What is the Puck Line? Puck Line Meaning:

The puck line is hockey’s version of the point spread. When betting on the puck line, the favorite is -1.5 goals on the spread, with the underdog at +1.5 goals. Betting on the favorite requires your team to win its game by two or more goals. Conversely, betting on the underdog at +1.5 means that your team can either win the game or lose by one goal, and your ticket will still cash.

Why Should I Bet on the Puckline?

Since the majority of hockey betting is built around the moneyline, casual bettors might be turned off by laying larger prices with the top teams in the league. Instead of laying -200 or -250 on a strong favorite, a more attractive option might be laying -1.5 goals at a more reasonable price point. Conversely, it can be hard to pull the trigger on a +200 underdog that’s expected to lose their game over 60% of the time. Well, it gets a little easier to put your money on them if you’re getting a +1.5 goal head start which is why NHL Puck Line betting is popular.

Puckline Betting Explained

Period Pucklines – Thanks to the expansion of sports betting offerings, bettors can now bet individual periods in a hockey game. Instead of the traditional -1.5 / +1.5 pucklines for the full game, a period puckline is displayed with -0.5 / +0.5. Betting on the favorite with the period puckline requires them to out-score their opponent in that period. Betting on the underdog with the +0.5 head start allows the bet to cash if the two teams are tied after that individual period.

Reverse Pucklines – The reverse puckline gives the favorite a +1.5 head start and turns the underdog into the -1.5 role. Bettors might be intrigued by this option if they are looking at an underdog they think might win by 2+ goals at a very juicy price.

Alternate Pucklines – The alternate puckline bumps the point spread from 1.5 to 2.5 goals. So the favorite has to win the game by three or more goals, and the underdog can now lose the game by two goals and still cash a bet on the alternate puckline.

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