Hockey wagering goes way beyond picking game winners. You can bet on dozens of different things during games, and each option works better for different people depending on their bankroll and what they know about teams. When you understand all these choices, you’ll find good spots that other people walk right past.
Popular Mainstream Options
Most bettors use these markets because every single game has them available all season long.
Moneyline Bets
Moneyline wagering is the easiest hockey bet because you just pick which team wins. Your team can win 2-1 in a boring defensive game or 7-6 in some wild offensive battle, and you get paid either way. Doesn’t matter if they win in regulation, overtime, or a shootout; just pick the winner and collect your money.
The payout changes based on how good people think each team is. If you bet $100 on a team everyone expects to win, you might only make $40 profit. But if you bet that same $100 on a team nobody thinks has a chance, you could win $200 or more. Sportsbooks move these numbers around all day to balance out the money coming in on both sides.
Puck Line Wagering
Puck lines work exactly like football spreads, but they stay at 1.5 goals for pretty much every game. The favorite has to win by 2 or more goals to cover your bet. The underdog can lose by 1 goal or win straight up, and you still get paid.
Say Boston plays Buffalo and the Bruins are giving 1.5 goals. Boston bettors need their team to win 3-1, 4-2, 5-3, anything with a 2-goal margin or bigger. Buffalo backers win if their team pulls off the upset or just loses 2-1, 3-2, 4-3. Hockey keeps this number at 1.5 because there aren’t nearly as many goals as in other sports, so moving it to 2.5 would make everyone bet on one side.
Over/Under Totals
Total betting focuses on how many goals both teams score together. The sportsbook puts up a number, usually around 6 goals, and you pick whether the real total goes over or under. Some games between offensive teams might have totals at 6.5 or 7, but defensive matchups could go as low as 5.5.
You need to study how teams play to win at this. Teams with great offense but shaky goalies produce shootouts. Teams that play tight defense with amazing goalies keep scores low. Read more on esports.net if you want to find detailed statistics and analysis tools that help bettors make informed choices about these wagers and other sports markets.
Period and Specialized Wagers
These give you different ways to look at the same games, and sometimes you get better prices.
Period Wagering
Period betting treats each of hockey’s three periods like separate games. When the second period starts, it’s 0-0 for your bet, even if the real score is 3-1. What happened before doesn’t count at all for your period wager.
Some teams always come out flying but run out of gas later. Others start slow but get better as the game goes on. Period betting lets you target exactly when teams are good or bad instead of hoping their pattern lasts the whole game.
Alternative Puck Lines
Sometimes you’ll see spreads other than 1.5 goals, especially during playoff games. Books might offer 2.5 or 3.5-goal spreads when they expect blowouts. These pay different amounts and give you more options when you’re really confident about how a game will go.
Proposition and Future Bets
These markets go beyond basic game results and can pay really well if you do your research.
Player Props
You can bet on what individual players do during games. Goals, assists, total points, shots on goal, saves for goalies; tons of options. You need to know players well and understand which matchups help them.
Popular bets include who scores first, which player scores anytime, and how many points specific guys will get. For goalies, you bet on saves and goals allowed, which depend a lot on how good their team plays defense.
Futures Wagering
Futures are bets on season-long stuff instead of single games. Stanley Cup winners are the biggest, but you can also bet division winners, playoff teams, and individual awards such as MVP or best goalie.
Early season gives you the best odds because every team still has a mathematical shot. As the season goes on, favorites get worse payouts, and longshots either get knocked out or become more expensive.
Game Props
Game props cover specific things that happen during individual contests. First team to score, total shots, penalty minutes, and whether the game needs overtime. The three-way regulation bet lets you pick Team A wins in regulation, Team B wins in regulation, or the game goes to overtime.
Grand Salami
This combines every NHL game on one day into a massive totals bet. You’re wagering on whether all goals scored across every game will be over or under the book’s number. You have to analyze multiple games at once.
Team Specific Options
These focus on one team’s performance instead of the whole game result.
Team Totals
Team totals isolate how many goals one specific team scores. Usually, around 2.5 or 3.5 goals are scored based on their offense and the opponent’s defense.
Shots Taken Total
Books set lines on how many shots teams will take during games. You bet over or under these numbers. Make sure you know if it’s total shots or just shots on goal because they’re different things.
First Team to Score
This covers which team gets the opening goal, no matter who wins the game. Odds reflect each team’s offensive strength and recent form. Teams that start fast often give you good value here.
Bottom Line
Good hockey bettors find a few bet types they really understand and stick with those instead of trying everything. Most profitable people focus on two or three markets they know inside and out rather than spreading themselves thin across tons of unfamiliar options.
