If you’re someone who enjoys a bit of sports betting – and you’ve dabbled in a few different sports, you may well be aware that betting on professional ice hockey offers something totally different — and opens up a whole new world of opportunities.
Wednesday, May 21, 2025, Calder Cup Playoffs. Game #3 between Hershey Bears vs Charlotte Checkers, winner moves on. The Checkers beat the Bears by a score of 6-3. Photo credit: [email protected]
While most sports bettors are relatively familiar with football, basketball, or even tennis, hockey throws in a bit of a curveball in terms of pace, unpredictability, and betting markets.
From the razor-thin scoring margins to the importance of an in-form goalie, betting on ice hockey requires you to have a whole different mindset. So, with that, here’s why betting on pro hockey is different from any other type of sports betting out there!
Low-Scoring Games And Fine Margins
One of the main things to consider in professional hockey is how low-scoring the games usually are – the polar opposite of NBA games. A standard NHL game will end at something like 2–1 or 3–2, which means that the difference between winning and losing – both on the scoreboard and on your betting slip – could be decided on just one single play.
Unlike football or basketball, where point spreads mean there’s a lot more breathing room, hockey’s moneyline bets and puck lines (usually set at +/- 1.5 goals) are unforgiving. And this means it’s a lot harder to rely on the favourite to get a comfortable win. Even the very best teams in the league can be upset by the underdogs.
The Goalie Can Make or Break It
In most sports, any single player can change the balance and the momentum of the game, but in hockey, the goaltender can absolutely dominate a game. A top, in-form goalie can literally “steal” that win even if their team is being completely outplayed. That’s why bettors need to look at the starting goalies when placing their bets – looking at things like save percentage, fatigue, injury status, and even their psychological form. This could have a massive impact on the outcome.
This is even more important if you’re betting on totals (over/under goals), where one hot or cold goalie can make a game take a completely different direction. There is no other mainstream team sport in which one single player could affect the odds so much.
Lots of Upsets and Underdog Wins
The NHL is considered to be one of the most competitively balanced leagues in the world of pro sports. A team that finishes eighth in the conference could quite easily knock off the top seed in a playoff series, and there are plenty of regular-season matches that are decided by razor-thin margins.
Because there is such parity, the value of underdog bets makes hockey a lot more volatile for acca-style betting. Unlike in sports like tennis, for example, where the top seeds will practically always win the early rounds — check the Boylesports Wimbledon odds for example — hockey defies all predictability.
Overtime and Shootouts Affect Bets
In hockey, games that are tied at the end of regular time will usually go to overtime and then a shootout if there’s still no winner. This can have huge implications for betting. So, for example, most moneyline bets will only actually cover regulation time – so even if your team ends up winning in overtime, you could still lose the bet if there was a draw at the end of regular time.
For that very reason, you need to make sure whether your bet covers regulation only, or whether it includes OT and shootouts.
Puck Line Betting
Instead of the standard point spread, hockey’s puck line betting usually stays set at +/- 1.5 goals. And while this doesn’t actually seem much, it can have a huge impact on betting dynamics. It’s not uncommon for teams to pull their goalie in the last few minutes, which could turn a one-goal game into a two-goal win or loss, even if the match was close for the rest of the time.
This can lead to late-game carnage… that can either burn bettors or give them last-minute salvation.
A Whole New Puck Game
Betting on pro hockey isn’t just harder — it’s a lot different. The goalie is the main player, the scoring is ridiculously unpredictable, and there’s usually very little between the teams, which is why it requires a level of analysis and flexibility that you simply won’t need in most other sports. However, if you’re willing to adapt and study, then pro hockey offers some of the best value bets out there!
