Estimated Read Time: 5 minutes
See All Guides
That taken care of, we can now continue with hockey point spread betting, which by definition, a point spread is the scoring difference between the game’s two opponents (the two teams). Example of a Hockey Point Spread: Washington Capitals +2.5 (-115) Florida Panthers -2.5 (+270). Expert NHL picks and predictions from SportsLine.com. Hockey will list Favorites and Underdogs for that day's slate of games. The Money Line Odds will list the favorite with a (-) symbol, while the underdogs will be shown with a (+) symbol. The majority of betting sites online, as well as the betting apps, will simply do the math for you. The first point to make note of is that in hockey puck line betting you will see the point spread representing the favorite (team most likely to win according to the online sportsbooks) and the underdog (team less likely to win according to the online sportsbook) by a simple plus or minus sign next to them.
- Betting the puck line is like betting the NHL point spread, but the format is different from other spread betting
- Puck line bets often have better odds than moneylines on the same game
- There are unique strategic considerations to make when wagering the puck line
Puck line betting is the most popular form of hockey betting for both regular season NHL games and during the NHL playoffs.
As the closest thing to an NHL point spread, wagering on the puck line is just like betting against the spread in football or taking on the run line in baseball.
Read on to learn how to beat the books betting on the puck line!
NHL Point Spread Betting, Sort Of…
Hockey games, especially in the NHL, are often very tight affairs. The rigidity of the puck line reflects this fact, and the puck line is always set at +1.5 or -1.5.
As always, the + indicates the underdog, and the – indicates the favorite. Whenever you wager on the puck line, you are betting on the favorite (-1.5) to win by 2 goals, or the underdog (+1.5) to lose by one goal or win outright.
The inclusion of half points on the line eliminates the possibility of a push, or a tie. Clearly, NHL betting sites want to avoid this scenario however possible, and the 0.5 hook ensures that every bet on the puck line will be either a winner or a loser. There are no funky rules in the NHL; a half goal is impossible, under any circumstance.
Whenever you wager on the puck line, you are betting on the favorite to win by two goals or the underdog to lose by one goal or outright. It’s hockey’s version of the point spread, but the spread never changes.
One way to look at this is to take the final score and add 1.5 goals to the underdog’s goal total and subtract 1.5 goals from the favorite’s goal total. If your team wins the game after the score has been adjusted like this, you’ve covered the puck line and won the bet!
Why Bet on the Puck Line
So, what’s the point of the puck line? Why should you choose to bet on hockey’s point spread, rather than simply picking the winner of a game outright?
The puck line levels the playing field between two competing teams, as sportsbooks want to encourage equal action on both sides of the line.
In terms of value for bettors, the puck line often offers far better odds with a higher potential payout than does the moneyline, or picking a winner straight-up.
The puck line often offers far better odds and a higher payout than picking a winner straight-up.
For example, you may wish to wager on a team that is heavily favored to win, only to find the moneyline odds to be heavily skewed to attract action on the underdog. You’ll undoubtedly find better odds betting on the puck line, but you must be confident that the favored team is going to win the game by at least two goals.
If you think the game is going to be close, or that the favorite might not churn out a dominant victory, you can always bet the underdog the puck line. This way, you have a one-goal margin of error to reduce your risk.
Dropping the Puck on the Puck Line
Let’s take a closer look at the hypothetical puck line provided above. The Vancouver Canucks are listed as the underdog in this classic Western Conference matchup, heading to the Scottrade Center in St. Louis to take on a theoretically stronger squad in the Blues.
😎Long for enjoying the thrills of spinning on FREE CASINO SLOT GAMES? 😎Long for the excitement of hitting JACKPOTS and unlocking stunning SLOTS FEATURES? Have fun at anytime and anywhere with the best SLOTS app! ※Download Jackpot World Casino, one of the most popular free online Vegas slots casino games, to enjoy ultimate fun of Las Vegas slot. Slot definition. DAFU™ Casino Get all the fun and thrill Las Vegas strip and Macau feel anytime, anywhere with Dafu Slots! ► Huge awards, special slot features, collections and games that will give you rewards nonstop! DAFU Casino starts with a hot opening, exquisite pictures, immersive sound effects, takes you to play a super online casino game of syncretic cultures! Give you a bran-new slot experience!
If you were to place a bet on the Canucks, you would need them to either lose by a single goal or beat the Blues outright. It’s worth noting that if the game goes to overtime or ends in a shootout, the Vancouver Canucks would automatically cover the spread, as a St. Louis victory in overtime or the shootout would guarantee the margin of victory to be just one goal.
Payouts are indicated by the odds, which are listed at +160 for the Canucks to cover. If you placed a bet of $100 and the Canucks do cover, you would get $260 in return, including your $100 stake plus $160 profit. If you were to bet $10, you would receive $26, with $16 of that being profit.
On the other hand, the St. Louis Blues need to beat the Vancouver Canucks by a minimum of two goals in order to cover the spread. If St. Louis eeks out a close victory in a one-goal game, or if they win in overtime or the shootout, a bet on them would be unsuccessful.
Since the odds for St. Louis are listed at -150, you would need to bet $150 in order to profit $100. In the end, you’d see a return of $250 ($150 stake, in addition to $100 in profit). If you were to bet $15, you would receive $25, with $10 in profit.
Puck Line Strategy from the Experts
When betting on the puck line, you should consider many of the same strategies for success in NHL playoff betting. Coaching, goaltending, injuries, and statistics such as possession, quality of chance, and shot totals can all be helpful metrics.
However, there’s one factor that is often overlooked but can make all the difference in how an NHL team performs on game night: travel schedules.
Pay Attention to Travel Schedules
Obviously, a rested home team will be the favorite against a road team playing their 6th game in 9 nights, in the second half of back to back. The more research you do, the more accurately you can analyze a team’s travel schedule and the implications it has for their chances of victory.
Hockey is a very physical sport with a very busy schedule: performance in the midst of an intense travel schedule should always be factored into any bet you place.
Spinata grande free spins no deposit. Hockey is an extremely physical, full-contact sport with a busy schedule that sees each team playing multiple games per week. As such, travel schedules are far more significant in hockey than they are in less physical sports, like baseball, or in those with only a small number of games on the schedule, such as football.
If a team is deep in the throes of a 12 game road trip, there’s a good chance their play is going to lag towards the end of it, especially if players cross time zones throughout the course of the trip. Eastern teams often endure road swings in Western Canada (Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver) or California (Los Angeles, San Jose, Anaheim, and now Las Vegas).
The chances of even the best teams making it through such a trip unscathed are next to nothing, and you should bet accordingly. Both of these journeys are notoriously difficult and grueling for too many reasons to list, but performance in the midst of an intense travel schedule should always be factored into any bet you place.
The Camera Adds a Few Points
Certain teams historically have better records when they’re on national television. No matter how bad the Toronto Maple Leafs were in their down years throughout the mid-2000s and early 2010s, they always put on a show for Hockey Night in Canada. The same holds true for celebrated Original Six teams like the Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, and Chicago Blackhawks.
Ready to Start Betting on Hockey?
If you’re ready to dive into the exciting world of betting hockey online, you’ve come to the right place. Before putting your money on the table, make sure you’ve also taken a peek at our NHL Betting Basics Guide.
Those wanting to expand their horizons by wagering on a wide range of sports will be well served by exploring the depth of articles available in our comprehensive how to bet on sports series.
College Football, Baseball and Basketball Betting Odds
A money line bet is on a team to win the game outright (with no point spread) at an adjusted cost. The favorite will have negative odds, while the underdog will have positive odds. The difference here is in the prize or payout, depending on which topic. The terms 'over/under' are synonymous when placing wagers. This type of bet is on the sum of the points scored by both teams in a game. The bookie sets the number for the total then you predict whether they will score less or more points than the set number. For basketball and football, the primary display will show the total and points spread. For baseball and hockey, the money lines appear before it is displayed along with the total of the game, more so happens in hockey.Hockey Stanley Cup and Football Super Bowl Point Spreads
Understanding NFL football betting odds & weekly point spread is important. If you plan on NFL football picks, this document will be of essence. It's imperative to use live NFL odds for every spread, total and money line for the games in a given week. If the number is positive, then you bet $100 to win that amount. If the number is negative, you have to wager that amount to win $100.Sometimes it will be necessary to use a conversion chart to translate the money lines to take advantage of the betting opportunities that spreads in a week.CFB and WNBA Playoff Picks, Nascar and PGA Golf Bets
NBA scoring pace calculator for over and under bets can feel complicated at times. When you bet an NBA total and want to know the current pace of play, you will need to use a calculator to estimate the NBA final score quickly. This tool is useful if you want to know how your basketball over-under bet is looking or if you want to take advantage of the bets opportunities spreads. The same applies to the super bowl and Stanley cup. Without 162 game season per team and 30 teams, MLB is the ultimate sports action for sports gaming. The best MLB betting sites include Betway and Spin palace sports. It is no secret that many people crush bet on MLB, as it has most of the experts.Soccer Odds, British Open Championship and Premier League Betting Lines
Betting is also done in soccer. Many teams are even sponsored by bookmaking companies. Soccer is one of the most popular sports in the world. At the moment, this is true in the United States. Soccer picks are not overly difficult, even for beginners. You have to decide on which markets to put on focus. There are different markets to welcome, including major domestic leagues such as La Liga Serie A and Bundesliga e t c.MMA UFC and College Basketball Week
Point Spread Hockey Overtime
The advantage of major domestic leagues is that they offer soccer picks advantages. These include:Point Spread Hockey Shootout Rules
- Attacking players are in good form
- You can set-piece specialist
- Defenders like to get forward at set-pieces