Hockey is a very popular game both in Canada and around the world, and it is one of the few sports that are still predominantly played in person.
Since the coronavirus pandemic affected sports more than any other area of society, hockey betting is rife with uncertainty.
Would players stay healthy? Would casual fans still flock to the arenas? Would the season still run its course?
The good news is that the NHL has returned and the sport is set to resume its regular schedule.
But just because the puck is back on the ice doesn’t mean your betting knowledge over the offseason.
You still need to know the ins and outs of hockey betting if you want to place wagers on the next season.
The Basics Of Bettting In General
If you’re new to sports betting, you might not know what to expect, so let’s review some general guidelines.
Firstly, only bet what you can afford to lose.
When you sign up with a betting site, you will be presented with an option to set up an account with a desired balance.
Decide how much you’re willing to risk on a given wager and set that amount as a limit on your deposits.
Do not deposit more than you can afford to lose, and in most cases, do not deposit at all if you already have a balance on your account.
The Basics Of Bettting In The US
The majority of Canada-based sportsbooks offer their services to Americans, so most of the information below will pertain to US citizens unless otherwise noted.
Since the early days of the United States until recently, sports betting has been largely illegal, with the only exceptions being the state of New Jersey and a few others that opted-in to allow sports betting prior to the NCAA taking action.
As with most other American sports, football is the king of the sports betting scene, with the NBA next in line for attention.
And just like most other sports, hockey betting in the US is dominated by a few big-name brands that provide a safe and trustworthy platform for customers.
In some states, you may need to be registered as a gambler if you want to place a wager.
But other than that, it’s usually just a matter of going to the website, making a deposit, and getting to work.
Understanding The 3-Way Play
One of the things that makes hockey interesting to bet on is the fact that it is a sport that can be played in a myriad of ways.
Some teams prefer to skate fast and furious while bombarding the puck with shots, looking to outscore their opponents.
Others might want to play a more relaxed game, keeping the puck on the ice for as long as possible and setting up their teammates for scoring chances.
Even within a single game, a team might approach the puck in a completely different way, looking to outskate or outmuscle their opponents instead of relying on firepower.
Since you can’t predict how a team might play a game, you can’t simply apply the same methods in your betting analysis.
You have to be able to adapt your approach to suit the circumstances at hand.
That’s why it is often said that hockey is one of the most difficult sports to bet on.
The Difference In Strategies
If you want to put together a betting strategy for the 2020-21 NHL season, you need to approach the process slightly differently than you would for, say, the 2019-20 season.
Simply put, the game has changed and you need to change with it.
As stated above, the way a team plays the game often determines how you should bet on them, with some strategies being more profitable than others.
The Lightning are a great example of how a team can approach the game and how a betting strategy should change based on that.
The Bolts were one of the most exciting teams to watch in the 2019-20 season, scoring the most goals and generating the most excitement with their high-paced, up-tempo game.
That style of play posed a threat to the health of their opponents, whose lifestyles weren’t built for high-speed chases and endless shots on goal.
As a result, the Lightning ended up being a relatively slow team in the 2021 draft, selecting defensemen with their first three picks and passing on forwards until the ninth pick, when they drafted Jack Campbell, a center who plays a physical style and was a point-per-game player for the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes last season.
Campbell’s selection shows how much the Lightning’s game has changed.
Instead of picking players based on size, as they had in the past, the organization opted for skill, selecting the most talented players regardless of their size.
And if that’s not enough, the Lightning went against the grain of conventional wisdom and selected a defenseman with their first pick in the draft, adding another piece to their already-robust blueline.
The Importance Of Hedging
The most profitable and safest way to bet on hockey is to use a hedging strategy.
Hedging is the act of combining two or more bets on the same team to reduce the amount of risk.
In most cases, you’ll be offered an option to place a market on a team right away or to put your money on parlay cards that include several different teams.
While it’s tempting to go with the first option and try to make a profit off a single team, doing so puts you at risk of losing money on the other bets if your pick loses.
The safer option is to put your money on parlay cards, especially if you’re new to betting or are just looking for a way to have some fun with your winnings.
The key is to watch the bets that you make and know when to cut your losses.
If you feel like you’re getting too much loss from a single bet, you can always try another bookmaker or hedging service.
But if you keep making the same bet over and over, trying to find a winning streak, you’ll eventually run into bad luck and have to cut your losses.
And that’s a lesson that no one likes to learn.
As noted above, the way a team plays determines how you should bet on them.
But how a team has performed in the past also factors in.
For instance, if you’re trying to find a safe and profitable way to bet on the Edmonton Oilers, you might want to avoid playing the Montreal Canadiens due to the way they have historically played against the Oilers.
Similarly, if you’re looking for a way to make some money off the Toronto Maple Leafs, you might want to steer clear of playing the New York Islanders due to the risk of losing on the spot if your bet goes against them.
The above examples show how you can use historical performance data to determine which teams might be worth betting on and which you should avoid.
If you’re looking for a way to make a little bit of extra cash during the offseason, you might want to consider looking into depositing some of your winnings into a hockey tipster service that can help you navigate the ever-changing world of betting on hockey.
It might not be for everyone, but for those that try it, they’ll find that it’s a lot of fun and it can help make extra cash during the offseason.