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The Central Division is widely considered to be the best in the NHL, as five of the top 12 teams favored to win the 2019-20 Stanley Cup hail from it.
And it's next up in this series, in which I dive deep into team schedules to identify the best spot to bet against every club this season.
Chicago Blackhawks
Date: Jan. 2, at Vancouver
Congratulations to the Blackhawks, who get to bring in the new year in the fifth- and sixth-most livable cities in the world. After spending Dec. 31 in Calgary, they'll fly to Vancouver for a date with the Canucks. That game is the last in their holiday road trip, and all they'll care about by that point is catching their flight after the showdown. The Blackhawks are 3-11 on the road the last two seasons against Canada's Western Conference teams.
Colorado Avalanche
Date: Oct. 25, at Vegas
If you've been following this series then you already know extensively about the "Vegas Flu." And it's amplified when a team has three full days off before a road game against the Golden Knights. The Avalanche conclude an early six-game road trip in Vegas, after what is sure to be a night or two of fun in Sin City for one of the league's youngest teams. Over the last three seasons, teams are 17-38 (30.9%) in the finale of a six-game road trip. I'd confidently tick that win percentage down even further given the circumstances.
Dallas Stars
Date: April 2, at San Jose
Playing five games in seven nights is tough. Playing five games in seven nights near the end of an 82-game season is brutal. That's the task at hand for the Stars toward the end of the campaign, as they have two back-to-backs in a week, with plenty of travel mixed in. Here's the seven-day forecast: The Stars fly to Chicago, back to Dallas for a game the next night, have a day off, host the Canucks, have another day off, fly to Anaheim, and then play in San Jose the next night. That's a lot of Air Miles to collect in a week. Jim Montgomery better hope his club has a playoff spot locked in by the time it makes the trip to Northern Cali.
Minnesota Wild
Date: Feb. 1, vs. Boston
The NHL typically does its best to match up teams coming off bye weeks. It takes a few periods to shake the rust off after a nine-day break in the middle of the season. The Wild will be at a significant disadvantage in their first game back from their vacation when they take on a Boston Bruins team that has a game the night before to get back into rhythm. The back-to-back shouldn't hurt the Bruins, either, considering they'll be rested following their own hiatus.
Nashville Predators
Date: Feb. 22, vs. Columbus
The Predators were 0-5 in the second half of last season in the latter contest of a back-to-back. They face a daunting travel schedule in early February that will take them from Nashville to Winnipeg before trips to Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, back home, and St. Louis, all concluding with a stop back in Nashville for a second game against the Blues in as many nights. Later that week, one day after an away contest in Chicago, the Predators return home to host the Columbus Blue Jackets. A second back-to-back in a week - coming off a brutal travel schedule - is as good a spot as any to fade a club.
Fun fact: The Preds play only on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays in October. They don't have a single game on any other night.
St. Louis Blues
Date: Jan. 18, at Colorado
Apparently, one of the perks of being the Stanley Cup champions is a favorable schedule the following season. The Blues have the most games in the NHL this season with at least one day of rest before. Do you know what's not great, though? St. Louis has a five-game homestand leading up to its bye week, but before it can officially coast into that mini-vacation, the Blues have to leave home for Colorado for a night. Where will their minds be during a Saturday matinee against the Avalanche, which will be followed by a flight home to enjoy eight days off? Not at the rink, I'm betting.
Winnipeg Jets
Date: Oct. 8, at Pittsburgh
The Jets need all the help they can get early in the season, as they deal with the distraction of unsigned forwards Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor and the uncertain future surrounding defensive leader Dustin Byfuglien. Opening the season with four consecutive road games won't help. Winnipeg will be itching to get home by the time its East Coast trip concludes in Pittsburgh. The Jets have lost all nine of their games in Pittsburgh since relocating to Winnipeg, and they've lost 18 in a row there dating back to their days as the Atlanta Thrashers. The franchise's last win in the Steel City came in December 2006, when Vyacheslav Kozlov and Bobby Holik scored late to clinch the victory. Talk about a throwback.
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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