The wear and tear of a long season will almost certainly come into play over the next couple of weeks, making it important for NHL handicappers to stay on top of the schedule. This week’s article highlights the biggest rest mismatches for the week of April 7–13.

The table below shows how home-ice advantage was influenced by rest last season:

Rest Diff	Games	Home Win %	Implied Odds
Home >	373	59.0%	55.9%
Home =	690	53.8%	55.4%
Home <	249	47.8%	50.8%

Here’s how rest has impacted home-ice advantage this season:

Rest Diff	Games	Home Win %	Implied Odds
Home >	376	60.6%	56.0%
Home =	620	55.8%	54.9%
Home <	232	50.4%	52.3%

Monday, April 7th

All 10 teams playing Monday are coming in with equal rest, so there’s nothing notable from a scheduling perspective. The main storyline is in Winnipeg, where the Blues will be chasing their 13th straight win against the Jets.

Other	Rest Days	Visitor	Home	Rest Days	Other
	1	TBL	NYR	1
	1	STL	WPG	1
	1	EDM	ANA	1
	1	SEA	LAK	1
	1	CGY	SJS	1

Tuesday, April 8th

Tuesday’s schedule features 10 games, with a handful of rest mismatches. The Carolina Hurricanes will have a one-day rest advantage versus the Buffalo Sabres, who are playing their third game in four days. The same goes for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who will take on the Florida Panthers, and the New Jersey Devils, who will host the Boston Bruins. The Colorado Avalanche will also have a one-day rest advantage against the Vegas Golden Knights. Elsewhere, the Seattle Kraken will play their second game in as many nights when they visit the Utah Hockey Club.

Other	Rest Days	Visitor	Home	Rest Days	Other
	2	CAR	BUF	1	3/4
	1	DET	MTL	1	3/4
	2	TOR	FLA	1	3/4
3/4	1	BOS	NJD	2
3/4	1	OTT	CBJ	1	3/4
	1	CHI	PIT	1	3/4
	1	NYI	NSH	1
3/4	1	VAN	DAL	1	3/4
2/2	0	SEA	UTA	2
3/4	1	VGK	COL	2

Wednesday, April 9th

Toronto will be back in action on Wednesday, concluding the second half of a back-to-back in Tampa Bay against the Lightning. The Minnesota Wild will also have a one-day rest advantage over the San Jose Sharks, while the Philadelphia Flyers will return from a three-day break to take on the New York Rangers.

Other	Rest Days	Visitor	Home	Rest Days	Other
2/2	0	TOR	TBL	1
	3	PHI	NYR	1
	1	SJS	MIN	2
	1	STL	EDM	1
	1	CGY	ANA	1

Thursday, April 10th

Thursday is another busy day, with 10 games on the docket. The Rangers will play the second half of a back-to-back against the New York Islanders, and the Anaheim Ducks will do the same in Los Angeles against the Kings, who will have had two days off. Meanwhile, Winnipeg will visit the Dallas Stars following a two-day break. Finally, the Washington Capitals will return from a three-day break, with Alex Ovechkin looking to pad his all-time goal-scoring total against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Other	Rest Days	Visitor	Home	Rest Days	Other
	1	CHI	BOS	1	4/6
	1	DET	FLA	1	4/6
	1	CAR	WSH	3
4/6	1	BUF	CBJ	1	4/6
2/2	0	NYR	NYI	1
	2	WPG	DAL	1	4/6
4/6	1	VAN	COL	1
	1	NSH	UTA	1
3/4	1	SEA	VGK	1	4/6
2/2	0	ANA	LAK	2

Friday, April 11th

Friday’s schedule features five games, but there is only one rest mismatch, as the Detroit Red Wings will conclude the second half of a back-to-back in Tampa Bay. Elsewhere on the slate, the Eastern Conference wild card teams will go head-to-head as the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators meet. Both teams will be returning from two days’ rest. The Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils will also return from two-day breaks.

Other	Rest Days	Visitor	Home	Rest Days	Other
	2	MTL	OTT	2
2/2	0	DET	TBL	1
	2	PIT	NJD	2
	1	SJS	EDM	1
	1	MIN	CGY	1

Saturday, April 12th

The weekend will be busy, with 20 games scheduled between Saturday and Sunday. Montreal will continue its push for a playoff spot when the Canadiens wrap up a back-to-back in Toronto against the Maple Leafs, who will have had two days off. The Minnesota Wild will also be playing their second game in as many nights when they visit the Vancouver Canucks. The Philadelphia Flyers and St. Louis Blues will also have one-day rest advantages in their respective matchups.

Other	Rest Days	Visitor	Home	Rest Days	Other
	1	NYI	PHI	2
3/4	1	NYR	CAR	1
	1	COL	LAK	1
	1	BUF	FLA	1
2/2	0	MTL	TOR	2
	1	WSH	CBJ	1
	1	WPG	CHI	1
	1	UTA	DAL	1
2/2	0	MIN	VAN	1
	1	NSH	VGK	1
	2	STL	SEA	1	4/6

Sunday, April 13th

The schedule really comes into play on Sunday, as half of the teams in action will be playing the second half of a back-to-back. As a result, Ottawa, New Jersey, Tampa Bay, and Edmonton will all have one-day rest advantages. The Colorado Avalanche are in the most favorable spot, though, coming off two days’ rest to play a tired Ducks team in Anaheim. Two teams—the Buffalo Sabres and Columbus Blue Jackets—will be playing their sixth game in nine days, while the Boston Bruins will return from a two-day break to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Other	Rest Days	Visitor	Home	Rest Days	Other
2/2	0	PHI	OTT	1
2/2	0	NYI	NJD	1
	2	BOS	PIT	1
2/2	0	TOR	CAR	0	2/2
6/9	0	BUF	TBL	1
6/9	0	CBJ	WSH	0	2/2
	1	EDM	WPG	0	2/2
	1	SJS	CGY	1
2/2	0	COL	ANA	2