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Despite not being in the same company as football, American football or basketball, ice hockey enjoys an intense popularity in both Canada and northern Europe.
Our detailed guide will show you how to bet on ice hockey. Regardless of which markets you prefer to wager on, our how to bet on ice hockey guide will help you improve your betting returns.
Due to this niche popularity, the sport doesn’t attract the same interest in terms of betting.
The most popular ice hockey league in the world is the National Hockey League of North America. The NHL consists of 30 teams spread across both the United States and Canada. Each team plays 82 games through the regular season, playing 41 games at home and 41 away. As is the case with basketball, the sheer volume of games provides us with numerous opportunities to find value bets day after day. Similarly the sheer number of games can often mean the odds posted by bookmakers are not as accurate as they could otherwise be, giving sharp punters an edge right throughout the long NHL season.
Ice hockey is known as “The Fastest Game on Earth” and one would be hard-pressed to find a sport that is indeed faster, more physical or delivers more excitement than ice hockey. Few sports on earth can compete with a high-level ice hockey game between two fierce rivals for the blend of speed, power, skill – not to mention sheer potential for violence – it brings to the table! Not surprisingly, ice hockey is most established as a sport and a spectacle where winters are more severe, and the game has flourished in places like Canada, the United States, Northern and Eastern Europe, and in these areas especially ice hockey is also very popular among sports bettors.
Regardless of your personal location, ice hockey brings the same league and cup formats at club level and in international competitions as a sport like soccer does, and offers very similar betting markets, with a few US-style wagers thrown in.
An outright bet is when we bet on a particular team to win a specific competition. In an ice hockey season there will be multiple outright betting options to wager on.
At international level, the Ice Hockey World Championship is held annually. Ice hockey is also one of the biggest attractions at the Winter Olympics held every four years. Look for outright winners of the individual groups plus the competition itself.
At club level there are multiple outrights to be had. In the NHL alone there are the two Divisional titles in each of the two Conferences to contest. The top eight teams from each Conference then take part in the playoffs, which are played out in a knockout format. The final two teams in each Conference will then contest the Conference Finals, with the winners of the Eastern Conference receiving the Prince of Wales Trophy, while the winners of the Western Conference receive the Clarence S Campbell Bowl. These two teams will then go on to contest the biggest outright in professional ice hockey – the Stanley Cup.
Also up for grabs is the Presidents Trophy, which is awarded to the team that finishes with the most points during the regular season.
The other major leagues in professional ice hockey like the Kontinental Hockey League, Swedish Hockey League and the American Hockey League all follow the same format as the NHL, and have a similar amount of potential outright bets.
This is the most straightforward bet of all – but with a caveat. You are selecting the team you believe will win an ice hockey game, but with the restriction of that victory coming within the regulation time period of sixty minutes. A frequently asked question from newcomers to the sport is “can you draw in ice hockey?” While draws are occasional featured in exhibition matches, there are no draws in competitive ice hockey, and games that are tied after 60 minutes are then decided by the Golden Goal rule in overtime, which means that the first team to score wins the game.
So in this instance, if the game is tied at the conclusion of the three regulation 20-minute time periods, even if the team you originally selected to win in regulation time then goes on to win the match in overtime, you will still lose your bet.
This bet really is the most straightforward bet of all, as it is based on the actual winner of the game, whether that victory is earned during regulation time or during overtime. You are simply betting on the team who you feel will leave the ice victorious.
The phrase “ice hockey betting puck line” is a betting market that is unique to ice hockey, but is basically a variation on traditional spread betting. As in spread betting, a point spread is applied to the favourite and underdog. Typically the puck line is set at 1.5; the underdog will receive +1.5 goal puck line handicap, which means that if you bet on them, they must not lose by two or more goals for you to win. The favourite will receive a -1.5 goal puck line handicap, which means if you bet on them, they must win by at least 2 goals.
In this instance, the bet is that you select what you believe will be the total number goals scored in an ice hockey game – at least, or at most. If the Boston Bruins are playing the Chicago Blackhawks and you figure it will be a case of “goals galore” as it often is when these sides meet, you may envision the final score being 3-2, adding up to nine goals in total. If you believe there will be no more than five goals, your bet would be -5.5. If you believe there will be at least six goals or more, your bet will be +5.5.
With this bet, you can either bet on what you think will be the correct score at the conclusion of the game, or if you believe the game will be tied after the end of regulation time, you can also bet on that scoreline. If you believe the Blackhawks will rout the Bruins 6-1, that is the exact scoreline you will select for your bet. If you believe the Bruins will beat the Blackhawks 5-4 in overtime, you pick that scoreline and wager on it. If you strongly believe that the score will be tied at 4-4 at the end of the regulation time period of 60 minutes, choose that scoreline as your wager.
Ice hockey has been one of the highlights of the Winter Olympics since the 1920s, and even though the top teams competing are made up of professional players from the NHL and other professional leagues, for many players winning the Olympic gold medal remains the pinnacle achievement of their careers.
Most successful team: Canada
Unlike the Olympics which take place every four years, the Ice Hockey World Championships are held annually, and feature the 16 top national teams in the world, containing most of the star players of the sport. Unlike the Olympics which has both men’s and women’s tournaments, the World Championships is a “men-only” event.
Most successful team: Russia/Soviet Union
National Hockey League (NHL) The NHL is the biggest professional ice hockey league/cup competition in the world. It is staged in North America and made up of 30 teams from Canada and the United States. The NHL is split into two leagues – known as conferences; the 16-team Eastern Conference and the 14-team Western Conference. The regular season runs from early-October to mid-April. It is followed by the 16-team playoffs that lead to the Stanley Cup final, ice hockey’s equivalent of the World Series. Famous teams competing in the NHL include the Montreal Canadians, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Boston Bruins, the Detroit Red Wings, the Chicago Blackhawks and the New York Rangers, and the NHL’s roster of star players includes Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Shea Weber, Alex Ovechkin and Henrik Lundqvist.
Most successful team: The Montreal Canadiens
The Kontinental Hockey League is an international professional ice hockey league which was founded in 2008 and is made up of 28 teams from countries in Eastern Europe. Despite its relative infancy, the KHL is already established as the no.1 professional ice hockey league in Europe and Asia, and in terms of interest generated and revenue raised, ranks second only in the world behind the NHL.
The top teams in the KHL include Dynamo Moscow, Dinamo Minsk, Medveščak Zagreb, SKA Saint Petersburg and Jokerit Helsinki.
Ice hockey is the no.1 sport in Sweden both in terms of popularity and national achievement. The Swedish national team has won the World Championships nine times, and was Olympic champions in 1994 and 2006. The Swedish Hockey League is the top league in Western Europe, and comprises 14 teams that contest the Le Mat Trophy.
Teams in the SHL include the Malmo Redhawks, the Vaxjo Lakers and Modo Hockey.
The AHL is ice hockey’s equivalent of Minor League Baseball (MiLB) in that it is classed as one rung below the NHL, and like much of the MiLB, its teams are all affiliated with clubs from the top flight, and will ultimately provide those teams with talented young players. The AHL uses the exact same 30-team, twin-conference setup as the NHL. They have a regular 76-game season followed by a 16-team playoff with the two finalists contesting the Calder Cup.
Teams playing in the AHL include the Manchester Monarchs, the Hershey Bears, the Utica Comets and the Grand Rapids Griffins.
The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) is the American college system, and college football, basketball, baseball and ice hockey is a very big deal in the US. Events draw huge live audiences and strong TV ratings, with fans excited to get a look at the superstars of the future in action. On occasion some bookmakers will offer NCAA hockey betting odds, and these can be used in the exact same way that you would use NHL betting odds, just do a little research on ESPN or check bettingexpert’s ice hockey betting tips to see if any NCAA games are featured.
In effect, the odds linked to the sporting event you choose represent the probability of that result happening.
For example, if the USA are listed at odds of 2.50 to win an Ice Hockey Word Championship game against Russia, what does that actually mean in terms of a probability? Betting odds represent the likelihood – often referred to as the “implied probability” – of a particular outcome occurring. Therefore if the USA are listed at 2.5 to win a game against Russia, these odds are a reflection of what the bookmaker believes are the chances of the USA winning that match.
So what are the chances as a probability and a percentage of the USA beating Russia at odds of 2.50? We can answer this question with a simple formula:
Implied probability = 1 / decimal odds
So in our example, the chances of the USA beating Russia at the listed odds of 2.5 are:
1 / 2.5 = 0.400 = 40.00%
Understanding the implied probability expressed in betting odds is fundamental to all successful sports betting. Knowing how to convert odds into their implied probability will greatly enhance your chances of long term success betting on all sports including ice hockey.
In this case we see that there is only a 40% chance of the USA defeating Russia in this game. It is now up to you to decide whether this is a worthy risk. You can only choose that it is if you have a valid reason for that argument; e.g., you have studied the form guides of the teams going in to this fixture and they look favourable for the USA, you know Russia has key injuries, bettingexpert’s top ice hockey tipster is recommending a USA win, etc.
A £10 bet on a USA victory at odds of 2.50 will return £25, which leaves a healthy £15 profit after the initial £10 stake is subtracted – a nice return off a slightly risky bet.
For a fun and historical example of ice hockey odds in action, we will bring you arguably the most famous ice hockey match of all time – the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympic final, popularly known as the “Miracle on Ice.”
Let us set the stage: in the red corner is the Soviet Union team, known as the “Red Army Machine”, the greatest international ice hockey team of all time. With their combination of speed, sublime skills and power, the Russians have taken the sport to another level, and have won four consecutive Olympic Gold medals since the USA were last victorious in 1960. Going in to this game, the Russians have won 17 World Championships since 1954 and five of the last six Olympic golds.
In the blue corner is the USA team, made up of college rookies with next to no experience at the highest level. Coached by Herb Brooks, the average age of the team is 21.
The Red Army Machine don’t just defeat their rivals, they beat them up, often hitting double-digit scorelines, as they did in a pre-Olympic exhibition match against the USA team in Madison Square Garden, which they won 10-3. The Russians are 1.3 favourites to win gold, meaning there is a 77% probability that will happen. In betting terms, a £10 bet on Russia would return a total of £13, meaning once the £10 stake is deducted, we are left with a £3 profit, which would only make sense if we were wagering a substantial amount.
The USA team were seeded seventh in a twelve-team lineup, and at the start of the tournament one could reportedly get as much as 1000/1 on the American team to win the Gold medal. What the general public or indeed the Las Vegas odds-makers weren’t aware of was Brooks had taken his team of novices on a 5-month, 61 game tour of Europe in 1979 to get them battle-hardened, during which time the team and the coach had developed a Leicester City-like “Us Against the World” type of team spirit. Brooks knew he didn’t have the best team in the competition, but he believed they had the best team-spirit.
Whatever Brooks’ on-ice tactics were, they seemed to be working as the USA marched unbeaten into the final, attracting huge national interest along the way. The USA were 18.0 underdogs when they faced the Soviets, which means a £10 bet would net you a hefty £180.00. Minus your original stake, that would leave you with a profit of £170.00.
The second period was dominated by the Soviets who had 12 shots on goal, yet score only once to lead 3-2. In the third and final period, the Americans suddenly grew in confidence to score twice and lead 4-3. As the clock ticks down, the Soviets go hell-for-leather to find an equaliser, but to no avail. The USA’s bunch of rookies have defeated the greatest ice hockey tea in history in one of sport’s biggest ever upsets.
You will often see it listed by your preferred bookmaker in the following way:
Much like baseball betting however, the puckline is not as popular as straight up moneyline betting (head to head without any handicap). One of the reasons is that it is a difficult form of betting to succeed at. A team’s potential against the moneyline is much easier to frame as scoring events and margins in such a low scoring sport can tend to be more random than other sports.
However, in cases where the favourite is of odds 1.50 or less to win the game, the puckline can offer a more intriguing proposition. Similarly, the puckline can offer you the opportunity to combine betting opportunities. For example, you can bet both the favourite to win the game and the underdog to cover the puckline of +1.5 goals. Doing so means that if the favourite wins the game by a single goal, you collect on both your bets.
Finally, consider how teams play at home compared to how they play away from home. There can often be quite a distinct trend between the type of game a team involves itself in when playing at home as opposed to away.
Most ice hockey matches will be closely contested affairs, with both teams scoring at least twice. Because we know this, betting on the over/under, puck-line handicaps and correct score of ice hockey games is far easier than predicting the scorelines of soccer matches, and therefore offers great betting value.
Study the form of the teams in a fixture, particularly how they perform both at home and on the road. Some teams will be stronger at home, and in ice hockey the fans are so close to the action and get so involved with the game, they can almost become a seventh player on the ice. A team with great home form and a vociferous support base may be extremely difficult to back against.
Likewise a losing home team will have the supporters on their backs, so will be vulnerable to teams that are solid on the road.
When a bookmaker favors a team, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are always correct. In any team sport, bookmakers will normally cast the home team as the favorite, unless the visiting side is performing much better than them in their league or conference. This rule also applies to ice hockey, even though home teams are far less consistent at home than most soccer teams.
There can be any number of factors that can add value to choosing the visiting team. A quick look at the two team’s head-to-head rivalry over the past couple of seasons might reveal some interesting facts. How is the home side’s form this season? How solid are the away team on the road? Which team is at full strength, and which is suffering injury depletions?
With a combination of your own research, plus regularly consulting the opinions of bettingexpert’s top ice hockey tipsters, plus information offered by the likes of Betfair’s ice hockey strategy, you will soon learn to spot hidden value in odds, and then to wager on them accordingly.
Never sacrifice a broader range of betting markets for poor odds. Always remember that the odds are a key element to successful sports betting. Make sure you select a bookmaker who consistently delivers odds that are among the best on offer in an ice hockey market. Check the available odds on offer for an ice hockey match covered by bettingexpert, or use an odds comparison site to see a selection of odds at-a-glance. You will soon discover which bookmakers are delivering the goods odds-wise, and which aren’t.
Several online bookmakers now offer live-streaming of ice hockey games . If live-streaming is something that you need to enhance your sports betting experience, be sure to sign up with a bookmaker who has that covered.
Most bookmakers that cover the NHL offer excellent in-play betting markets. If you enjoy betting on-the-go, look for a bookmaker that will provide you with live streaming as well as in-play betting and great odds.
For detailed bookmaker reivews, please visit our Bookmaker Reviews listing.
While it’s important to review statistics from prior meetings in order to make informed decisions about what is likely to occur in future meetings, one has to be very careful to not put too much stock in those games. There is a litany of issues outside of team talent that determines whether a team wins or loses in the regular season. Teams may have been in a bad travel spot, been dealing with injuries to key players, or may have been just building team chemistry with line changes etc. Now under the bright lights with their season and reputation on the line, players will find another level and cement their places in history. It is better to evaluate how a team is currently performing in order to get a more accurate assessment as to what will occur on the ice versus a random Tuesday in November.
Another big problem is the relatively small sample size of games to evaluate due to the fact that teams from opposite conferences rarely meet during the regular season.
A huge difference between the regular and post-season match ups is that coaches and teams will make adjustments based on what is happening on the ice. During the course of a best of seven game series coaches will juggle line-ups and defences to exploit the other squad’s weaknesses. We’re not saying this doesn’t occur during the regular season but rather that it happens much quicker in a short playoff series where each win and loss is magnified.
Sometimes each goal scored is magnified many times more than in regular season meetings. We try to anticipate changes to gain an edge and also try to get meaningful line up talk from both coaches. Sometimes line-up changes have an extremely dramatic effect on results. One huge example is a change in goal tenders. Often times teams will play a much tighter defensive game in front of a goalie that has not seen action versus a team’s effort in front of their regular starter. The team that is facing a goalie that they have not faced does not have the scouting to know exploitable angles. This also can indicate a lower scoring game based on those two factors.
It is also important to point out that the home team also enjoys the last line change. This means the home team has the luxury of seeing the personnel on the ice from the visitors and can then get their best defenders on the ice for every situation. This weighs way more into home-ice advantage now than during the regular season. Sometimes we see a dramatic difference in a team’s effectiveness based on this.
We have always felt that if the only way we could bet on NHL was a full game money line and total, the NHL would not be worth wagering on it. If one is serious, then it is important that you find a bookmaker that offers a large wagering menu of alternate lines and handicaps that allow the bettor to focus on more specific angles to exploit. Most bookmakers offer the ability to bet individual period results, 3-way full game betting as well as alternative handicaps applied to both teams. It is important to note that the reason the books did this was to increase their handle. One can be sure that it was not done to give out free money. The individual bettor must utilise accurate assessment of risk before partaking in these markets. The rewards can be magnified significantly however, if analysed correctly.
The post season is an excellent time to participate in live betting markets. Some bookmakers offer real-time betting, even while play is in progress, while others offer intermission wagering. Either way it is an excellent way to bet if done correctly.
Sound impossible? Hardly, let me explain.
In game 5 in Chicago the Blackhawks ended the first period with a 3-2 lead. The line at intermission was 1.33 for Chicago, 3.50 for Los Angeles. Serious NHL bettor John Marks talks us through his process:
“I played and advised via twitter to take LA at the very generous plus money return. I did this not because I was certain LA was going to win the game, but because due to the amount of scoring, this had a free-wheeling offensive minded style game and with 40 minutes left it was not a certainty that Chicago would lead this wire to wire. The Kings scored 2-0 in the 2nd period, taking a 4-3 lead into the 2nd intermission. The lines offered now were exactly opposite of that offered at the 1st intermission. It was now LA at 1.33 and Chicago at 3.50! Well this certainly set up for a very nice profit of 1.5 units by buying the Hawks at the same return as we had with LA.”
The same scenario in the first 2 intermissions was repeated in game 6 with both squads trading the lead in the intermissions! Often times these knee-jerk reactions by the betting public and by the books set up very nicely to buy plus money tickets on both squads.
One can do this with totals too. Again, John Marks talks us through his process:
“In game 6 of the same series LA took a 1-0 lead into first intermission. The betting total pre-game was 5 with slight juice to the over. After the 1st period the books sent out a full game total of 4.5 at 2.1 and sent out an alternative total of over 5.5 at 3.65. Although the scoring was limited in the first, both teams were generating chances indicative that the lamp would likely be lit at a faster rate in the last 2 periods. The Hawks scored both second period goals and then both squads put up a 2-2 third period and sending this game over the total easily.”
Just because it’s the finals and bookmakers have raised limits does not mean that it’s wise to raise your bet size. The books would not be increasing their limits if they felt less certain about the outcome. The bottom line is that by the time the puck drops to begin the Stanley Cup Finals, every sports book and bettor will have broken down every angle between the two teams. Most angles, including ones you may not even know about, have been factored into the line. Books will use formulaic lines as the series goes on putting them in a “safe” place leaving less value on the board. Often these games become “coin flip” type bets based on the odds offered. Save your biggest wagers of the year when there is big value on the board not big limits.
Also avoid betting into cliché type strategies. Even the most casual bettor knows defence wins championships so betting Under the total blindly will often make for losses based on the heavily juiced lines offered. We can almost assure you that 1 or 2 of these games will have 6 or more goals and pay handsomely when they do. It is to the advantage of the bettor to find those gems going against the grain, than lining up to go with a common perception.
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