Hockey odds and hockey betting in general have become increasingly popular over the last several years with NHL teams putting on a clinic with every game.
With this increase in popularity, NHL odds and NHL lines have only gotten more competitive, and potentially profitable.
Odds and lines can be confusing, especially for new bettors, and it doesn’t get any easier when you start comparing different sportsbooks. For that reason, it’s best you use a solid odds source before you bet on hockey. We’re a solid odds source, BTW.
Whether you’re looking to bet on hockey odds or need some insight into NHL betting lines, Overtime Heroics can keep you in the know. We provide expert insight and hockey picks for all of the sport’s major events, to hopefully help you maximize your profitability when betting.
We also actively update our hockey odds to reflect the latest movements, saving you the trouble of tracking all the variables. Regardless of if you are a new bettor or a veteran, it makes your life easier to have key information at your fingertips in one place.
There are many ways to bet on hockey events and if you’re feeling a bit offside – that’s a hockey term! – wondering what puck lines mean, or even how NHL draft lottery odds work we’ve you covered.
We’ll explain hockey betting and odds, looking through the most common ways to wager on hockey events along with examples.
Moneyline betting involves picking a winner of a match. These odds can come in several forms, the most common options being straight NHL odds for tonight and live odds.
These odds are easy to follow, mainly because all you have to do is understand what team the underdog is, and who is the favorite. If a team’s odds are negative, they are the favorite, and if a team’s odds are positive, they are the predicted underdog.
Moneyline odds would look like so:
Montreal Canadiens +145
Boston Bruins -120
In this scenario, the Bruins are the favorite and the Canadiens are the underdog. If you were to bet on Montreal and they won, you’d win your wager. If you were to wager on Boston and they won, you’d win your bet.
We recommend moneyline betting for those who are new to the sport as it’s a great way to get introduced.
Puck line betting, otherwise known as spread betting, is a popular form of NHL betting odds. This type of wager involves placing a bet on a team to win by a specific margin of victory, usually set at 1.5 goals.
The favorite must win by a set amount to cover the spread, while the underdog must either win or lose by less than that amount.
Puck line betting provides an alternative to traditional moneyline betting, offering different odds and potential payouts. You can also look at the NHL implied totals to get a better understanding of the expected spread (more on that below).
At your favorite hockey sportsbook, the odds would look like this:
Florida Panthers +1.5
Vegas Golden Knights -1.5
If you choose Florida, they need to win the game outright or lose by no more than one goal. Conversely, a winning bet on Vegas would require the Knights to win by at least two goals.
Prop betting, aka proposition betting, is a wager where bets are placed on specific events or outcomes. For example, prop bets can include various aspects such as:
· individual player performances (goals, assists, saves)
· team statistics
· game-related occurrences
These types of bets can be placed on most matches, from regular season betting to Stanley Cup betting.
The main advantage of this betting style is its ability to offer a wide range of options. This lets you focus on specific aspects of the game that you may not otherwise look at.
Hockey futures and NHL future odds are one of the more varied betting styles, where you can bet on anything from NHL awards odds to NHL lottery odds.
You can place futures bets on various hockey happenings, predicting the outcomes of events and games long before they occur. Also, hockey happenings would be a good band name.
These bets are then settled at the end of the season or when the specified event occurs. This lets you demonstrate your confidence in a team or player’s success over an extended period.
Some of the most common futures bets include:
Over/under betting, also known as totals betting at hockey betting sites, is a form of wagering in hockey where the focus is on the total combined score. A predetermined number is set by oddsmakers, representing the expected total number of goals scored in the game.
You can choose to bet on whether the actual total will be over or under the set number. For instance:
Detroit Red Wings vs Seattle Kraken
O 5.5
U 5.5
If you choose to bet the over, the combined score must be more than six for you to win your wager. If you pick the under, the combined score must be less than five for your bet to hit.
Totals can also help you with your puck line bets and vice versa. If you look at what the sportsbook has set for the puck line and the totals, you’ll get an idea of how much each team is expected to score.
Hockey betting odds can vary from sportsbook to sportsbook but mainly differ depending on the league you wager on.
We offer comprehensive odds and tips for several hockey organizations like the National Hockey League, NCAA (college), and the Canadian Moose and Polar Bear Hockey League. Okay, the last one’s not real but you get it. If it’s played on ice, we’re probably covering it.
NHL hockey odds differ from other hockey leagues in several ways. The NHL is widely recognized as the premier professional ice hockey league, attracting top talent from around the world.
NHL odds tend to be more competitive and closely analyzed by bookmakers resulting in more extensive coverage and availability of betting markets. This can be beneficial for wagers such as the NHL betting consensus that works with public opinion.
The National Hockey League offers a diverse range of betting options, making it the number one choice for most hockey bettors.
The AHL serves as the primary developmental league for the NHL, and its rosters feature a mix of up-and-coming prospects and experienced players (like the minors in baseball).
As a result, AHL odds can be more unpredictable and challenging to evaluate compared to higher-level leagues. This makes it even more important to follow an odds provider like us, to get key insights into the league.
Additionally, American Hockey League teams often have more significant variance in skill levels and roster compositions, which can make underdog victories all the more powerful.
NCAA hockey odds have a couple of quirks that make it an interesting league to wager on.
Firstly, NCAA hockey is played at the collegiate level, featuring teams representing universities and colleges strictly in the United States. As a result, NCAA odds may receive less attention from bookmakers compared to professional leagues.
Additionally, NCAA hockey has been known to be quite unpredictable, with young players frequently showing flashes of greatness. This creates a unique atmosphere when betting on NCAA events because you never know when there will be another upset.
KHL odds differ from other hockey leagues in several notable ways. Firstly, the Kontinental Hockey League is the premier professional hockey league in Europe and Asia, comprising teams from Russia, Kazakhstan, China, and other surrounding countries.
While not as well-known globally as the NHL, the KHL still attracts talented players and has a dedicated fan base. This has allowed the league to nurture some of the best players in the world, some of which make it to the NHL. Good for them!
Now that you know the ins and outs of hockey odds, lace up your skates, grab a stick, and get to betting. We think your bets will hit harder than a Zdeno Chara slapshot.
We know you have questions about hockey odds and hockey betting in general. So, we thought, “Why not answer them?
Odds in hockey indicate the likelihood of a particular outcome in a game or event. They are represented as numbers and are used to determine potential payouts.
The favored outcome is assigned a negative value (-), while the underdog outcome is given a positive value (+).
Hockey odds, much like other odds, come in two forms, decimal and fractional. Fractional odds show the potential profit relative to the stake, and decimal odds show you the total payout.
On US sportsbooks you will most often find decimal odds, so just multiply your stake by the odds to see your payout.
You can bet on hockey at many different sportsbooks across the nation. At Overtime Heroics, we love FanDuel, DraftKings, Bet365, and Barstool, but there are many others out there that you can check out to place your puck bets.
