A puck line is essentially a combination of a moneyline and a pointspread based on goals scored. Until the late 1970’s, the puck line was often referred to as the ‘Canadian Line’ but as hockey (and hockey betting) exploded in popularity worldwide this term fell into disuse. Puck lines were the ‘bread and butter’ of hockey bets prior to the shootout and still exist today, albeit in a slightly different format. If the game goes to overtime, it’s a ‘push’. With a ‘first sixty minute’ bet your team has to win in regulation to cash the bet. Most straight moneyline bets include overtime but some sportsbooks offer moneyline bets on the ‘first sixty minutes’ only. It’s the same as getting $2.20 back for every $1.00 you bet.
If you want to back the Devils, you’d bet 100 and receive a payout of 220 if they win. Another way of putting it-you have to bet $2.60 for each $1.00 you want to win on San Jose. If you want to bet the Sharks in this matchup you’ll have to lay -260 to win 100. A typical NHL moneyline might look like this: With every NHL game now guaranteed to have a winner and a loser straight moneylines are a very common bet format. The end result is the same-playing for the tie is no longer possible and that had a dramatic impact on betting. The overtime rules have changed over the years going from 5 on 5 to 4 on 4 and for the first time this year 3 on 3. Now, all hockey games were played to a conclusion either in overtime or in the shootout. In matchups of this type, everyone concerned was happy playing for the tie and the bettor getting a half goal cashed his ticket. Wiseguys loved to find average home teams playing against superior road teams getting a half goal.
Most hockey betting odds involved a puckline of +1/2 goal or -1/2 goal. In the past, teams would frequently ‘play for a tie’.
The shootout was a complete gamechanger for hockey bettors. It was a big move, but didn’t really change hockey handicapping much. That changed in 1983 when the NHL introduced a five minute overtime period. After that, games that were tied after 60 minutes ended as a tie. The National Hockey League used an overtime period up until 1943 before they eliminated it due to personnel shortages caused by World War II. Hockey betting changed dramatically in 2005 when the NHL added a game deciding shootout to their overtime rules. The good news is that hockey odds are easy to understand: STRAIGHT MONEYLINES Not only are there several different types of odds with the exception of straight moneylines none are especially intuitive for a novice gambler. One possible reason for this is that hockey betting odds can be intimidating to a newcomer. Hockey offers a variety of different betting options on every game and that provides handicappers with a multitude of ways to turn a profit.ĭespite hockey being an excellent fit for sports bettors at any level, it lags behind football and basketball in terms of popularity.
It’s also a great betting sport-it combines many of the elements that bettors love in basketball with baseball moneylines that provide excellent value opportunities. It’s popular all over the world and particularly in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia. Hockey is Canada’s ‘national sport’ and a huge sport on United States betting sites as well.