NHL rank as the four major sport in the US, and it is not as popular as NBA and NFL. You see less betting options because of that and many bettors are reluctant when it comes to betting on NHL. On the other hand, all this means that the NHL betting market is “softer” than NFL or NBA market, and it is easier (not easy, but easier) to find a value here because of that. In this guide, we will show you some NHL betting tactics which can boost your profits and make you change your mind about betting on ice hockey.
Most Popular NHL Betting Markets
Most popular NHL betting markets are the same as the betting markets in most of the other major American sports: money line, handicap, and totals.
As we all know, the money line is the most common bet type and it is basically betting on the winner of the match. However, unlike many other sports, the money line is not that popular in NHL. Handicap betting, or a “Puck line” is a more popular bet type.
Puck line offers better odds than betting on the outright winner. In ice hockey, a draw is much more likely than in NFL or especially NBA, and handicaps are lower, usually at 1.5 or 2.5. So, why would you risk your bet by backing an outright winner, when you can bet on puck line?
Totals are also very popular and the reason behind betting on this market is similar to betting on totals in soccer matches. In ice hockey, you will see more goals, but only slightly, and you also have strong defensive teams that often manage to save their net.
Advanced NHL Betting Markets
Like in any other sports, apart from the most popular markets, you can find value in some alternative markets that are often overlooked by the bettors. You can bet on the outright winner or the handicap winner and totals after one-third of the game, you can bet on the correct score or the match result including the overtime. There also the “Grand Salami” market in the NHL, which consists of betting on the total number that will be scored in NHL matches on that day.
NHL Betting Strategy in a Nutshell
The best way to start, especially if you are new to NHL betting, is to try to close the line at some sharp NHL sportsbook. If you constantly set lines better than the sportsbook, you are at the right side of the game. If sportsbook “beats” you, you should re-evaluate your process.
Another important thing to think about is Corsi. Corsi is the term in ice hockey which represents a shot attempt at 5 on 5. So, no shots when one team has an advantage in the number of players are counted. This number gives us the idea about possession (hockey is so fluid that measuring possession directly makes no sense), and which teams are offensive-minded. Of course, it won’t tell us how dangerous those shots were, but if you usually base your bets on statistics, this is the stat you look for in ice hockey.
