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Home-ice advantage is a term that's thrown around a lot in sports. While it's important to be aware of home/road splits when it comes to betting, they don't offer much of an edge, as oddsmakers generally factor them heavily into the lines.
Still, some teams did a much better job than others of defending home ice this season. If you had bet $100 on every home team this year, here are the profits that the most successful ones would have earned.
1. Philadelphia Flyers, +$1,272
No team came close to rivaling the Flyers' success at home this season. With a 25-10 straight up record, their 71.4% win percentage was the league's best. Oddsmakers never did quite adjust. Philadelphia had an average line of just -137 at Wells Fargo Center this season - 15th among home rinks - netting the $100 bettor a hefty $1,272 in profits.
2. Los Angeles Kings, +$674
Despite only having the league's 12th-best home record, the Kings rewarded their backers with a nice return, largely thanks to an average line of +112 at the Staples Center - only the Ottawa Senators (+124) and Detroit Red Wings (+165) had lower lines on home ice. What really bumped the Kings up this list, however, was rattling off six successive home wins before the season was suspended. Los Angeles earned the $100 bettor $780 in profits over that stretch, heading into it with a negative ROI on the campaign.
3. Vancouver Canucks, +$520
Home ice was kind to the Canucks this season, who sported a 22-13 SU record at Rogers Arena - only five teams had a better win percentage. Like the Flyers, oddsmakers didn't show Vancouver the respect they should have, as the Canucks sported an average line of -129 at home, which was 18th in the NHL.
4. Buffalo Sabres, +$392
The Sabres were solid at home but far from spectacular. Buffalo posted a 20-15 SU record at KeyBank Center, netting a profit thanks to its success as a home underdog. The Sabres were 10-8 as 'dogs this season, netting $397 in profit. As home favorites, however, they lost bettors $5.
5. Pittsburgh Penguins, +$361
Despite boasting the NHL's second-best home record this season, the Penguins place fifth on this list thanks to an average line of -175. Interestingly, the Pens sported the same SU record on home ice as the St. Louis Blues (23-12), who had a lower average line (-167). Pittsburgh still netted a marginally higher profit, as it picked its spots well.
Other teams to net a profit on home ice this season included the Blues (+$356), Senators (+$333), Columbus Blue Jackets (+$135), Tampa Bay Lightning (+$85), Winnipeg Jets (+$35), Minnesota Wild (+$17), and New York Rangers (+$7)
Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.
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