National Hockey League games offer fast-paced action with lots of talent on display. As a result, there are many goals scored in each game. We recommend learning about the NHL puck line if you want to bet on hockey games. It would give the most value out of your betting money.
Most hockey bettors are content to wager on the money line or total and call it a day. However, the most astute hockey gamblers examine the puck line in search of value. The puck line is similar to the point spread in other sports, such as basketball or football. However, the word “point spread” is more commonly used in discussions of basketball and football.
The puck line isn’t ridiculous since goals are scored at a considerably lower rate in the NHL than in football and basketball. Sports betting software offers a puck line of 1.5 pucks for the whole game. A 2.0 spread is not uncommon but often only appears in extreme cases of mismatch. The favored side must win by scoring two or more goals to collect on a puck line wager. On the other hand, an outright win or a defeat by one goal will pay out for the underdog.
NHL Puck Line
Sports betting experts say puck line bets have questionable value since goals are so few in the NHL. However, betting the puck line, especially on favorites, has the one distinct advantage of providing a more attractive price for the favorite. If you bet on the puck line, you may get a hockey favorite at even money or better (instead of -200). In addition, puck line betting adds much more uncertainty to the game. It’s already challenging for teams to score enough goals to win, and now they have to do it in league with maybe the highest level of parity from top to bottom and still win by more than two goals. However, that’s a challenging task.
Bets on the underdog (the “puck line”) carry a greater risk. A team is considered an underdog because of the perception that they will lose. They will most likely fall to an outright defeat, often by two or more tallies. The odds of the underdog giving up an empty-net goal and losing by two goals are very high if they are down by one goal late in the game. The cost is another drawback of betting on the underdog. Bets on +1.5 pucks underdogs typically begin at (-150) and worsen. Therefore, the worth is debatable depending on whose side you choose to play.
That ends our tutorial on NHL puck line betting. But, aside from players, people who want to learn how to be a bookie can also use the information to optimize sportsbook odds and profits in the long run.