As most of you should know, a hockey game consists of three periods. If the game is tied there is also overtime and potentially a shootout. However, in this guide we’re going to take a look at hockey period betting markets. You’ll be surprised how many there are.
Online Sportsbooks want their clients to bet as often as possible and therefore are more than happy to offer as many betting markets as possible. With that being said, let’s examine hockey period wagers that are available to handicappers betting online.
NHL Period Betting Markets
The most common way to bet on NHL periods is through straight bets. You can bet on the money line, spread and over/under for a single period of an NHL game. Let’s say Toronto are playing Pittsburgh and you expect the Penguins to come out firing. You could bet on the Penguins to win the 1st period on the money line or spread (-0.5 goals).
If the Blues are playing the Capitals and you expect there to be a lot of scoring late in the game, you can wager on the 3rd period over/under or total 3rd period goals. The O/U will be set at 1.5 goals and you simply need to bet over or under. With the total goals market you can bet on an NHL game having 0, 1, 2 or 3+ goals in a single period.
5 Ways to Make More Money with Your Pay Per Head Service
Another hockey periods market is predicting the correct score of a single period. This is a tough market to predict, but the payouts are big. For example, tonight I could bet on the Hurricanes winning the 2nd period against the Capitals 2-0 at 12/1 odds. Sure, it’s unlikely the Hurricanes will win the 2nd period by exactly 2-0, but it’s a fun longshot bet type.
You can also bet on three-way period bets. With this bet type you can predict either team to win a given period or you can bet on the period being a draw. Only goals scored during that period count towards the bet. If you bet on a draw in the 2nd period it means both teams need to score the same number of goals in the 2nd period only.
Sportsbook Sites – Sportsbooks Accepting US Players for Sports Betting Online for USA Citizens
The over/under bets typically involve both teams, but some bookies also offers odds on team totals for NHL periods. Let’s say the Blackhawks are scoring goals in the 1st period at a consistent rate. You can bet on them to score over 0.5 goals in the 1st period. The O/U line on team totals for a period is always going to be 0.5 goals in every game.
For the 1st period only, bettors can also bet on the first 5, 10 or 15 minutes of a game. An example of this would be betting on the Capitals -0.5 in the first 5 minutes (5/1) tonight against Carolina. The payout is big at 5/1 odds, but to cash the Capitals need to cover the -0.5 goal spread within the first 5 minutes of the game.
As you can see, bookmakers offer a huge selection of NHL period bets. You can even bet on the opening minutes of a game and be in the profit before the 1st period concludes.
With advanced statistics being much more prevalent in the NHL today, it’s easier to find information pertaining to single periods online. Prior to betting on period markets you’ll want to analyze whether or not the numbers back up the bet.