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Hockey Betting Tips for NHL Bets

hockey betting tipsFinding the most fool-proof and guaranteed hockey betting tips online is next to impossible. If such a guide existed, everyone would always be winning their bets. However, there are guides out there that give US hockey bettors some pretty good hockey betting advice. Best US Sports Betting likes to count itself as one of those sites that tries to bring you the best hockey betting tips out there.

Our in-house ice hockey betting experts have compiled this hockey betting tips guide to help you, whether you’re a novice or pro NHL bettor, make the best bets. We’ve focused on the National Hockey League (NHL) betting tips as this is the biggest and most popular hockey league. What you’ll find is that if the tips works with betting on the NHL, they’ll work on other minor ice hockey leagues.

Unlike other sports, hockey betting doesn’t have the luxury of point spreads at close to even odds. You’re more likely to have money lines that range from -300 to +250. Furthermore, a lot of NHL games are decided by one goal. So, whether betting -1.5 with the favorites or +1.5 with the underdogs, both are pretty risky.

In our hockey betting tips guide, we’ll be looking at NHL markets bettors like to play and our top tips for winning big with hockey betting.

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What you’ll find in this hockey betting tips guide:

Hockey Betting Tips: Best NHL Betting Tips to Win Big

Let’s take a look at some NHL betting tips to keep in mind.

1. Consider Live Betting

This is a great way to make money off changing odds during a game, especially if the game isn’t going your way. On top of that, the other added advantage to live betting is that posting accurate odds is difficult for oddsmakers. This is because on a busy NHL night, there can be as many as 14 games being played at once.

2. Focus on Special Teams

Pay attention to teams that do well during power plays. This is when an opposing team has one less player because they committed a foal. Some teams have better units when taking penalties so you’ll want to back those that rise to the occasion during a power play. It’s not uncommon for a team to sore two to three more goals when they have a man advantage i.e. one more player on the field.

3. Ride the Streaks

If a team is on a winning streak, they are confident and tend to make comebacks during the match. The NHL is notorious for being “streaky”. Take the 2016-17 season. There were four different teams that went on a minimum 10-game winning streak. The Columbus Blue Jackets had a 17-game winning streak. Ride the wave to make some quick winnings.

4. Check the Home and Road Records

Home ice advantage affects a team psychologically because they’re in a familiar environment. Also, it gives the coach an opportunity to do last minute changes to the last line. However, home advantage doesn’t fare well for some teams, where they play a bit hard to please fans. Take a look at their record on their websites and use it to help you pick a team.

5. Try Looking at Other Markets

Instead of focusing on the most popular markets, consider betting in alternatives like period betting and team totals. Team totals sets a team’s total goals scored and you wager whether it’ll be over or under. Period betting is about predicting how well the team will be doing in a period, especially the first period.

hockey players in front of audience

6. Limit Parlays and Heavy Favorites

Since hockey is such a close sport in terms of scoring, it can be anyone’s game. It’s difficult enough to win one game, imagine having to pick multiple winning teams. Parlays are the quickest way to losing all your money in NHL betting. Furthermore, always placing large bets on favorites won’t get you far.

7. Pay Attention to the Schedule

Since hockey is a tough contact sport, the longer teams are on the road playing without rest, the more they lose their edge. Check out the schedule. If a team is playing their sixth game on the road against a rested team at home, it’s better to go with the latter.

8. Project Goalie Matchups

Keeping an eye on the schedule will also help you with projecting when backup goalies will play. Coaches tend not to like putting their main goalie on the ice night after night. So, if the team is playing back-to-back matches, the backup will. If you can make your bet against the team using their backup goalie before it’s announced, you’re most likely to get better odds.

9. Shop for Lines

Finally, this rule doesn’t just apply to hockey betting, but all sports betting. Look for sportsbooks with the best odds on a team you want to bet on or against. And don’t be afraid to place bets at more than one sportsbook.

Check out our other NHL betting guides:

Most Popular NHL Bets

Before we get into our best hockey betting tips, let’s take a look at some of the most popular NHL betting markets among Americans.

  • NHL Futures: wagering on a futures bet means US bettors are trying to predict what will happen in the future. Usually, it’s about which team will win the Stanley Cup before they actually start the season.
  • Live Bets: these are made during the match when the odds are constantly changing in real time.
  • NHL Money Lines: This is the most common and simplest bet type in hockey. Basically, all you have to do is pick the winner of the game. Your payout will depend on the odds set by the sportsbook you’re betting at.
  • NHL Over/Under Picks: in these bets, the sportsbook sets the sum number of goals they think will be scored by the end of the match. You as the bettor is to predict whether the sum total will be over or under that number.
  • Props: proposition bets aren’t reliant on the outcome of the game. They are about wagering on aspects of a match like which team will lead after the first half or if the coach will get into a fight.
  • Puck Line: this type is specialized to just hockey betting. It has a similar concept to baseball’s run line. When betting a puck line, you’re wagering on a team winning by more than a certain number of goals.

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