How to Bet on Hockey

Betting on Hockey, and the NHL, is a Different Experience

Betting on hockey is a little bit different than betting on the NFL or NBA. Betting on the NHL is actually something that bettors can take advantage of if they do it right.

The market is a bit softer than that of the NFL, NBA, or even college football and basketball. That means the market isn’t as efficient. That doesn’t mean that betting on the NHL is easy, but it does open the door for opportunity.

Hockey Moneylines

Because of a lack of scoring, hockey is more of a moneyline sport. It’s similar to baseball, which also doesn’t see as much scoring as football or basketball games.

When you bet on the moneyline, remember you are betting on a team to win. In the example below, Pittsburgh is favored to beat Philadelphia.

                        Pittsburgh Penguins   -165

                        Philadelphia Flyers     +175

If you like the Penguins, you would wager $165 to win $100. If you like the underdog Flyers, a $100 bet would earn you $175. When you bet on the moneyline, you are betting on a team to win. That’s it.

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Betting Puck Lines

You can actually wager on the point spread in hockey. Like baseball which has its run line, hockey has the puck line. The puck line is typically set at 1.5 goals.

Using the same example, we see the following:

                        Pittsburgh Penguins   -1.5 (+150)

                        Philadelphia Flyers     +1.5 (-125)

The Penguins would have to win by at least two goals for a puck line bet on them to win. A $100 bet would win $150. The Flyers need to either win outright or lose by one goal in order for a puck line bet on Philadelphia to win.

Betting puck lines in hockey takes some experience. It is common in NHL games for teams to pull a goalie when trailing late in a game. An empty net goal can often have a great effect on a puck line bet. It’s something hockey bettors get used to over time.

Reading NHL Totals

Like betting totals in other sports, hockey bettors can wager on the final combined score of a game. Again, lack of scoring leads most NHL games to have a total of 5 to 6.5 goals. More often than not, NHL games have a total of 5.5 or 6.5.

Totals with a half-point ensure that there is not a “push” or tie. If a game total is 6 and the final score is 4-2, bettors and sportsbooks neither win nor lose. Bets are refunded.

If the same game had a total of 5.5, Over bettors would win and Under bettors would lose.

What is the Grand Salami

There are plenty of other NHL bets. There are futures and props bets just like those in other sports.

One interesting NHL bet that is specific to the sport is the Grand Salami. The NHL Grand Salami bet is simply an Over/Under bet on the combined goals scored in a given night.

For example, let’s say there are six NHL games on a given night’s schedule. The Grand Salami total might be set at 40. Bettors would wager on whether the total number of goals that night would go Over or Under 40.

It’s an interesting and fun way to bet on hockey.