NHL Backup Goalie Betting Trends
The NHL has pushed to make the league more competitive. The public and oddsmakers know who the good and bad teams are a few months into the season. There are 16 teams in the playoffs, but only 25% of them will make it to the next round. In 2021-22, no goalie had more starts than Juuse Saros’s 67.
Since 2016, 1,486 NHL games featured at least one backup goalie. The backup is the worse of the team's two goalies. They are out there to cover for injury or to give the starter a rest.
Calgary Flames backup goalie Daniel Vladar started 19 of 82 games in the 2021-22 season. Vladars played against low-quality opponents. NHL teams usually play their backup in back-to-back games. Since 2016, 373 games with a backup have gone to overtime. There is an increase of 2% to the likely hood of overtime in NHL games, but it doesn't mean bettors should take a three-way money line on NHL matches.
NHL backup goalies are starting at a disadvantage. NHL teams with a backup in the net only win 45.7% of the time and cover the spread 47.6%. Back-to-back games with the backup have a 5% decrease in their win probability compared to playing on the first leg of a back- to-backs.
