Understanding NHL Betting Odds Better
Founded in 1917, the NHL is the second oldest among the four major professional sports in the United States and Canada. The cities of New York, Chicago, Boston, Montreal, Detroit, and Toronto were the first to have NHL teams and are popularly referred to as the “Original Six.”
The league features 25 franchises across the United States and 7 in Canada. The newest team, Seattle, joined the league in 2021.
The NHL is played over an 82-game regular season and four rounds of playoffs leading to many betting opportunities. It combines baseball money baselines and different elements of basketball with different betting options that provide gamblers with many ways to make profits.
The following are some of the essential types of NHL betting odds and bet types you should know:
1. Straight Money lines
Before 2005, NHL games could end in a draw. However, hockey betting changed drastically when the NHL revised its overtime rules to include a game-deciding shootout. Until 1943, there was an overtime period that the NHL scrapped due to the shortages in personnel occasioned by the Second World War. Games that were even after an hour ended as a draw.
Although the league introduced a 5-minute overtime period in 1983, it did not impact betting. The shootout, on the other hand, changed the landscape for gamblers.
Most betting odds in the past featured a puck line of either -1/2 or +1/2 goal. It was common to bet on an average team playing against a stronger away opponent, scoring half a goal. Most teams were happier playing for a draw and the gamers getting half a goal cashed on their tickets.
NHL money lines are usually available as a standard betting option with reasonable prices. In most cases, a negative price denotes the favorite, and a favorable price shows an underdog.
For instance, if the odd favorite’s odds are -140, you will earn a profit of $100 for every $140 you stake. Likewise, when the odds for the underdogs are +120, you will make a profit of $120 for each $100 you bet.
2. Puck Lines
Although they currently exist in a slightly different format, puck lines were one of the significant components of NHL bets before the shootout. Before the late 1970s, the puck line was commonly known as the Canadian Line.
However, the term fell into disuse as hockey betting and the NHL, in general, grew in popularity across the globe. It combines a Money line and a point spread according to the goals scored.
For example:
Edmonton Oilers +1.5 -150
Calgary Flames -1.5 +130
If you are betting on the Calgary Flames, you need to lay $100 to win $130. However, they should win by two goals or more and cross the -1.5-puck line. The underdog wins if the game proceeds to overtime or shootout. But you should keep in mind that the underdog also wins if the Flames win by one goal in regular time.
On the other hand, you will have to wager $1.50 for each $1.00 you want to make if you bet on the Edmonton Oilers. If the Oilers emerge victorious in regular time, overtime, or shootout or lose by a single goal in any manner, you can cash your ticket.
Before introducing the shootout, the half-goal puck line was trendy. However, it is now restricted to the first 60 minutes of bets. Like the Moneyline wager, the ½ goal puck goal is solely dependent on the outcome of regulation time.
Therefore, when you lay a -1/2 goal, you must win in regulation time. But if you are laying a +1/2 goal, you need to win in regulation or lose in overtime or shootout if regulation ends in a tie.
A great betting platform should offer you both puck line and Money line for the initial sixty minutes and the entire game. Depending on the circumstances surrounding a particular matchup, it is advisable to place different bets for various tactical reasons.
3. Parlays
NHL parlays enable you to wager a single amount across several hockey bets for a bigger possible payout. But for you to cash out the whole parlay, all wagers included in your ticket must win. Even if nine of your ten bets in the parlay are correct, that one incorrect bet turns your parlay into a loss.
Although parlays come with higher risks than other types of bets, they are popular with casual players because of their significantly larger potential payouts. For instance, a parlay featuring three underdogs at +150 would earn you 3.375 times your stake.
Some betting platforms allow you to place bet builders or parlays in the same game. You can add several types of bets, including player props, total, or Money line, on a single game.
4. Grand Salami
The Grand Salami is a special bet that includes each game on the NHL fixture list for that day in one bet. Although it functions like a single-game total, it features all games on the slate. Every goal scored (or missed) plays a crucial role in cashing your bet.
For example, imagine there are five matches available with a Grand Salami total of 27.5 goals. You can either choose the Under or the Over option on that figure. If the sum of the goals scored is 28 or more, then the Over bettor wins. On the other hand, the Under-bet wins if the sum of the goals is 27 or below.
However, finding this kind of bet can be tricky since it is not always available. However, you will find it enjoyable and longer-lasting than other wagers.
5. Prop Bets
You can bet on particular aspects of a game not related to the final result with prop bets. NHL prop bets often feature odds on a single team or player’s performance and events throughout a game.
You can choose from many player props such as assists, points, goals, saves, shots, power-play points, and hits. In most cases, props are similar to total, where you need to pick Over or Under a set total.
