NHL

Preseason games are exhibitions in September, and they do not count in the standings. The regular season has 82 games for each team and usually runs from early October to mid-April.

The playoffs are best-of-seven series, and the Stanley Cup Final usually ends in June. The exact dates change each year.

A play is any event in the feed, such as a shot, a save, a hit, a faceoff or a penalty. Play-by-play lists them in order, with the game situation. Games have three 20-minute periods.

A goal is the scoring event, and each one counts as one goal. Goals can come on a power play, when the other team is short a player, or into an empty net. In the regular season, a game still tied after regulation goes to a five-minute overtime with three skaters a side, then to a shootout if needed. In the playoffs, overtime keeps going in 20-minute periods until a goal is scored.

For example, a 4-2 win means four goals scored and two allowed, a goal difference of +2.

An Antic Rating is a player's score for one game on a 0 to 10 scale. Hockey has no win probability in the feed, so the rating comes from the box score alone.

A player with no box-score line has no rating for that game. Game rating is not calculated for hockey, because it is built from the win probability.

Player props are bets on one player's stat or event. In hockey you will see shots on goal and points, where points means goals plus assists. Most are over or under a number.

Antic never places bets. If betting stops being fun, set limits or call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Polls ask who wins before puck drop, who covers the spread where there is one (usually the puck line), and who wins the next period. Votes show the split.

Lineups show the projected goalie first, then the forwards in lines of three, then the defense in pairs, then the goalies. Forwards are centers (C) and wingers (LW and RW). Each row shows injury status when one is reported.

Standings rank teams by points: two for a win, and one for a loss in overtime or a shootout. Ties are broken first by regulation and overtime wins, then by head-to-head points, then by goal difference, and then by goals scored.