Opportunities for online sports betting with the best game on ice
The monetary fact is that hockey offers bettors good opportunities to win some money. Online sportsbooks underestimate ice hockey, which means you can find some bargains when betting on this slippery sport. Betting on hockey, which is similar to betting on baseball, is quite simple.
In online sports betting, hockey offers you three betting options, including money line and over/under. You will find both types of bets on baseball. The third type of hockey bet, the puck line, is similar to the run line in baseball. Disc lines and running lines are, in essence, a margin of points. The puck line in hockey is almost always plus/minus-1.5 goals. This is what the online sports betting lines for NHL hockey look like. As in all line listings, the home team is shown last.
Puck Line - Money Line - Over/Under
Los Angeles +1.5 (-153) +195 Kings
Over 5.5 +102
Under 5.5 -112
Anaheim -1.5 (+143) -215 Ducks
Note how the betting opportunities vary depending on whether you bet on the puck line or the money line. With the puck line, Los Angeles is at -153, which means that to win $100 you have to bet $153 on the Kings. For you to win the bet, the Kings have to win outright or lose by one goal. If you bet on Los Angeles through the money line, which means you get no points, then the Kings are already underdogs. Betting $100 on Los Angeles to win outright can result in a profit of $195.
If you pick the Ducks to less than 1.5 goals, you would place $100 at your online sportsbook, betting that Anaheim will win by more than one goal. The Ducks are the underdog because they have to overcome an automatic deficit. If you decide to go with a straight money line, Anaheim becomes the favorite club and you would now need to wager $215 with your online sportsbook to win $100.
The plus/minus for most NHL games is 5 or 5.5 goals. Because? Well, this season the average number of goals scored in a game is 5 to 5.5, plus or minus one tenth of a goal. Check the stats carefully before placing any sports bets and double check team pairings when it comes to betting over/under. Always determine goals for and goals against and be sure to study the numbers for each starting goalkeeper.
In the example above, the Kings and Ducks total average over/under after 45 games is 5.6 goals. That makes the plus/minus bet difficult to make either way since the plus/minus is 5.5. However, in another matchup, say between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Carolina Hurricanes, an online sportsbook that offers over/under 5.5 is tempting. Betting on the most makes sense since the total goals averaged by both clubs in this example is 6.2 GPG. The fact is that with hockey, because it is understaked which means bookies often don’t pay as much attention to it as they should, you might find an online sportsbook that offers 5.5 or even 5 for more/less. Bet the end of that bet!
Finally, remember that spreads and over/unders include any overtime play. In a shootout, a goal is assigned to the winning club. With these basics in mind, take some time to browse some of the best betting opportunities on NHL hockey.