by Dan Adkisson
As anyone who has ever watched ice hockey will know, this is a game that is exciting and interesting in equal measure. However, with sports betting now becoming increasingly popular – and legal – across the US, it’s now more and more common to bet on hockey games too. If you log on to any hockey-friendly sportsbook, you are likely to see a whole variety of different potential outcomes to bet on. It can sometimes feel overwhelming – and that’s where this blog post can help. We’ll narrow down some of the different hockey game factors and outcomes on which you can bet, and help you see what works best for your own wagering needs.
Outcomes of individual games
Take a look at the major sports betting sites in New York and you’ll no doubt find that there is a wide range of different ice hockey factors to bet on. However, by far the most popular, common and prominently presented option is the outcome of individual games. This is not at all uncommon in the world of sports. Betting on the winner of a match was one of the driving forces that began the tradition, and it’s only really been in recent times that betting on more specific outcomes has become more popular.
But what does this tradition of betting on the winners of games look like for the world of ice hockey? A glance down current lists of odds indicates that games in the National Hockey League (NHL) tend to be popular choices. As of early February, for example, the game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Washington Capitals was at the top of the list, as were other games – such as the Los Angeles Kings and the Detroit Red Wings, plus the Minnesota Wild against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Winners of tournaments and leagues
Hockey betting isn’t restricted to just the winners of individual games. In truth, the question of who is likely to win tournaments and leagues is also often a common focus in ice hockey betting scenarios. In the ice hockey world, it’s becoming increasingly common to bet on the winner of the Stanley Cup. Often, the potential winning teams will be organized into a descending order list of possible overall winners, organized by odds. These are often labelled as potential “outright” winners – so it’ll be easy to locate.
Player specific outcomes
Often, it is also possible to bet on the individual outcomes, like the Most Valuable Player in the entire National Hockey League. This competition happens once a year, and the designation is decided by some of the leading ice hockey journalists and analysts in the field. In the NHL, the MVP award is known as the “Hart Memorial Trophy” – and it’s been recognized as possibly the most prestigious award in the game. Depending on which betting provider you use, you should be able to find an opportunity to bet on this too if you feel confident enough – and knowledgeable enough about each player – to consider all the details and place a wager.
Best for you?
Finally, it’s important to remember that what works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for others. If your buddy is betting on something specific – like the player most likely to score the most across the whole season, for example – that doesn’t mean that you need to do the same. In fact, you need to go with what your gut instinct is telling you is the right approach. If you feel that you need to stick to the traditional plan of betting on outright game outcomes on major NHL games in the next few days or weeks, for example, then you can do that. Equally, if that seems boring to you and you’re confident enough to go for something deeper and more specific, then that too would work. It’s all about researching the market and determining which option is going to be the most suitable for you.
Ultimately, fans of ice hockey who want to add a bit more fun to proceedings by betting on games have plenty of choice when it comes to working out which factors are best for them to bet on. Whether you want to bet on outright victories, on player specific outcomes or on the results of leagues and tournaments, there’s a hockey betting option just for you.
Sources: https://www.paddypower.com/ice-hockey