The NHL, or the National Hockey League, is the premier North American ice hockey league and is one of the most famous ice-hockey competitions in the world. Ice hockey emerged in the year of 1917 and since then has grown to 30 clubs that fight for the most wanted and popular prize awarded for this sport – the Stanley Cup. Ice hockey is most popular among American and Canadian punters. In fact, the most successful teams are from Canada – the Montreal Canadiens have achieved 24 titles and the Toronto Maple Leafs have won 13. The American club Detroit Red Wings have 11 titles.
The NHL season is divided into two halves. The first section is from October to April and the second one goes from April to June. Every match is played for 60 minutes, divided into three sections of 20 minutes. During the regular season, the team that has lost gets no points, while the winning one is awarded two points.
There is one exception – when a team loses during the period of the overtime, it gets one point. Playoffs are played in series of rounds. The teams fight to win the best-of-seven series, which will give them advantage on the next round. The successor will win the Stanley Cup.
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There is also a President’s Trophy, that is given to the overall leader. The scoring champion is awarded the Art Ross Trophy, while the leader of the goal-scoring is given the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy. The goalkeeper with the fewest scores against them also gets an award – the William M. Jennings Trophy.
The NHL has many fans outside the US and Canada. The league enjoys a growing popularity on the Old Continent, as well.
Ice hockey is all about speed and creativity and it is a very exciting sport to watch and follow. What is even more thrilling is that you can place bets on it. Of course, you’d better gain some information in order to be satisfied with the result of your bets and to generate greater profits. You should keep reading, if you are eager to be a successful NHL punter.
NHL Betting
Everyone can agree that sports betting is very exciting and, if you know exactly what you’re doing, it can be very profitable, too. With the advent of technologies and the Internet, betting has become even more convenient and easy. You can place bets via your PC or mobile device at any time you want. Ice-hockey fans can bet on their favourite clubs, as well. Any online bookmaker has an NHL betting section. You can watch live ice hockey events and take advantage of the most competitive and professional odds. To add more thrills to your betting experience, you can choose between different betting types.
As it was mentioned above, you can benefit from a number of NHL betting types. The most common types are the moneyline bets and the totals. Puck line and props are another popular betting variety for ice hockey fans. The most important thing is to know what you are doing. Below, you will find all the information you need to boost your confidence when you place bets on NHL events.
ML Betting
The Moneyline is the most popular type of ice hockey bet and you will have zero problems understanding it. It is as simple as that – you need to select the winning team. Every web-based bookmaker sets the odds for the teams in such a way that the favorite will gain you less profit than the underdog. The only thing you need to do is to select the team which you think will perform better and win.
For example, Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings both are at odds of -110, which makes the match a “pick ’em price”. In other words, you need to risk £110 in order to win £100.
Over/Under Betting
The next betting option for ice hockey events is the Over/Under bet. It is used when you place a bet on the total number of goals that were scored by both teams. The odds compliers will set the game’s total number of goals. Punters need to choose to go under or over the number set by the bookmakers. For example, if the given number is 5.5, you can pick whether the teams will score more or less goals combined than 5. The 0.5 is added, because some betting operators do not allow bets to be placed on ties.
Let’s say that Chicago Blackhawks are at odds of o5 -135 and Detroit Red Wings are at u5 +115 odds. You can see that the total number of goals is 5, therefore you can choose to pick that there will be over 5 goals at odds of -135 or there will be under five goals at +115 odds. If the match ends 3-2, it is considered a “push” and every bet will be refunded.
Puck Lines
Another betting type you can use is the puck line betting. The team in favour is given a spread of 1.5 which they need to cover to win the puck line bet. This means that the team must win by two or more goals for the bet to win. But if you place a bet on the underdog, the team must win the game or lose with only one point for the bet not to fail.
For example, let’s say that Chicago Blackhawks are given a line puck of +1.5 at odds of -330, while the Detroit Red Wings are given a line of -1.5 puck with +270 odds. So, if you decide to bet on the Detroit Red Wings, they need to score 2 or more goals in order for you to win the bet. You will gain £270 for a £100 bet. But if you choose to back up the Chicago Blackhawks, you need to risk £330 to win £100. So if you bet on Chicago and they happen to lose 3-2, your bet will still be a winning one, because they lost only by one goal.
Placing a puck line bet is good when you are sure that an underdog can lose by 1 goal, because you still will be paid off a decent price. Of course, if a team is highly favoured and you believe they will win by a couple of goals, again it is a good idea to place a puck line bet, too.
Prop Betting
Prop betting has nothing to do with the final score of a certain ice hockey game. It is more popular during the playoffs, but you can place them during the regular season, too. The most common prop betting markets include placing bets on period scores, which team will score first or on the performance of a player.
Future bets can be included in the props betting, as well. As you can probably guess, the most popular ice hockey future prop is betting on which team will hold the Stanley Cup. Online bookmakers offer odds on every team throughout the regular season, playoffs and off season and you have the opportunity to place bets on who you think will win the title. Of course, you can bet on the individual playoffs series, for example, which is the team that will win every Conference, or even on the winning team of the NHL divisions.
NHL Betting Tips and Strategies
If you want to get the best bets and win big, here are some key tips and strategies to do so.
It goes without saying before you place a bet, you should definitely know the rules of the game. There is so much information that you can read on the Internet, so do that and get familiar with ice hockey.
Moreover, knowing the ice hockey rules is not the only thing that’s required. Being familiar with the players and the clubs is also essential. Follow them, read articles, watch the news, whatever suits you. This way you will know which team has the best chances to win.
Since the game is played on ice, you should consider injuries. You must make sure that all players are in shape, especially the stars. If a key player suffers an injury, this may definitely affect the team’s performance.
Another useful tip is to search for the goalies, because they are a factor when you check out past performances of a team. So, as soon as you check the goalies, you will be one step closer to placing a successful bet.
Most punters bet on the sure favourites, but since the NHL is so competitive, every team has a chance of winning. Keep in mind that if you place a bet on an underdog, you surely will be paid more. If an underdog wins, your winnings will be greater and if the team loses, the potential money loss will be smaller than if you bet on the favourites. Therefore, the best decision is backing up the underdog.
Also, you should search for the best lines. Bookmakers offer different odds. Therefore, you can look for the best ones in order to get higher payouts, so you can create accounts at different online sports betting operators.
Another very important advice is to keep a strict limit of the money you put aside for betting. You should never go all in on a single game. It is recommended to wager 5% of the total amount of your bankroll on a game. If you have £100 for betting, you should place no more than £5 on a game. This will reduce major losses and spare you the big headaches.
Do not bet on your favourite club each time. Although it is hard to bet against your team, it may be the right decision. Watch NHL with your heart, but bet with your mind.
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