One of the most-searched phrases on Google for hockey fans is the following: ‘How to Bet the NHL’. Ice hockey boasts millions of adoring fans across Canada. This blistering game of skill, skates, and speed has all the ingredients of a high-octane contest. When hockey season approaches, fans erupt in an all-out frenzy of excitement. When these teams lock horns, it’s like the Clash of the Titans on ice. For those with a penchant for betting on NHL games, it’s certainly beneficial to have an in-depth understanding of the types of bets that are available. Fortunately, you can easily get the puck rolling in double-quick time by consulting top online sports books which are linked to leading online casinos. Here’s a quick guide to NHL Betting.
A Guide to NHL Betting
There is tremendous interest in sports betting across Canada. In Ontario for example, sports betting is permitted through the official Pro-Line lottery product (parlay betting). While the NHL was opposed to C-290 (An Act to Change the Criminal Code on Sports Betting), fans of NHL are determined to bet on their favorite teams. With limited options in land-based casinos, hockey fans are increasingly turning towards established online casinos which run their own online sports betting activity together with their casino games platform. Canadian betting sites offer the easiest solutions for NHL bettors, across all provinces. Fans can focus their attention on reputable online casinos with their proprietary sports betting platforms since land-based sports books and casinos are limited in what they can offer.
Betting on the Puck Line
NHL betting odds tend to vary from one operator to the next. One of the most popular forms of ice hockey betting is NHL puck line betting. Expect some pretty decent returns on this type of bet when your team pulls through for you. The puck line is typically established at 1.5 much like baseball. Most margins of victory are a couple of goals in most hockey games. If you’re looking to juice up your hockey betting with a powerful NHL bet, consider the puck line option. It can happen that the puck line can rise as high as 2.5, based on who is competing. If nothing else, this betting option offers much better returns on selections.
Betting on the Moneyline: Should You Bet on Favourites for a Safe Bet?
Let’s say you’re betting on the Stanley Cup, and there are some great teams competing like Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights, Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs. The teams favored to win are those with the least favorable odds associated with them. Underdogs like the Ottawa Senators are unlikely to win the Stanley Cup in 2020. NHL.com predicts that Tampa Bay is going to storm through to the finals and hoist the Stanley Cup high into the air.
This NHL team racked up 62 wins last season, defeated only by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Of course, one can never be too glib because other top-ranking teams like Dallas Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Nashville Predators could steal their thunder.
Back to the moneyline betting for a second. Let’s assume that the Toronto Maple Leafs are going head-to-head against Tampa Bay Lightning:
- Tampa Bay Lightning -120
- Toronto Maple Leafs +110
The Breakdown
The favorites are Tampa Bay Lightning – the ranking team in the NHL. One would need to wager $120 Canadian to get $100 back on your bet based on the odds if you bet on Tampa Bay. By contrast, the Leafs are the underdogs and you would have to risk C$100 to receive a payout of C$110 if they win. If you bet on the underdog, you get more money back than if you bet on the favorite. The payouts for NHL moneyline bets are easy to understand. There’s always a team expected to win and there is always the outsider.
So, will you get the best odds betting the puck line, or betting the moneyline for NHL games? You have to shop around for the best odds. There are some online bookmakers are stand-alone entities and others are connected to reputable online casinos. Why does that matter? Because you may get free bonuses or free bets from these operators. Plus, you can use the same username/password combination to login and play games of roulette or blackjack online, as easily as you can bet on the Toronto Maple Leafs and hope for a victory in the 2020 Stanley Cup
Other Types of Wagers
There are plenty of other NHL bets that you can place, including futures wagers, parlay wagering, totals, and live in-play betting options too. Futures are pretty interesting this upcoming NHL season. The fun thing about futures bets is that you are projecting way out into the future. The odds can be spectacular if you call it right on an outsider. NHL fans may want to bet on who will win the 2020 Stanley Cup championship. Let’s consider the Lightning example.
If futures wagers indicate that they are favorites to win the 2020 Stanley Cup and the odds are +650, that means that you get paid out 6.5:1 for every Canadian dollar you bet on this team. You could get $6,500 Canadian if you bet $1,000. Of course, the odds of outsiders are going to be substantially more favorable. The Vancouver Canucks may have odds of 50:1, and the Senators may have odds of 250:1. Any longshot bet with those types of odds is going to land you in the money, big league.
Canadian hockey fans celebrating. (Pixabay)
