The odds are right on Draft Kings, the NHL's betting house of choice. I've bet on like two sporting events in my life, but I usually look to the people who have money riding on things for the true state of play. If you can get a bet on Brian Dumoulin to score the first goal tonight, or Libor Hajek or Radim Zohorna, but you can't get one on Sidney Crosby, on the NHL's house casino, that tells me there's basically no chance Sidney Crosby is playing tonight.
(I also don't think the Rangers would be -140 if Crosby was expected to play, but that's more indirect.)
Yes, there's some hope in there lol. Definitely. But to me it's the best source of good intel.