Thanks to the NBC Sports Network and the NHL Network, there is more hockey being televised in the States than ever before.

With some of these games being direct feeds from Canadian television – be it CBC Sports’ Hockey Night in Canada, TSN or Rogers Sportsnet – various opinions and viewpoints on the 30 teams and the state of the NHL will make bettors of the puck more informed when going to the window.

Among the features offered by CHC, in conjunction with the NHL Players Association, is its annual players poll, which was released Sunday online. The results offer interesting insight on a variety of subjects, and since linemakers often move numbers due to public perception (and not necessarily hard facts), reading between the lines may explain why lines move in first direction while handicappers’ homework may indicate otherwise.

The complete poll results are at www.playerspoll.ca.

Here are some interesting poll questions that could affect your betting choices.

Best referee?

This year’s winner was Paul Devorski, who calls an extremely consistent game without any late third-period mystery call or penalties that could tip the balance of a game.

When a younger crew officials, penalty calls seem to rise, meaning more penalties and more goals, especially on the power play. And since the higher echelon teams are better with the man advantage, fewer upsets seem to occur and totals seem to go toward the Over.

Most Underrated Team?

St. Louis. NHL players agree with something I’ve been writing all season: Look out for the Blues when the Stanley Cup Playoffs arrive in mid-April. Following the Blues were Nashville and Ottawa – again, a pair of teams with much more upside. With some added depth as the trade deadline approaches, they could surprise the Bruins and Canucks.

Oddly, Toronto made both the overrated and underrated lists.

Which Canadian city deserves a team?

Winnipeg won this category last season, gaining the Atlanta franchise. Another team near Toronto (the northern suburb of Markham) was the runner-up to Quebec City in this year’s poll. Hamilton was a distant third.

A year ago, ownership in Toronto and Montreal were against it, but with media organizations seizing control and talk of a new rink in Quebec, all that could change. With severe financial problems in New Jersey (despite a new arena), could the Devils (the former Colorado Rockies) become the new Nordiques?

Most Overrated?

No. 1: Vancouver – more jealousy of the Sedin twins, although the Canucks poor showing in Game 7 in the Cup final against Boston didn’t help much either. Next were Toronto, then Washington.

Sounds like an indictment of Caps forward Alex Ovechkin. The Rangers are fourth, but come on, they have the best record in the league. Some players simply remain in denial.

Elsewhere

Goalies tabbed Detroit’s Pavel Datsyuk as the most difficult shooter to stop. Conversely, shooters named Rangers netminder Henrik Lundqvist as the most difficult to score on. Lundqvist, another solid goalie from Finland, may be the leading candidate to win the Vezina Trophy, although I have hope for L.A.’s Jonathan Quick.

Thursday

Vancouver at Detroit: The defending Western Conference champions against The Streak. Word is the Canucks are not happy about the NHL Player Poll results and intend on snapping the Wings’ record 23-game home-ice run. They did it earlier in the season at Boston, so why not here. Play: Vancouver.

Friday

Montreal at Washington: The Capitals are showing signs of improvement, while Habs management simply misses reading the signs. Plus, the Canadiens can’t win on the road. Play: Washington.

Saturday

St. Louis at Winnipeg: Hockey Night In Canada offers a tripleheader with the Jets getting a rare berth in the spotlight. With the Jets’ great home-ice record, the Blues have good value. Pick: St. Louis.

Sunday

Chicago at Anaheim: Here come the Ducks, entering the week 15-3-3 since Jan. 1.Play: Anaheim.