What to Look for in a Bookmaker for Your Ice Hockey Betting

Photo by Klim Musalimov on Unsplash

Ice hockey is something of a niche sport in the UK, with its most prominent league, the EIHL, not exactly being the global draw that many other top sporting tiers in the country can claim to be.

That said, the Elite League is growing at a strong pace, particularly when it comes to average attendance. Yet, there is an inherent appeal to the incredibly physical and skilful game, especially in the realm of betting.

Due to its format of scoring and the sheer volume of information available for the world’s top league, betting on ice hockey – and the NHL, in particular – has become a sneaky favourite amongst punters.

So, rather than accidentally going down the path of a failed betting system, as highlighted by Honest Betting Reviews, here’s what makes for a good ice hockey betting platform to offer you the most complete experience possible.

Player Stats Lines are Key to Ice Hockey Betting

Photo by Erik Mclean via Pexels

Ice hockey is a frantic, high-scoring game in which teams play several times each week and have four sets of forwards and three sets of defencemen skating out onto the ice to initiate play.

Throw in that backup goaltenders can get thrown into the mix in tired games (games played the next day after another game), and soon there are plenty of variables to consider when looking at the standard win, draw, and overtime win lines.

For many discovering ice hockey betting, it’s the player stat lines that offer the most intriguing odds. Unlike when you take goal-scorer or even assists tips from football betting systems like Goal King, for example, when you opt for similar bets in ice hockey, the odds of winning can be much higher.

This comes down to the point system and the sheer propensity for scoring demonstrated by the best players. At the time of writing, the Nashville Predators were the worst team in the NHL with 22 points in 31 games, but even they had defenceman Roman Josi on 23 points and Filip Forsberg on 20.

In the NHL, you’ll see an average of over 3.1 goals per game – with five, six, and seven-goal games not being uncommon – across the 82-game slate for each of the 32 teams.

In the Premier League last season, there was an average of 3.28 goals per game, but for each of those, one player would be credited with the goal and one with the assist. In ice hockey, players get a point for scoring a goal or getting an assist, and each goal credits two assisters.

This is why ice hockey bettors should look for the bookies that offer a stacked range of player stat line options.

You’ll want lines for goals, assists, and points, with over-under, two-plus, three-plus, and power play scoring for several individual players to make the most of these key stats that boast a lot of betting potential.

For quick reference on NHL player stats, TSN Sports is your best bet, while the official NHL site offers situational looks.

More than Just Stanley Cup Betting

Image by Tom Glod from Pixabay

Much like if you’re considering Trade on Sports for some American football action, you’ll know that there are a couple of phases to the NHL season.

As in the NFL, the NHL’s postseason is a different beast entirely, pushing players to their limits in ways that make finding a true favourite or a short odds favourite incredibly difficult. Of course, this does present great betting opportunities for those in the know.

As an example, as of 17 December, the Stanley Cup odds put up by Betway Sports had a good seven teams considered to be frontrunner, of which the favourites were the Edmonton Oilers at 13/2.

Just behind the Connor McDavid-led team were the Hurricanes, Panthers and Devils on 10/1, Dallas Stars on 11/1, and then the Colorado Avalanche out at 12/1.

It’s a very close race, but with long odds for each.

Still, predicting the Stanley Cup winner is incredibly tough due to the rigours of the postseason compared to the regular season.

As a result, it’s important to find a platform that offers many other outrights that cover the regular season, too.

These would include odds on all the trophies, from the Hart Memorial to the Frank J. Selke Trophy, as well as divisional winners and the Presidents’ Trophy – awarded to the regular season’s league topper.

With so much going on in each game, each day, and across the long NHL season, ice hockey betting certainly offers many opportunities for bettors if they can find a worthy platform.

The key is finding great odds on player scoring and other such stat lines and having several outright betting options.