How to predict the NHL season

1. Think in divisions, then in bands

Predict the final standings separately within each division. Work division by division: the clear contenders, the teams fighting for a wild-card place, and the ones in a rebuild. Placement points reward being close, so a team you put one or two spots off still scores.

• Goaltending swings a team's position more than any single skater
• A team's special-teams profile is more stable across a season than its shooting percentage
• Rebuilding clubs are the safest low picks; contenders are where predictions go wrong

Unsure what Pre Season and Mid Season mean here? See the prediction game glossary

2. Weekly picks: you pick winners, not scores

NHL weeks are calendar weeks: a new round opens every Monday. Inside the week the games are listed by day, and you pick a winner in each game. There is no draw to consider: the winner after overtime or a shootout is the winner for prediction purposes. The whole week locks at the week's first puck drop.

3. Fatigue is the edge nobody uses

Because the league plays almost every night, rest is a real variable. A team on the second half of a back-to-back, especially the road half, is measurably worse than the same team after two days off. Before the week locks, check the schedule for back-to-backs, road trips and time-zone changes.

• Prefer the rested home team in an otherwise even matchup
• Be careful with a strong road team on the second night of a back-to-back
• Late-season games matter differently for a team already out of the race

4. Skip games rather than guessing badly

You choose how many games in the week to pick, and games can be left out. Before the first puck drop of the week, pick the games you have an opinion about rather than guessing across the whole schedule.

5. Play-off and bonus questions are separate

Bonus questions cover the Stanley Cup winner, Eastern and Western Conference champions, Art Ross (most points), Rocket Richard (most goals) and most assists. They are scored separately from your division standings predictions.

6. Build the habit

Over a season this long, the players at the top of a leaderboard are the ones who show up. Turn on deadline reminders, install the app to your home screen, and review the week's games before the first puck drop locks all your picks.