There are many ways to bet on the NHL, here are some of them and be sure to check out our friends at BetNHL.ca for more NHL Betting Information.
Money Line:

Betting on hockey for the most part is all about the money lines. The sportsbook sets the odds based on the likelihood that a team will lose. A typical game will look like this:

Kings +127

@ Penguins -127

What that means is that the sportsbook thinks that the Penguins are going to beat the Kings and if you want to bet on them you have to bet $127 to win $100. Basically, you are risking more money than you will win because the odds are that you WILL win. These lines can go all the way up to -300 and above based on the matchup. On the reverse side if you bet $100 on the Kings to win and they “upset” the Penguins, you would win $127 because the odds were not in your favor. Know that the higher the odds on a game, the more the sportsbook thinks that it knows what is going to happen and when we tip a game we take all of this into account. Anyone can say the -300 team is going to win.
Puck Line:

Sometimes the money lines on games can get a bit out of hand and you might want to better your odds by taking the Puck Line. The Puck Line is basically betting on not who will win, but how much the team that wins will win by. Here is an example of what a Puck Line might look like at a sportsbook:

Detroit -1.5 (-110)

@ Chicago +1.5 (-110)

Therefore if you are betting $110 on Chicago +1.5 (to win $100) and the game ends Detroit 3 – Chicago 2, then you win because you take the two Chicago goals and add the 1.5 you were getting from the sportsbook meaning they “won” 3.5 to 3.

Occasionally, you will see lines that looks this as well:

Pittsburgh -1.5 (-250)

@ Vancouver +1.5 (+250)

Which just means that the sportsbook thinks that Pittsburgh is going to win by two goals or more and thus cover the puck line so if you want to bet on them you have to bet $250 to win $100, conversely the sportsbook is so sure of this if you were to bet $100 on Vancouver and they beat the line they would pay you an extra $150.

Many sites also offer puck lines on individual periods with the line being set at 0.5 goals.

Totals (over/under):

One of our favorite bets and one of the best ways to make money betting on hockey is in the totals or over and under. The total is just what it sounds like the combined amount of goals Team A and Team B score. Here is an example of what that might look like at a sportsbook.

New York Rangers o6

@ New York Islanders u6

The “o” stands for over and the “u” stands for under so if you bet Under 6 and the game finished 3-2, you win as the total landed on 5. However, it the score is 4-3 you lose. If the game ends at 3-3 or 4-2, right at 6, then it is considered a “push” and your bet is refunded by the sportsbook. Most of the time these bets will be -110, but you will occasionally see them at higher amounts.

Additionally, many sites offer these bets on a period by period basis as well as individual team totals. Ie the Penguins 2 ½ would mean you are betting on what their final score is. These can have value for high scoring teams. Also, a few sites set their total lines based on a three period game and do not count the overtime period. Make sure of the rules of your site you are betting at before you place your bet.

The Grand Salami:

The Grand Salami is something that goes way back to the days when the players didn’t wear helmets and the games were held outside. It is basically a totals contest for the entire slate of games. For example if there are ten games on a given day the sportsbook will set the Grand Salami at somewhere between 52-62 and whether it’s placed you can bet over or under. This is generally a luck play, but someone with great knowledge of the league can make some money on this.

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