The quick tempo of National Hockey League games makes for an exciting sports experience for spectators and bettors alike. It’s got a ton of tradition to recommend it and its nature allows for some really thrilling wagering outcomes in many varieties.
Money Line Stakes
A Money Line bet is a straight-up wager on which team will win the game and this is the most popular stake. There will always be a Favourite and an Underdog in these bets, the former marked with a negative sign, -, next to the amount you need to wager to win 100. So if you see Calgary Flames -110, this amount includes the percentage the bookmaker takes as juice.
Play on home ice is the single biggest factor in determining a line, so if one of the top squads in the league is playing at home against a lower-tiered team, you’ll see a big Favourite number popping up on the Money Line, with totals sometimes reaching as high as -410!
On the flip side, you can make huge winnings betting on the Underdog if this is the case. It’s become common to find squads available in the +250 range which would see you collecting that total for every 100 you wager at sports betting sites in NZ.
Over/Under Stakes
This bet has you guessing on whether the total amount of goals the two teams score will be Under or Over a set amount. Because of the way NHL games play out, the total is almost always in the 5.0 to 6.0 range, with the majority set squarely at 5.5.
This is mainly because Tie outcomes are not allowed. Shootout winners get awarded a goal which changed this betting style in a big way. So every Hockey game that goes into overtime with a 2 – 2 score will end up being 3 – 2 since one of the two squads will need to earn an extra point to break the tie, even in a Shootout.
Puck Line Wagers
Puck Line stakes have a set Point Spread of -1.5 on the Favourite and +1.5 on the Underdog. When you choose the former, you’ll be placing a bet at a better-unit amount. The benefit for wagering on the Underdog at +1.5 adds some security to your stake in exchange for a little more juice.
Fans of the Overtime game are usually Puck Line bettors and they depend on +1.5 results always winning. If you’re interested in this stake, make sure you’re certain about the Underdog and Favourite. Underdogs tend to pull the goalie out of the next if they’re down by just one goal late in the game. Lots of empty-net goals mean that Puck Line stakes on the Favourite enjoy an advantage.
Grand Salami Bets
Unique to NHL wagering, this stake is available before any one day’s games begin. It involves totalling all the Under/Over points and you’ll be betting on whether the combined goal amount will be less or more than the posted total.