.
The possibility of a cover-up is not good for sportsbooks and sports bettors that want to wager on the NHL and its Stanley Cup Qualifier games. A top priority in sports betting is to keep the integrity of the sport intact. The idea that the NHL may be less than transparent to their fans about a player’s health treads a fine line on keeping with the integrity of the game of hockey.
While the league has been abiding by the CDC guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19, there are a minimum of 43 known players that have been afflicted with the illness.
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They have all been quarantined but how they will be listed on the Injury Reports come the restart of the season for the Stanley Cup Qualifiers on July 28 is anyone’s guess.
But because of this latest development, outcomes compared to the odds given on those particular matches and the Stanley Cup could be wildly different than expected.
So What Now?
The NHL still has time to change its rules and come clean about which players have the Coronavirus before games are set to begin. This would allow fans and bettors to make more informed bets.
However, if that does not seem to be the case, it will be the responsibility of those gambling on the NHL games to research extensively before putting any money down. If certain athletes are out for an extended period, they could have the virus.
And while they may no longer test positive and can return to play, it will take weeks for their bodies to be at 100%. So, any player that was out and returns should have gamblers keeping an eye out on their performance before betting on them in the next game.
They may be one of the athletes still recovering which will be evident through their time on the ice. Either way, the odds and the outcomes for the Stanley Cup will be a rollercoaster ride for fans and sports bettors come July 28.
The high number of cases has so far not affected the NHL’s plans to start the season on that date.
Christina has been writing for different platforms for years. She has a particular interest in writing about any and all sports-related news. If there is a game on, she’s watching it. She has been writing for USAOnlineSportsbooks since 2019.
