Ice hockey is one of the most exciting sports to watch and it’s a fantastic one to bet on as well. The fast-paced game has back-and-forth matches which makes for a thrilling sport that anyone can enjoy. 

When you watch any professional ice hockey match, you might get surprised by the skill level that they have to reach just to play the game. With high-level competitions, players make it look easy as you can see that they make the pucks and sticks look like a part of their bodies which is an exciting experience. To make the sport even more exciting, betting on matches is the best way to do that.

There have been many leagues to check out if you want to watch ice hockey games. If you want to know what the best hockey bets to make, you should look at the markets available on Sportsbet.io. Before we fully dive into the markets, let’s look at the leagues that you can bet on.

Bet on future ice hockey games

The best leagues to bet on

Ice hockey is filled with leagues that you can watch and bet on. You should try them out because you have many options to choose from. Most people have access to different leagues around the world which is why you should look at the best ones to bet on. 

NHL

The National Hockey League (NHL) is the most established ice hockey competition in the world. North America is always seen as a hub for professional sports and the NHL is part of the four major leagues in the region alongside the NBA, NFL, and MLB. 

The NHL is one of the best leagues to bet on because you have the best teams and players there. It is the league with the highest quality because it has a system that created stars across different teams and eras. The likes of Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and many more have been crucial to the NHL’s success because they have created a world-class league and it can be considered the greatest competition in the sport. 

In terms of betting, the NHL is one of the most prolific leagues out there because there are always tons of choices when it comes to the games that you can bet on. The season is stacked with 82 games to be played across 32 different teams for a total of 2,624 games in the regular season. There are also the NHL Playoffs which will have multiple games to bet on as well.

AHL

While most people will look at the NHL as the prime competition, you should also take a look at the American Hockey League. It is referred to as the ‘second tier’ of American hockey but is much more than that. You should know that this is one of the best leagues in the world and the quality of the games are always supreme.

Betting on the AHL is exciting because you will be thrust into a league where you can truly learn from the ground up. The AHL is filled with younger players who are ecstatic to perform at the highest level. The league also has some familiar names because there are NHL players who have been assigned there or are trying to find their way back into the top tier. 

3ICE

This is a new hockey league that is centred on three vs three matches. It will be one of the best leagues that you can see on online hockey betting platforms. 3ICE has a unique concept because most people see hockey as a sport centred on the five vs five format but the three vs three games have been present for the longest time. However, 3ICE is a legitimate sports league centred on a fresh concept. 

Betting on this will surely be an exciting proposition for you because you will have a fresh league that you can have fun with. This league will be fun to bet on because it is enticing to watch and it’s pretty fun to analyse. 

Ice hockey betting markets to try

Now that you know the best leagues to bet on in the ice hockey world, you should look at the different markets that you can bet on so you can succeed with your wagers. 

Check out the outright ice hockey odds

First player/team to score

In this market, you will have to predict what team or player will be the first to score. Since ice hockey is one of the fastest-paced sports in the world, this market has become a popular one. You should try betting on this because it proves that you are aware of the teams and players, especially when you know their offensive tendencies. If you research the teams properly, you can reliably win your bets because you know how they go about their early-game offence. 

Factors to consider when betting on this market

    •   The offensive pace - When you watch games, you should look at how certain teams perform after the first whistle. If they are attacking from the get-go, it will be easy to make wagers regarding them as the first team to score. Scouting the teams that are playing should be important here because matchups are important and if the offence sees the defence and immediately attacks, that is the team that you should bet on.

    •   Identify the star goalscorers - As you progress with your ice hockey research, you should look for the best scorers on the teams that you saw. If the player has shown that they can be aggressive from the first whistle, they will be a good choice in the hockey betting lines moving forward.

    •   Look at the defenders - While this is mostly focused on the offence since it’s a market centred on the goal, you should also look at the quality of the teams’ defences because if they are not at the top tier, you should expect them to concede goals. While the offence is not elite, if the defence is horrendous, you should take note of that because goals will come sooner rather than later and you can use that with your wagers on any hockey betting site moving forward.

Full-time result (1x2) 

There are three possible results in hockey which are the home win, away win, or a draw. The last one is rare but it can happen when the two teams are equal and can’t beat each other. This market is one of the most popular because it is a straight-up prediction of what will happen. 

You will have to research more about how teams perform at an overall game. In the first goal market that we discussed before, you just have to look at how teams played during the early goings of a match. This market will involve you looking for how they perform in the three periods of ice hockey and possibly overtime. 

This is a rather simple bet because you have three options to choose from. Most of the time, there are only two options because the draw bet is one of the rare results that can happen. You should be aware of all the possibilities before a game happens because you can analyse all of the factors and properly predict a result. You will be challenged with this bet but if you can get the hang of it, you will succeed moving forward.

Make inplay bets on ice hockey games

What is a 3-way bet in hockey?

The 3-way betting strategy will involve three outcomes rather than the two options that you can see in NHL games. It will function as a typical bet but this will have more value because you have three options. This is more common in markets like full-time results because you have three options rather than the two options that most people will see in American football and basketball. There will be three odds with the full-time result and when you make this bet. You will most likely earn more but you should know what will happen if you bet on the draw. 

Double chance

As we discussed before with the three results, the double chance is a market where you can cover two results at the same time. You can choose two out of the three outcomes. Of course, you should not use this market all the time because you might get tired of the fewer thrills that you can experience. This is not a market exclusive to hockey because it has also been used in football as well. After all, they have the same scoring system as ice hockey for the most part. 

This bet will run out at 60 minutes which means that it will not be considered overtime periods. Meaning, if you bet on a market that involves a draw, you will hit on it as well. This is an important part of the bet because if you have the option to choose from an assurance to win, you will most likely gravitate towards the double chance bet.

Team totals

In this market, you will have to predict a certain team’s total score during their performance in the match. This will be challenging because predicting the exact score is hard for most people. Thankfully, there is an over/under range as well which is easier to understand to bet on. 

There is also the market for the total between both teams which is just adding up both scores. That is one of the most popular markets as well because most people like to predict the overall score if it’s over or under the range. Apart from that, you should also look at the odd/even market for both team totals and cumulative scores. 

This can be easier to bet on because you can gauge how teams perform even before the game. You can look at their playstyles, how they clash with each other, and of course, the players who are in the match itself. You should know that many factors play a role in the overall performance of both teams and if you can look into them, this market will be easy for you to bet on. 

What is 60 minutes betting?

The 60-minute line is a bet similar to the moneyline but it will only include the end of three periods which means that it includes the tie option. Think of the double chance bet earlier where you only have to think about one result. It will be challenging to do but you should be okay because you are essentially betting on the final result which means you’re doing the same research. 

You should look into a squad that can take a long while to heat up which will be a problematic team to bet on in this market. You should look for the teams who are playing well from the jump and can sustain it for three periods. This market has been popular in ice hockey and if you can get the win, you will be rewarded swimmingly. 

Look at the odds as well because they will not tell the whole story but you can look into the context behind those numbers. If you are a solid bettor, you should not have any issues looking into the numbers because you can thrive if that happens. 

Read up on ice hockey news

What is a puck line bet?

The puck line is the term for hockey spread betting. You might be aware of the spread mechanics if you are interested in other sports but it essentially means that a certain team should pull out a result within a certain range or spread. Think of the numbers +1.5 or -1.5 that you might see on Sportsbet and you can see that they mean much more than you think because they play a huge role in the puck line bet. This will be a way to determine the favourite and underdog as well which will help you further in your other bets. 

Winning margins

In this market, you will have to predict a winner and how big their lead will be when the final whistle is blown. In ice hockey, you will most likely have options like a win by 1, win by 2, or win by 3 or more goals. That is how it’s detailed on Sportsbet which is the best platform that you can use which should be the site you make this bet on. 

This market will challenge how you gauge teams because if you know the favourites, you should know how they can perform against the heavy underdogs. They will most likely fall in the three or more goals range because they will have to dominate the underdogs rather than play down to their competition.

You should be smart with your bet here because it is likely that underdogs will be plucky during their matches against the top teams. When you understand the nuances of these matches, you can thrive when you understand how certain teams play. 

Highest scoring period

You will predict the highest-scoring period in a match in this market. This might be a random concept but it can be both easy and challenging because certain teams can be easy to gauge and some are challenging to analyse. You will have three options in this market because you will have the two teams but you can also choose a draw option. 

This will be a tough market to thrive in but if you are knowledgeable about the game, this can be a cakewalk because you know how they play during certain periods. If you know that a certain team can perform well during the second period, you should bet on that because seeing patterns will be the way to victory. 

Thankfully, you are on Sportsbet which means that you can access all of these markets. You can make all of the ice hockey prop bets on this platform since we provide you with the best service possible. Hopefully, you can continue your patronage because Sportsbet is one of the best platforms on the internet and it will continue to grow with your support. Good luck with your ice hockey bets and enjoy the games!

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Words: Cholo Martin

Image: Alamy

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