Hockey is a great game full of fast-paced action and excitement, and it’s a great sport to bet on as well. If you have deep knowledge of NHL hockey, then this could be a great way to diversify your betting options. Hockey is known for its great prop bet selection and allows players to bet on virtually any aspect of the game. The NHL is also the major North American sports league with the highest number of teams, which gives you tons of games to bet on every night. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to do hockey betting.
Know the Different Types of Bets
The first thing you have to know is the different types of ways that you can bet on NHL games. You have basic bets where you bet on which team is going to win, advanced bets, and the Grand Salami. Yes, the Grand Salami. Betting on the Grand Salami is considered by many as the best way to bet on NHL games. This is when you bet on the total number of goals that will be scored by all teams in one single night of action. NHL punters love this as this gives them something to root for on every single game being played.
On Sunday, January 2, 2022, the Hershey Bears vs. the Bridgeport Islanders. The Bears won in overtime over the Islanders by a score of 3-2.
With the Grand Salami, you can decide to bet over or under a certain number of total goals you think will be scored during the night. You can make predictions by looking at how you think defences will match against offences, which goalies will be in the net for each team, and a variety of other factors.
Advanced bets, or player prop bets, are another interesting way to bet on hockey games. You can bet on anything from how many points a particular player is going to score, to shots on goals, assists, and all sorts of other wacky bets. The choice of bets you’ll have will largely depend on the sportsbook, however, so we suggest that you go for one that is known for its wide selection of hockey bets, like www.novibet.co.uk, if you want to have more opportunities to win money.
With basic bets, you can bet on not only which team is going to win, but also by how much. Alternatively, you can place an over/under bet on how many goals in total will be scored irrespective of who wins or loses.
Learn the Game
We also suggest that you start learning the game in detail before you start betting. One of the things you should pay special attention to is defence. Hockey is a very defence-oriented game, and when you understand how a team plays defensively, it becomes much easier to predict how a particular offence will work against it.
Usually, it’s always better to bet on the team that has the strongest defence. Defence is much more predictable than offence in hockey, and a team with a good defence will usually only need one goal or two to win. The only exception is if the team has a horrible attack, the team they’re playing against tends to do well against them, or if the goalie in the other team’s net is a game-changer.
Another thing you need to learn is special teams. A large number of goals scored in hockey happen during penalties. So, you have to know which teams have great special teams, which teams tend to be undisciplined, and if there are any grudges between two teams or players.
Johan Larsson (22) and Mario Ferraro (38) fight for position in front of Sharks’ goalie James Reimer – Photo by Jack Lima
You also have to know that goalies play an extremely important role in hockey. A goalie receives about 30 shots per game, but only needs to let two or three of them through to pretty much guarantee a win for the other team. This is why you need to keep close tabs on goalie trends. You also have to pay very special attention when teams decide to play their backup goalie against a potential underdog.
Know the Difference Between a Bad Bet and a Losing Bet
You should always take the time to look at what happened after a game in which you lost a bet and not assume that you made a bad one. For instance, if you bet on the Panthers to beat the Blackhawks and they lose 4 – 2 but the Hawks scored an empty netter and the Panthers outshot them by ten shots, it wasn’t that bad of a bet. If a team lost after they went to overtime after a bad call or a lucky bounce that resulted in the goal, you can still say that your bet was pretty good. Know that luck plays a big role in hockey, so don’t beat yourself up if you have a few bad beats and use them to refine your strategy.
This is all you need to know if you want to start actively betting on hockey. Learn as much as you can about the league and its players, and never forget to have fun first and foremost.
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