NHL betting schedule breakdown & rest edges: Nov. 25-Dec. 1
In the NHL, rest can be the deciding factor between victory and defeat. For hockey bettors, understanding how strength of schedule impacts team performance is just as crucial as tracking stats. That’s why every week, we dive into the upcoming matchups to uncover rest-related edges and potential schedule traps.
The table below shows how home-ice advantage was affected by rest last season:
| Rest Diff | Games | Home Win % |
| Home > | 373 | 59.0% |
| Home = | 690 | 53.8% |
| Home < | 249 | 47.8% |
Here’s how rest has affected home-ice advantage this season:
| Rest Diff | Games | Home Win % |
| Home > | 105 | 61.0% |
| Home = | 166 | 53.6% |
| Home < | 61 | 45.9% |
Monday, November 25th
The week starts strong with 11 games, and every team is somewhat rested. Utah and Toronto were the only teams in action Sunday, ensuring no club enters Monday on a back-to-back. Several matchups feature teams playing on equal rest, making it a more straightforward day for evaluating performance based solely on talent and matchups. However, keep an eye on teams like Vegas and Dallas, navigating four games in six days—a potential fatigue factor.
| Other | Rest Days | Visitor | Home | Rest Days | Other |
| 1 | COL | TBL | 1 | ||
| 1 | WSH | FLA | 1 | ||
| 1 | NSH | NJD | 1 | ||
| 1 | STL | NYR | 1 | ||
| 4/6 | 1 | VGK | PHI | 1 | |
| 1 | DAL | CAR | 1 | 4/6 | |
| 1 | CGY | OTT | 1 | ||
| 1 | DET | NYI | 1 | ||
| 3/4 | 1 | WPG | MIN | 1 | |
| 1 | SEA | ANA | 2 | ||
| 1 | LAK | SJS | 1 | 4/6 |
Tuesday, November 26th
Utah concludes its four-game Eastern Conference road trip in Montreal, where the Canadiens will have had two days’ rest. Boston and Vancouver will also be well-rested when they face off in Boston, but this marks the first game of back-to-backs for Montreal, Boston, and Vancouver.
| Other | Rest Days | Visitor | Home | Rest Days | Other |
| 2 | VAN | BOS | 2 | ||
| 3/4 | 1 | UTA | MTL | 2 |
Wednesday, November 27th
With 30 of the league’s 32 teams in action, Wednesday is the busiest day of the week. Montreal, Boston, and Vancouver play the second game of their back-to-back sets. Boston faces the Islanders, who will have had one day off, while Montreal and Vancouver face opponents with three days’ rest.
Buffalo and Chicago hold two-day rest advantages at home against Minnesota and Dallas, respectively, while Toronto has a one-day edge visiting Florida. All other games feature evenly rested teams.
| Other | Rest Days | Visitor | Home | Rest Days | Other |
| 1 | MIN | BUF | 3 | ||
| 1 | STL | NJD | 1 | ||
| 1 | NYR | CAR | 1 | ||
| 1 | CGY | DET | 1 | ||
| 1 | WSH | TBL | 1 | ||
| 2 | TOR | FLA | 1 | ||
| 2/2 | 0 | BOS | NYI | 1 | |
| 2/2 | 0 | VAN | PIT | 3 | |
| 2/2 | 0 | MTL | CBJ | 3 | |
| 1 | PHI | NSH | 1 | ||
| 1 | DAL | CHI | 3 | ||
| 1 | VGK | COL | 1 | ||
| 4/6 | 1 | WPG | LAK | 1 | |
| 1 | ANA | SEA | 1 | ||
| 1 | OTT | SJS | 1 |
Friday, November 29th
After no games on Thursday due to American Thanksgiving, Friday features 14 matchups—more than Saturday’s 12, which is unusual. Edmonton returns from a five-day break to face Utah, which will have had two days off after its road trip. This should give the Oilers time to get healthy. Boston and Vancouver play their third game in four days, while all other teams have had one day off.
| Other | Rest Days | Visitor | Home | Rest Days | Other |
| 1 | NYR | PHI | 1 | ||
| 1 | CHI | MIN | 1 | ||
| 3/4 | 1 | VAN | BUF | 1 | |
| 1 | NJD | DET | 1 | ||
| 1 | NYI | WSH | 1 | ||
| 1 | FLA | CAR | 1 | ||
| 1 | CGY | CBJ | 1 | ||
| 1 | TBL | NSH | 1 | ||
| 1 | LAK | ANA | 1 | ||
| 1 | SEA | SJS | 1 | ||
| 1 | PIT | BOS | 1 | 3/4 | |
| 1 | COL | DAL | 1 | ||
| 1 | WPG | VGK | 1 | ||
| 5 | EDM | UTA | 2 |
Saturday, November 30th
Of the 24 teams in action Saturday, 20 will have also played Friday, setting the stage for potential surprises. Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and St. Louis will enjoy two-day rest advantages over their opponents, who will be playing back-to-back. So far this season, home teams are 36-19 (65.45 percent) in games where the road team played the previous day, while road teams are 12-13 (48 percent) against tired home teams.
| Other | Rest Days | Visitor | Home | Rest Days | Other |
| 2 | MTL | NYR | 0 | 2/2 | |
| 2/2 | 0 | CAR | FLA | 0 | 2/2 |
| 2 | TOR | TBL | 0 | 2/2 | |
| 2/2 | 0 | WSH | NJD | 0 | 2/2 |
| 2/2 | 0 | CGY | PIT | 0 | 2/2 |
| 2/2 | 0 | PHI | STL | 2 | |
| 2 | OTT | LAK | 0 | 2/2 | |
| 2/2 | 0 | BUF | NYI | 0 | 2/2 |
| 2/2 | 0 | NSH | MIN | 0 | 2/2 |
| 2/2 | 0 | EDM | COL | 0 | 2/2 |
| 2/2 | 0 | UTA | VGK | 0 | 2/2 |
| 2/2 | 0 | SJS | SEA | 0 | 2/2 |
Sunday, December 1st
Sunday features five games, with two teams playing on the second half of back-to-backs. The Canadiens face the Bruins after playing the New York Rangers on Saturday, while Boston will be in its fourth game in six days.
Ottawa continues its California road trip, traveling to Anaheim to face the Ducks after Friday’s game against the Kings. Vancouver will also play its fourth game in six days when it visits Detroit to take on the Red Wings. No teams will enter Sunday with more than one day off.
| Other | Rest Days | Visitor | Home | Rest Days | Other |
| 4/6 | 1 | VAN | DET | 1 | |
| 2/2 | 0 | MTL | BOS | 1 | 4/6 |
| 1 | CBJ | CHI | 1 | ||
| 1 | WPG | DAL | 1 | ||
| 2/2 | 0 | OTT | ANA | 1 |