2019-20 NHL season betting review: Least profitable home teams

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Last week, we looked at the five teams that were most profitable this season when it came to defending their rink.

Here, we flip the coin and break down the clubs that caused bettors all sorts of headaches with their inability to make the most of home-ice advantage.

Note: Profits listed for $100 bettor

1. Montreal Canadiens, -$1,828

Bettors who consistently backed the Canadiens to win in La Belle Province this season took an absolute bath. Not even the best atmosphere in hockey (according to several NHL player polls) could help Montreal to a good record at the Bell Centre in what was a lost year for Claude Julien's team after posting a top-five record on home ice last season.

Only the Detroit Red Wings had a worse home record than the Habs (14-23 straight up, 37.8%). But the Canadiens sit comfortably atop this list with the Red Wings nowhere to be found because of their average line of -137 on home ice, compared to +165 for Detroit.

2. Nashville Predators, -$1,167

The Predators have typically been one of the league's more consistent teams on home ice, but that wasn't the case this year, as they posted a better record on the road (18-16 SU) than at home (17-18 SU).

Nashville offers a prime example of how a bad stretch can skew season-long results, though. The Predators lost seven of eight at home between Oct. 31 and Dec. 3, most of them as large favorites, losing the $100 bettor $1,112 over that span - just $55 shy of their season total.

3. Washington Capitals, -$824

Coming into the season, the Capitals were not a team you would have expected to find on this list. Washington posted a cumulative win percentage of 66.2% over the previous three seasons, earning bettors a league-best $2,130 in profits over that span.

However, in 2019-20, the Caps compiled an 18-15 SU record (54.5%). Paired with an average line of -188, that was enough to punish bettors.

4. Toronto Maple Leafs, -$819

Besides the Capitals, the Maple Leafs are the only team on this list that owned a winning record on home ice this season, albeit barely. Toronto went 18-16 SU (52.9%) but was undone by an inflated average line of -184. Only four teams had one shorter.

Before Leafs fans blame Mike Babcock for this, it's worth noting they lost $387 (47% of $819) under Sheldon Keefe.

5. Calgary Flames, -$806

The Flames took a page out of the Predators' book, posting a winning record on their travels (20-17 SU) and a losing one at home (16-17). And like the Leafs, Calgary can't really blame its former coach. The Flames were 6-5 at home under Bill Peters and 10-12 at the Saddledome following his resignation.

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.