Nashville’s Dan Ellis had the best save percentage last season. Who knew?

If it’s the middle of August, we must be talking hockey. NHL training camps start next month; so do preseason games, then the regular season opens in Prague and Stockholm on Oct. 4. This is your window of opportunity as a handicapper to get caught up with the league, its 30 teams and its hundreds of players.

Unless you’re a professional handicapper able to devote several hours a day to your craft, you probably won’t be able to study every single NHL player. But even a recreational bettor can make a profit on hockey – the lines are soft and prone to bigger swings because of the smaller marketplace. The trick is to manage your time and study efficiently.

Start by looking at the top goaltenders on each team. Advanced metrics are fairly new to the sport, but save percentage is a reliable rough guide for evaluating goaltender performance. Yes, that’s Dan Ellis in the top spot for 2007-08.