How to Win Bets on the NHL

Statistics show that only 15% of all bettors win their sports wagers. Of these 15% about 4-5% come from bets on hockey, on the NHL to be more exact. The league that we love dearly, where the best players in the world play, sign expensive contracts and shine a light on the sport that other leagues across the world can model themselves after.

The prestige of the league attracts fans and the betting community alike. In order to join the 4-5%, lets figure out what it takes to be successful betting in the NHL. In order to make the right bets, you need to consider the little things, and in the NHL even more.

To start, we need to understand the league specifics. The season for the NHL is divided into two parts, the regular season and the playoffs. We must divide this, because what works in the regular season may not work come playoff time. The NHL Draft is also very important and follows a simple rule.

Making the Right NHL Picks

To get the best possible draft pick, you need to perform as poorly as possible in the regular season. This is the first thing you should understand before the start of the season. Read the news, listen to coaches speak at press conferences, search Twitter; do everything you can before the season starts to find out a team’s goals and aspirations for the upcoming season.

The freshest example would be the Las Vegas Golden Knights first home game in their first season in October 2017. The team beat the Dallas Stars 2-1 thanks to James Neal’s two goals in the third period. Edmonton in 2016 also switched stadiums in mid-2016 and won both the last game at ‘Rexall Place’ and its first game at ‘Rogers Place’.

Before any game, check if there is any significant link to a team, such as an anniversary of an important even of the team or a new beginning for the franchise. Also, since the best players from around the world play in the NHL, any team can beat another on any day.

Sportsbooks sometimes forget this and set the odds over +200 for teams. For an experienced player, these numbers hold a high meaning. As the records show, it is quite rare for the favorites in a game to win cleanly in regular time without any problems or threats from the opposition.

Another thing to remember is that a team will get two points for the win regardless of if it came in regular time or overtime. Therefore, you should think twice before placing a bet on a team to win in regular time with odds less than +100.

NHL Betting Features

Let’s talk a little bit more about performances. One of the best things about going to an NHL game or any hockey game in general is the scoring. It is such a popular feature of the games, that before the 2016-17 season goalies’ pads were made smaller.

This was all done for the spectacle of the game and it worked. It ended up having a positive affect on the game and the performances increased. However, the sportsbooks were not fooled, and the totals on the games are now averaging at 5.5 or even six. When betting on the over/under, you must first check the game’s goalies, because they are the main factor in determining the number of goals that will be allowed.

The NHL season is quite dynamic and that cannot be emphasized enough. Games are played nearly every day or night. Teams will sometimes even play two days in a row. Due to this, we must emphasize that no team can spend the entire season playing great hockey and likewise no team can play poorly the entire season, though some teams have come close on both accounts.

This can lead to good money if you catch teams at the right moments. This will not be written anywhere for you though; you will need to watch the teams’ games and visually access when the team is entering good or bad form. This above all comes with experience.

All in all, to successfully bet on the NHL, you must adhere to the following rules: do not bet on all games and all teams in a row, watch the games yourself (if you cannot watch the game live, try to find highlights showing how the teams played), always check the lineups and especially who is in goal (look at the goalies stats for the season) and of course keep your calendar handy and mark major moments for the teams.