Heading into the rink of NHL betting via trustworthy betting sites like Ladbrokes can be a cool game changer. Unlike the gigantic world of NFL or NBA betting, hockey betting is kinda the underdog, not getting as much attention or action. But hey, that’s good news for you! Why? It’s because the betting market for hockey is a bit more malleable due to fewer data points, both in terms of cash flow and the number of bets placed for a specific game on any given night.

This means you can often spot varying odds across different betting platforms. So, like most sports betting, but particularly with hockey, you gotta always be on the lookout for the best deal out there. And to make things even easier, we’ve thrown together a quick guide on how to bet on hockey, as well as a few nifty strategies to give you the upper hand. Keep reading if you plan to bet on NHL games with Ladbrokes for an exciting ice hockey betting experience

How To Bet On Hockey

Like hitting a home run in baseball, popular markets in the hockey betting world include the money line, puck line, and total goals wagers. Picture this: The New York Rangers are hosting the New Jersey Devils. The Rangers are sitting pretty as the -250 favorites. This means if you’re rooting for them, you’re gonna have to risk $250 for every $100 you want to win. On the flip side, if you’re backing the Devils, priced at +150, your $100 bet could win you $150.

Think of a puck line as a spread market for a hockey match, similar to a run line in baseball. You can either back the favorite by giving up 1.5 goals, meaning they need to win by at least two goals, or you can root for the underdog, taking 1.5 goals and hoping they either lose by just one goal or win outright. Lastly, the total goals market is all about guessing whether the total number of goals scored will be over or under a set number.

Three-Way Line Compared To A Two-Way Line

Here’s the deal: in the icy world of hockey betting, you’ve got something called two-way odds and three-way odds. Now, your two-way line is all about the game’s result, even if it skates into overtime, you’re still good. Like, say you’re backing the Rangers money line at -250, and they end up winning in OT, kick back and chill ’cause that’s a winning wager for you.

Now, let’s talk three-way line or what the NHL peeps call ’60 Minutes Betting’. With this, you’re placing your bets on three outcomes – the Rangers, the Devils, or a tie when the regulation horn goes off. Here’s the catch: if you’re backing the Rangers money line, and it’s a tie after regulation, but the Rangers win in overtime, you’re out of luck pal. ‘Cause of the 60 Minutes market, you lose the wager. Bummer, right? But hey, that’s the game!

Hockey Betting Strategies

Alright, now that we’ve covered the basics of betting on hockey, let’s talk about some nifty strategies you can use to keep your game strong all season long:

Current Form Trumps All

In the epic 82-game regular season, every team has its share of ups and downs. The trick is to spot when a team’s riding the wave or sinking fast – this can transform a 10-game stretch into a cash-cow opportunity. When you’re checking out NHL team records, keep an eye out for their ‘Last 10’ and ‘Streak’ stats. These provide a sneak peek into the team’s current form. Even if a team is generally thought of as low-ranking, don’t underestimate the power of a team that’s on a roll, like going 7-3 in their last 10 games and currently smashing a three-game win streak.

Analytics: Corsi, Fenwick and Expected Goals

Alright, let’s dive into some cool analytic tools that can help predict goals, shot quality, and game results. They may not be as famous as their baseball counterparts, but they’re pretty nifty. Corsi, for starters, is all about shot attempts when five players from each team are battling it out on the ice. If your team manages to fire a shot towards the goal, that’s a point for Corsi For. But if the other team sends a puck flying toward your goal, it’s marked as Corsi Against.

Now, let’s talk CF%, or Corsi For Percentage. It’s just a fancy way of showing the difference between Corsi events for and against as a percentage. If a team’s CF% is above 50%, it means they’ve been bossing the game.

But remember, with Corsi, every shot counts equally. Even if it’s a wild last-minute shot from one end of the ice to the other, it still adds to the Corsi For tally.

Next up, we have Fenwick. It’s pretty much like Corsi, but it doesn’t count blocked shots. So, the two percentages, CF% and FF%, usually end up being pretty close.

And there’s more! To address the issue of all shots being treated equally, we have Expected Goals For & Against (xGF and xGA). These metrics try to assign a value to each shot based on its quality. So, a full-ice, end-of-period shot isn’t considered as high-quality as a sweet two-on-one fast break. xGF and xGA aim to give a more nuanced view of each shooting attempt.