Blue Jays at Red Sox Prediction: Odds, expert picks, starting pitchers, betting trends and stats for June 27
Its Friday, June 27 and the Blue Jays (43-37) are in Boston to take on the Red Sox (40-42).
José Berríos is slated to take the mound for Toronto against Brayan Bello for Boston.
Toronto took two of three in their series against Cleveland with a 6-0 win yesterday. Kevin Gausman allowed a mere two hits over eight innings and the Jays' offense turned six hits into six runs as Toronto pulled to within three games of the Yankees in the National League East.
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Boston had Thursday off following a West Coast swing that saw them lose six of nine including the last five on the trip. Wednesday, they lost 5-2 to the Angels. The offense was absent as Yusei Kikuchi struck out 12 for the Halos in the win.
Lets dive into the series opener and find a sweat or two.
We've got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Blue Jays at Red Sox
Date: Friday, June 27, 2025
Time: 7:10PM EST
Site: Fenway Park
City: Boston, MA
Network/Streaming: Sportsnet, NESN
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Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
Odds for the Blue Jays at the Red Sox
The latest odds as of Friday:
Moneyline: Blue Jays (-113), Red Sox (-106)
Spread: Blue Jays -1.5
Total: 8.0 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Blue Jays at Red Sox
Pitching matchup for June 27, 2025: José Berríos vs. Brayan Bello
Blue Jays: José Berríos (3-3, 3.51 ERA)
Last outing: 6/21 vs. White Sox - 7.2IP, 0ER, 2H, 3BB, 5Ks Red Sox: Brayan Bello (3-2, 3.31 ERA)
Last outing: 6/21 at San Francisco - 6IP, 1ER, 4H, 1BB, 6Ks
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Blue Jays at Red Sox
The Red Sox have won 5 straight AL East games at Fenway
The Over is 42-34-4 in Blue Jays' games this season
The Blue Jays have covered in 4 of their last 5 road games but they are profiting 1.87 units
Trevor Story is hitting .274 in June
Jarren Duran is 3-15 over his last 4 games
George Springer is riding a 5-game hitting streak with 9 hits in 18ABs
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If you're looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
Expert picks & predictions for tonight's game between the Blue Jays and the Red Sox
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
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Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Friday's game between the Blue Jays and the Red Sox:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Boston Red Sox on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Boston Red Sox at +1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0.
Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC
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Forbes
35 minutes ago
- Forbes
UFC 317 Fight Card: Odds, Lines, Prop Bets, Predictions And Picks
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 26: (L-R) Opponents Ilia Topuria of Germany and Charles Oliveira of Brazil ... More face off during the UFC 317 press conference at T-Mobile Arena on June 26, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Saturday's UFC 317 fight card features two title fights at the top of the marquee. In the main event, two former champs battle for the vacant UFC lightweight belt. In that contest, former UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria tangles with former UFC lightweight titleholder Charles Oliveira. In the UFC 317 co-main event, UFC flyweight kingpin Alexandre Pantoja faces Kai Kara-France. Also on the main card is a high-stakes 125-pound contest between Brandon Royval and Joshua Van. We look at the betting odds, line movement, potential prop bets, and picks for the UFC 317 main card. UFC 317 takes place on Saturday, June 28, from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The pay-per-view card is the focal point of the UFC's 2025 International Fight Week. The UFC 317 PPV fight card streams on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass. UFC 317 Fight Card Main Event: Betting Odds, Line Movement And Predictions - Ilia Topuria Vs. Charles Oliveira LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 26: (L-R) Opponents Ilia Topuria of Germany and Charles Oliveira of Brazil ... More face off during the UFC 317 press conference at T-Mobile Arena on June 26, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Ilia Topuria (16-0) is a former Cage Warriors champion. He joined the UFC in 2020 with a 9-0 record. It did not take him long to make a name for himself. He was ranked No. 14 in the featherweight division after three UFC bouts at 145 pounds and one contest in the 155-pound division. Three of those scraps ended with Topuria winning via knockout. In his first fight as a ranked featherweight, Topuria dispatched Bryce Mitchell via submission in the second round, earned his first 'Performance of the Night' bonus and moved to No. 9 in the rankings. A matchup with No. 5 ranked Josh Emmett followed the Mitchell win. Topuria picked up a decision in a 'Fight of the Night' scrap. Topuria's next fight, saw him face Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC featherweight title at UFC 298. Topuria entered that bout as the No. 3 ranked featherweight. He left as the champion after knocking out Volkanovski in the second stanza. In his first defense of the UFC featherweight crown, Topuria made history, becoming the first fighter to finish former 145-pound champion Max Holloway via strikes, knocking out the ex-champion in the third round of their UFC 308 meeting in October 2024. When Topuria decided to move to lightweight and give up his featherweight title, he vowed to sit until he got a 155-pound title shot. That fight takes place at UFC 317. Topuria has a 16-0 record with eight of those wins coming under the UFC banner. Charles Oliveira (35-10-0-1) has been fighting with the UFC since 2010. He won the vacant lightweight title with his win over Chandler and defended the title once, beating Dustin Poirier. He was booked to face Justin Gaethje in his second title defense, but Oliveira missed weight for that fight, which he won by submission, losing the title on the scale. Oliveira had a chance to regain the belt in October 2022, but Islam Makhachev submitted him and claimed the vacant belt. Since that loss, Oliveira is 1-1, beating Beneil Dariush by TKO in June 2023 and losing to Arman Tsarukyan via split decision in April of this year. Oliveira is coming off a November 2024 decision win over Michael Chandler. Oliveira is the No. 2 fighter in the official UFC lightweight rankings. When the betting odds opened for this fight, Topuria was a -425 favorite over the +310 Oliveira. Today, Topuria is listed at -450, while Oliveira is the +350 underdog. The betting public seems to be invested in an upset, as Oliveira has 90 percent of the bets and 63 percent of the handle. ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - OCTOBER 26: Ilia Topuria of Spain reacts after a knockout victory ... More against Max Holloway in the UFC featherweight championship fight during the UFC 308 event at Etihad Arena on October 26, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Oliveira has had a fantastic UFC career, and that career is far from over. However, he is part of the 'old guard' of the UFC's lightweight division. That group of fighters includes the men Oliveira has beaten as of late: Michael Chandler, Beneil Dariush, Justin Gaethje, and Dustin Poirier. The fighters who are not in that group are the men who have defeated Oliveira, competitors such as Arman Tsarukyan and Islam Makhachev. Ilia Topuria is part of that new generation. If Oliveira approaches this fight like he has been competing as of late, he will be in trouble. That means Oliveira cannot opt to strike in range against Topuria, who is a powerful striker with good footwork and finishing skills. Oliveira must fight at distance and keep Topuria from getting in close. Oliveira has not shown a willingness to fight that type of battle. The betting pick is for Ilia Topuria to beat Charles Oliveira to win the UFC lightweight title by knockout. UFC 317 Fight Card Co-Main Event: Betting Odds, Line Movement And Predictions - Alexandre Pantoja Vs. Kai Kara-France LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 26: (L-R) Opponents Alexandre Pantoja of Brazil and Kai Kara-France of New ... More Zealand face off during the UFC 317 press conference at T-Mobile Arena on June 26, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Alexandre Pantoja (29-5) is on a seven-fight winning streak heading into UFC 317. The 35-year-old Brazilian made his UFC debut in July 2017 with a split-decision win over Eric Shelton. Pantoja's career had its ups and downs over the next three years, where he went 5-3, but he has not lost since he dropped a decision to Askar Askarov in July 2020. Pantoja won the UFC flyweight title in July 2023 on the heels of two 'Performance of the Night' submission wins. Pantoja secured the 125-pound title with a split decision win over Brandon Moreno. Since that victory, Pantoja has defended his three times, beating Brandon Royval in December 2023 and Steve Erceg in May 2024. Both fights ended in decision victories. Pantoja picked up his 19th career finish in his third title defense, submitting Kai Asakura at UFC 310 in December 2024. Kai Kara-France (25-11-0-1) was 17-7-0-1 when he got the call from the UFC in 2019. In his first fight with the promotion, the New Zealander faced a short-notice opponent in Elias Garcia. The two won 'Fight of the Night' honors for their efforts, with Kara-France picking up the decision win. Kara-France followed that victory with two more wins on the judge's scorecards. Then, in December 2019, he faced future champion Brandon Moreno on the early prelims of the UFC 245 pay-per-view card. Moreno won that bout by decision. Kara-France went 1-1 in his next two outings. He then tore off three straight wins between March 2021 and March 2022 and found himself as the No. 2 ranked fighter in the division. In his next outing, he faced Moreno, who was ranked No. 1, in the co-main event of UFC 277. At stake was the interim UFC flyweight title. Moreno won that contest by TKO in the third round. Kara-France followed that setback with a split-decision loss to Amir Albazi in June 2023. Kara-France was booked to face Manel Kape in September 2023, but a concussion during training camp prevented Kara-France from competing on that card, UFC 293. The 32-year-old would not return to action until August 2024, where he earned a first-round TKO win, and a 'Performance of the Night' bonus against Steve Erceg. Kara-France enters UFC 317 as the No. 4 fighter in the official UFC flyweight rankings. The betting odds for the UFC 317 co-main event have held steady. Pantoja opened as the -250 favorite, while Kara-France came in at +200. The line is the same today. Kara-France has picked up 67 percent of the bets and 53 percent of the money. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 07: Alexandre Pantoja of Brazil reacts to his win against Kai Asakura ... More of Japan in the UFC flyweight championship bout during the UFC 310 event at T-Mobile Arena on December 07, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) We're looking at a grappler vs. striking battle in the co-main event of UFC 317. The champ is the grappler and the challenger is the striker. These two fought in an exhibition match in 2016 during The Ultimate Fighter. Pantoja won that two-round affair by decision. Don't put much stock in that contest. Look for Pantoja to move forward and strike with Kara-France early, but then look for the takedown where he will be able to drag Kara-France into deep water and outwork him on the mat. Yes, Kara-France has a punchers chance, but not much more than that. The betting pick is for Pantoja to beat Kara-France by decision to retain the UFC flyweight title at UFC 317. UFC 317 Fight Card: Betting Odds, Line Movement And Predictions: Beneil Dariush Vs. Renato Moicano LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 26: (L-R) Opponents Beneil Dariush of Iran and Renato Moicano of Brazil ... More face off during the UFC 317 press conference at T-Mobile Arena on June 26, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Beneil Dariush (22-6-1) joined the UFC in January 2014. At the time, Dariush sported a 6-0 record with five stoppage wins. In his promotional debut, Dariush scored a first-round submission win over Charlie Brenneman. Three months later Dariush tasted defeat for the first time, suffering a knockout loss to Ramsey Nijem. Dariush bounced back from that loss with five wins in a row, besting the likes of Daron Cruickshank (submission), Jim Miller (decision) and Michael Johnson (decision). A submission loss to Michael Chiesa ended that winning streak in April 2016. Wins over James Vick (knockout) and Rashid Magomedov put Dariush's record at 14-2, but a rough patch between March 2017 and March 2018 left Dariush at 14-4-1 as he lost to Edson Barboza (knockout), fought to a draw with Evan Dunham and was knocked out by Alexander Hernandez. Dariush rebounded in a big way from that winless run, picking up eight straight victories between November 2018 and October 2022. The most significant win during Dariush's impressive run was his UFC 280 decision win over Mateusz Gamrot. Following that victory, Dariush found himself as the No. 4 ranked fighter in the official UFC rankings and matched up against former UFC 155-pound champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 289. Oliveira entered the contest as the No. 1 ranked fighter in the promotion's lightweight division. Oliveira won the fight via TKO at 4:10 of the first round, ending Dariush's winning streak. A December 2023 knockout loss to Arman Tsarukyan put Dariush on the first losing skid of his career. He has not competed since the loss to Tsarukyan. Renato Moicano (20-6-1) was riding the first four-fight winning streak of his UFC career when he stepped in to face Makhachev at UFC 311. The 36-year-old opened his run with the promotion at 3-0 record between 2014 and 2017. Since then, Moicano has been up and down. He followed that by going 5-5 over his next 10 outings before beginning his current unbeaten streak in 2022. Moicano is 7-1 dating back to June 2021. His only loss prior to his UFC 311 setback to Makhachev was a March 2022 unanimous decision defeat to former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in a 160-pound catchweight battle. In April 2024, Moicano picked up his first knockout as a member of the UFC, decking Jalin Turner on the early prelims of the UFC 300 fight card. Then, in September 2024, the UFC tapped Moicano for the first main event of his UFC career against Benoît Saint Denis. That fight ended after the second round after Moicano left Saint Denis' face bloody and swollen. The damage Moicano put on his opponent forced the doctor to wave off the fight as Saint Denis' right eye was nearly swollen shut. Moicano enters UFC 317 as the No. 10 fighter in the UFC's 155-pound weight class. When the betting odds opened for this fight, Moicano was a -155 favorite over the +130 Dariush. Today, the bout is a pick 'em with Moicano at -115, and Dariush at -105. The bettors are looking for a Dariush win. He has 57 percent of the bets, and 79 percent of the money in his favor. AUSTIN, TEXAS - DECEMBER 02: Beneil Dariush of Iran prepares before his lightweight fight against ... More Arman Tsarukyan of Georgia during the UFC Fight Night event at Moody Center on December 02, 2023 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) We all know that in MMA a fighter is only as good as their most recent outing, or at least that's the logic that many follow. Had this fight been booked before Dariush's two recent losses, he would have likely have been the betting favorite. After all, he is the more skilled competitor in this bout. However, Dariush has lost two straight and Moicano, who might have been considered more of a journeyman than a legit lightweight contender before the winning streak that earned him a last-minute title fight, was on the best run of his UFC career before UFC 311. The betting pick is for Beneil Dariush to use his better overall MMA skills to pick up a decision win and end his losing skid. UFC 317 Fight Card: Betting Odds, Line Movement And Predictions: Brandon Royval Vs. Joshua Van LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 26: (L-R) Opponents Brandon Royval and Joshua Van of Myanmar face off ... More during the UFC 317 press conference at T-Mobile Arena on June 26, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Brandon Royval (17-7) joined the UFC in 2020 with a 10-4 record. At the time, Royval was coming off a November 2019 submission win over Nate Williams, earning him the LFA flyweight title. Royval did not get an easy matchup in his first UFC bout, as he was booked against former UFC flyweight title challenger Tim Elliott in a slight upset. The matchup won 'Fight of the Night' honors. Royval followed that win with another stoppage in another 'Fight of the Night' bonus-winning scrap, submitting the favored Kai Kara-France in the second round of their September 2020 matchup. Royval ended 2020 with a TKO loss to Brandon Moreno and began 2021 with a submission setback to Alexandre Pantoja. Both those men would go on to hold the UFC flyweight title. Bouncing back from those losses, Royval went on a three-fight winning streak, picking up another two performance-based bonuses. Then, in December 2023, he got a chance to avenge his submission loss to Pantoja in a matchup for Pantoja's title. That bout took place at UFC 296, and although Royval went the five-round distance, he was on the wrong end of a unanimous decision. Royval returned in the win column in February 2024 with a split decision triumph over Moreno in another five-round scrap. In October, Royval defeated the rising Tatsuro Taira in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card, beating the 25-year-old by split decision. The 32-year-old Royval has four knockout wins, nine submissions, and four decisions. Royval's losses have come by knockout (one), submission (one), and decision (five). Joshua Van (14-2) won the vacant Fury FC flyweight title in his eighth pro bout, submitting Cleveland McLean in the second round of that matchup. Not long after that, Van was booked to face Kevin Borjas on a Dana White's Contender Series Card, but the UFC plucked him from that event to face Zhalgas Zhumagulov in June 2024. Van won that contest by split decision. Van followed that victory with wins over Kevin Borjas and Felipe Burns. In July 2024, the UFC booked Van against the more experienced Charles Johnson. While Van had success in the first two rounds, he wilted under Johnson's pressure early in the third stanza. Johnson won the bout via knockout. Since that loss, Van has gone 4-0 with three decisions and in his most recent trip to the Octagon, a knockout. Van has looked better in each of his UFC fights and he seems ready to face high-level competition, but the No. 1 ranked contender? No one should question Van for accepting the opportunity to face Royval, but it could be too much too soon for the 23-year-old. Van has seven knockout wins, two submissions and five decisions. His losses have come by knockout and submission. When the odds opened for this fight, Royval was -115, while Van was -105. The lines have shifted. Today, Royval is +105 to Van's -125. Most of the bets (57 percent) are on Royval, while 57 percent of the money is on Van. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 12: Brandon Royval reacts after a victory against Tatsuro Taira of Japan ... More in a flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on October 12, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) First things first, Joshua Van has nothing to lose in this matchup and everything to gain. If he beats Royval, he gives himself an excellent chance to score a shot at the winner of the UFC 317 co-main event matchup between UFC flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja and Kai Kara-France. If Van loses, he'll walk away from T-Mobile Arena with the type of high-level experience that he and his team can build upon to make him a better overall fighter. Under ideal circumstances, Van would have had a full camp to fight an opponent ranked between No. 5 and No. 10 following his UFC 316 win. But we know UFC fighters don't always get to compete under ideal circumstances, so Van and Royval find themselves in a fight that neither gets a real opportunity to prepare for. With the way this booking came to be, it benefits the more experienced and more well-rounded fighter, which is Royval. The betting pick is for Royval to hold onto his No. 1 ranking in the UFC flyweight division by turning away another young, rising prospect. Look for Royval to win via decision. UFC 317 Fight Card: Betting Odds, Line Movement And Predictions: Payton Talbott Vs. Felipe Lima LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 26: (L-R) Opponents Payton Talbott and Felipe Lima of Brazil face off ... More during the UFC 317 press conference at T-Mobile Arena on June 26, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Payton Talbott (9-1) joined the UFC in August 2023 when UFC CEO Dana White awarded him a deal for his decision win over Reyes Cortez Jr. on a Dana White's Contender Series card. With his win that night at the UFC Apex, Talbott moved to 6-0. At the time, White said, "Payton broke the record for significant strikes tonight, I think it was 145, in that ball park, I don't have the official number (145 of 282). "This kid is an absolute predator. He keeps moving forward. He seems unfazed by by everything that happened. He plays the mental game. He's talking to his opponent… Payton hit him (Cortez) with everything tonight. Big shots, combinations, leg kicks, head kicks, you name it. He's only 24 years old. 'If this kid can keep his head together, I can't wait to see him at 27' Talbott shined in his first three UFC bouts, picking up stoppage wins over Nick Aguirre (submission), Cameron Saaiman (TKO), and Yanis Ghemmour (KO). In his third outing with the promotion, the UFC decided to give Talbott a test, matching him up against a veteran competitor in Raoni Barcelos. Barcelos was a +675 betting underdog to Talbott, who was listed at -1050, at UFC 311. Barcelos picked up eight takedowns and nearly 10 minutes of control time and added two submission attempts during the matchup. Sure, Talbott had the better striking, but he had no answer for Barcelos's focus on getting the fight to the mat. Talbott appears to be skilled and coachable. At UFC 317, he gets the opportunity to show how he has improved his overall MMA game. Talbott does not turn 27 until September 9. Felipe Lima (14-1) joined the UFC in June 2024 as a late replacement for the injured Melsik Baghdasaryan against Muhammad Naimov. Lima, a former Oktagon MMA bantamweight champ, was training for a defense of that title when he accepted the call from the UFC to compete at 145. Lima ended Naimov's six-fight winning streak via submission on that night, earning a 'Performance of the Night' bonus in the process. Lima followed that with a December 2024 decision win over Miles Johns on the UFC Tampa card. Lima lost his first professional fight in 2015, but the 27-year-old is undefeated since then with 14 consecutive wins. Lima opened as the -180 betting favorite over the +145 Talbott. Today, Lima is -190, while Talbott checks in at +155. Talbott has picked up 82 percent of the bets for this contest and 73 percent of the handle. TAMPA, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 14: Felipe Lima of Brazil prepares to face Miles Johns in a featherweight ... More fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Amalie Arena on December 14, 2024 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Talbott has a lot to prove on Saturday. He went from being a +1050 favorite in his last fight to a +165 underdog in this matchup because Barcelos showed that the young man was not a well-rounded competitor. It's now up to Talbott to show that he deserved the hype he had heading into that Barcelos matchup. As for Lima, this is a fight that could allow him to steal some of the shine that Talbott had on him. Lima is a well-rounded fighter who has good wrestling and strong striking. Plus, the wins he has picked up in the UFC are better than the wins Talbott has. 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Boston Globe
40 minutes ago
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84-game seasons, shorter contracts coming to NHL under new collective bargaining agreement
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Related : Advertisement The extension through 2030 provides the sport extended labor peace since the last lockout in 2012-13, which shortened that season to 48 games. Here is what is changing: Longer season Going from 82 to 84 games beginning in 2026-27 — making the season 1,344 total games — is expected to include a reduction in exhibition play, to four games apiece for the 32 teams. The additions would be played within divisions, evening out the schedule to ensure four showdowns each season between rivals like Toronto and Boston, Dallas and Colorado, and Washington and Pittsburgh. Currently, there is a rotation that has some division opponents facing off only three times a season. Advertisement That imbalance is coming to an end, and this is not the first time the NHL has had an 84-game season. The league experimented with that in 1992-93 and '93-94, when each team added a pair of neutral site games. BOSTON, MA - MAY 28, 2025: .Warrior Arena in Boston, Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman returns after he led US to gold medal at worlds. (David L Ryan/Globe Staff ) SECTION: SPORTS David L. Ryan/Globe Staff Shorter contracts Since 2013, players have been able to re-sign with their own team for up to eight years and sign with another for up to seven. Under the new CBA, each would be reduced by a year, to seven for re-signing and six for changing teams. Top players, given the injury risks in the sport, have preferred the longest contracts possible. The same goes for general managers, eager to keep talent in the fold as long as possible. But with the salary cap getting its biggest increases season by season over the next three years, the thinking had already begun to change. Auston Matthews re-signed for only four years with Toronto last summer, and Connor McDavid could also opt for a short-term contract extension with Edmonton. Steven Stamkos and the Lightning were among the teams in recent years to take advantage of the salary cap rules — or lack thereof — in the playoffs. Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press Playoff cap Currently, teams with players on long-term injured reserve can exceed the salary cap by roughly the amount of the players' salaries until the playoffs begin. Several times over the past decade, Stanley Cup contenders have used LTIR to activate players at the start of or early in the playoffs after they missed some or all of the regular season. Florida did so with Matthew Tkachuk before winning the second of back-to-back titles, Vegas has done it with Mark Stone on multiple occasions, as has Tampa Bay with Nikita Kucherov and Chicago with Patrick Kane. Advertisement The rule has been criticized as an unfair loophole, a way to stockpile talent and then add even more for the postseason. After he and Carolina were eliminated by the Lightning in 2021, Dougie Hamilton quipped that the Hurricanes 'lost to a team that's $18 million over the cap.' Tampa Bay went back to back, and players wore T-shirts with that saying on it during their Cup celebration. That will no longer be possible, though it's not exactly clear how it will work.
