What Does Puck Mean in Hockey Betting? A Guide to Understanding Puck Lines

If a bettor takes the underdog, that team can lose by one goal and still produce a winning wager. In the above match, Montreal Canadiens are the favourites to win. You can back them in the moneyline bet and need to spend $114 to win $100.

Let’s say the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens are playing, and the total is set at 5.5. Perhaps he is best known for his podcast ‘NFL Latino TV,’ where he shares his analysis and perspectives on the game with a worldwide Spanish-speaking audience. Like anything in betting, there are plenty of positives and a list of negatives. Of course, this depends on many variables, such as the price of the selection and the initial outlay. We follow strict ethical guidelines to ensure editorial independence and avoid conflicts of interest.

Your moneyline bet ends at the final whistle after 60 minutes of regular time. In hockey, the first team to score in overtime wins, so one goal ultimately decides the match. This gives the underdog in a puck line bet an advantage because the favourite can’t score more than one goal during overtime.

• High-scoring games happen, and you might see favorites with very short odds when a powerhouse faces a weak opponent.
• The platform focuses on in-depth analysis and insights in sports betting and has gained a reputation for quality content.
• He has worked teaching English as a foreign language and as a journalist for the UK’s largest regional newspaper.
• There are also shootouts in the regular season, which can introduce a bit of randomness in how a game is decided.
• His work has appeared in Forbes, ESPN, and NFL.com, covering U.S. and Canadian gambling laws, major sports events, and wagering trends.

Consider Overtime & Empty Net Goals

Our team of experts thoroughly researches and tests each betting platform we review. Use the puck line when you’re confident in a clear win or a close loss by the underdog. Use the moneyline when you want safer outcomes or expect a tight match. These bets are great for confident predictions or when you’re trying to maximize value in games with big skill gaps. The underdog becomes -1.5, meaning they now need to win by two or more goals. If you think an underdog can keep it close or pull off an upset, taking them at +1.5 gives you more flexibility.

Not Researching the Teams

As we’ve established above, puck line betting refers to points spread betting. Most sports have three standard bets; moneyline, spread, and totals (over/under). The third major market is the total – betting on how many total goals both teams will score in the game. The sportsbook sets an over/under number, and you wager on whether the actual goals scored will be over or under that amount. Betting on NHL puck lines is very similar to spread betting in an NBA or NFL game. It has to stay at a much smaller number because of the number of goals scored in a hockey game.

Some sportsbooks adjust quickly when injury reports drop or betting volume spikes. That means two people placing the same bet at the same time on different apps could get slightly different odds. The numbers you see can change based on which sportsbook you’re using, how sharp the market is, or what platform you’re betting on. Another key feature is the ability to follow your favorite teams. Set filters so you only see odds for matchups you care about, then watch how those lines move throughout the day. It’s a smart way to build a habit of spotting value and understanding market trends.

The odds on the puck line are much closer to even, because it’s more likely Boston wins by 2+ goals since they’re roobet login a big favorite. As well as wagering on the winner and loser in a puck line, you can also place a 3 way puck line, where you can bet on the tie too. The favorite must win by more than one goal, while the underdog can lose by 1 or tie for bets to pay out. The moneyline is a more straightforward bet to work out in terms of odds, as it’s simply a bet on which team will win. The puck line is more complex to work out in terms of odds, as the margin of victory is also taken into account. In sports betting the puck line is equivalent to the point spread, but exclusively in hockey.

A puck line bet is an ice hockey wager, which refers to a point spread market. Depending on that, such a bet would come with a “+” or a “-” symbol. Unlike point spreads, the puck line bet is fixed – it’s always -1.5 goals for the favourite and +1.5 goals for the underdog. If those numbers look low, keep in mind that ice hockey is a low-scoring sport.

Smarter NHL Betting with OddsTrader Tools

Knowing the margins, it’s clear that for your puck line bet to win, the favourite must win by two goals or the underdog to win or lose in a one-goal game. Utilize advanced statistics for the performance of teams and specifically for goalies. The quality of goaltending has a massive impact on the outcome of hockey games, so if one team has a far superior goalie, it’s bound to influence the final score. Saving an extra shot or two could make all the difference to your puck line wager.

A wager on the favorite on the puck line would only pay out if they won by two or more goals. On the other side, a bet on the underdog +1.5 would win if they won the game or lost by a single goal. While it’s tempting to take the more attractive odds on favorites, it’s not without its pitfalls. NHL games are competitive and are oftentimes decided by a single goal. An alternate puck line bet is all about customizing the spread to match your read on the game. Instead of the usual 1.5-goal spread, the line is usually set at -0.5 for the favorite and +0.5 for the underdog for a single period.

The Puck Line is always set at 1.5, which means the favorite always has their puck line set at -1.5 goals and the underdog puck line is always set at +1.5 goals. OddsTrader makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event. Please be aware of and respect the laws regarding sports betting for your jurisdiction as they vary from state to state. Using this information to contravene any law or statute is prohibited. This site contains commercial content, and OddsTrader may be compensated for the links provided on this site.Disclosure. It’s often due to how each book responds to betting action, sharp money, and real-time market changes.