NHL Betting Odds and Lines Explained
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Betting on National Hockey League games can be fun and rewarding, and more online punters are starting to realize this. There are many games to watch and, therefore, lots of opportunities to achieve a profitable payout. If you want to go from being a passionate fan of Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, Jonathan Huberdeau, and other top hockey players to a successful online bettor, you must start by learning what betting odds and lines mean. This is fundamental, especially if you plan to bet on NHL games in the long run. Knowing how odds and lines work will help you make the relevant calculations before placing a bet and determine whether it is worth the risk.
While these are relatively simple concepts, they may seem daunting to inexperienced punters. Fortunately, you are in the right place. This article from our NHL betting guide will provide you with everything you need to know about hockey betting odds and lines and help you apply that knowledge to your sports betting experience.
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Understanding NHL Odds
Even a basic knowledge of betting odds will undoubtedly help you place informed NHL wagers, as you will be able to assess the likelihood of your bet becoming a winning one and whether the potential payout offers good value. As soon as the National Hockey League season begins, all eyes are on the NHL odds board. These odds are typically presented in the American format unless you access a strictly European sportsbook.
A brief look at American odds is enough to give you a hint about which hockey team is considered the favorite and which is expected to be the underdog in the upcoming event. A negative number, such as -128, indicates that, according to the online bookmaker, this NHL team has a better chance of winning. If you choose to back it with a bet, you will need to wager $128 to win $100 in profit. Betting enthusiasts who are unfamiliar with the American odds format have no reason to worry, as most sportsbooks have integrated automatic odds converters into their platforms. In this example, odds of -128 are equal to 1.78 in decimal format, meaning you will gain $0.78 in profit for every dollar staked.
Logically, NHL betting odds preceded by a plus sign are read in the opposite way. The positive number shows that the respective team is an underdog, and the higher the number, the less likely that particular team is to win. In this case, the odds show how much you can potentially win in profit from a $100 wager. To clarify, punters do not necessarily have to place a stake of $100. Whatever the bet amount, the payout will be calculated using the ratio indicated by the odds.
NHL Betting Lines
In ice hockey, the line, or spread, shows the margin by which a team is expected to win or lose. Spreads are represented by positive and negative numbers for each of the two hockey teams and are usually set in half-goal increments to avoid a tie. If a team is assigned a line of -3.5, it must win by at least 4 goals for a bet on that team to succeed. Conversely, a team with a line of +3.5 can lose by up to 3 goals and still cover the spread. However, NHL games are usually low-scoring because the leading hockey teams are often evenly matched. That is why the most common puck line offered by online betting platforms is 1.5 goals. This common line can also be seen in the table below, which shows the spread betting market for a game between the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers.
| Puck Line | Betting Odds | |
| NY Rangers | -1.5 | 120 |
| PHI Flyers | 1.5 | -140 |
No matter which team you bet on, your aim is to beat the spread. The numbers above indicate that the Rangers are favored to win the game. If you decide to bet on that option, you should know that the team must defeat its rival by 2 or more goals for your wager to succeed. If the Rangers win by only 1 goal, you will lose your stake. Conversely, if you wager on the Philadelphia Flyers and they lose by 1 goal, you win. A loss by 2 or more goals makes your bet unsuccessful.
Sometimes, if you wait until the last minute, you can benefit from better value. This is because NHL puck lines are not set in stone and may change as the event approaches. Online bookmakers try to balance the odds they provide to reflect the bets placed in the days preceding the game. It is in the bookmakers’ interest to have an equal value on either side of the bet, so they adjust the lines to stimulate or discourage betting depending on the current distribution of wagers. Let us return to our example. If the number of NHL punters who have bet on the New York Rangers significantly exceeds the number who have backed the Philadelphia Flyers, the bookmaker may decide to change the line to -2.5. Such an adjustment means that the favorite must win by more goals than initially required. Thus, the underdog becomes a more attractive option because the range of possible winning outcomes increases.
Final Words
NHL puck lines create opportunities to bet on an underdog and still make a profit even if that team loses by a narrow margin. Thanks to NHL spread bets, hockey betting enthusiasts can wager on teams they expect to lose while still having a chance to win their bets. This is why spreads can be a useful part of a betting strategy. NHL line betting can add variety and excitement to the overall hockey betting experience. No team can maintain good form and win indefinitely. Sometimes, your favorite hockey team may have a poor season and lose many games. If you are a true fan, you will not abandon the team, but you may still choose to bet on its opponents.