The NHL has 32 teams and an 82 game regular season, which means that there are a lot of games to bet on. With 3 periods and a litany of player props such as player goals or points, there are also a lot of options of bets to make when betting on hockey. Hockey might not be as popular as football or basketball, but it can be fun to bet on if you know what you’re doing!
One thing that is interesting about hockey is that there are a bunch of different stats and analytics to look at when comparing hockey teams. Whether its home/road splits, a hot goalie, or simply win/loss record, there is a lot to look at with the NHL.
But, with that said, there is one thing regarding NHL betting that is more important than any type of advanced stat, and that is to make sure that you are finding the best odds before you place a puck line bet.
The Importance of Getting the Best Puck Line Odds
Hunting for the best puck line odds is the most important thing one can do as an NHL bettor. Pretty much every sportsbook is going to have different models and algorithms for pricing NHL odds. With how many different markets there are, and so many games, that means there are sometimes going to be massive differences between how two sportsbooks might price a particular bet.
What this means is that, if you are scanning every sportsbook, you are going to find differences from book to book. Sometimes the differences are small, while other times they are not so small. Either way, if you are constantly checking to make sure you are getting the best prices when placing a puck line bet, it can have a huge impact on your profits. I’ll explain this next.
Real Life Examples of Puck Line Shopping
Puck line betting is interesting because the line is always going to be 1.5. The favorite in the game will have a puck line of -1.5, and the underdog will be +1.5. With that knowledge, let’s get into the specific benefit by looking at an actual, real life NHL game as an example. The Seattle Kraken are playing the Vancouver Canucks, with the Canucks the favorite.
Instead of betting the Canucks moneyline, instead I want to back their puck line for increased profits. What I could do is place this bet at +125 odds on BetMGM for $100. If the Canucks win and cover, my profits would be $125. A nice payday! But, you know what’s better than a nice payday? An even bigger payday.
By looking at every book, I see that DraftKings offers this same exact bet at +135 odds instead. So, a $100 bet would profit $135 as opposed to $125. A $10 dollar difference isn’t a lot in this specific scenario, but if you take this $10 and apply it to hundreds of bets across hundreds of days, you start to see the value.
Of course, line shopping for the best moneyline odds doesn’t guarantee that your bet is going to win. The games still need to be played after all. But, with that said, what it does do is guarantee that you are maximizing your profits.
In Summation
Overall, looking at all the different sportsbooks odds and using the OddsJam odds page can quite literally be the difference between losing money and making money on any given night. As described above, each book is going to have their own way of pricing things, and with the right tools you can find them. Choosing the correct hockey play is a different story, but once you have a play you like, the greatest thing you can do to help yourself is to ensure you are maximizing the value of that bet.
