How to bet on hockey

The 2022-23 NHL season is just around the corner, as the Chicago Blackhawks will have three games this week to begin a new campaign.

The Blackhawks will travel to Colorado on Wednesday to take on the defending champions in the season opener. They will then head further west to face the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday and the San Jose Sharks on Saturday.

Our readers will want to have action on the Blackhawks all year, so make sure to do that at Caesars Sportsbook. Sign up with our official odds partner before the upcoming hockey season to take advantage of their new-user offer.

If you are new to betting on hockey, here is a quick rundown on the main options for betting on this sport.

Puck line betting

While the spread in other sports will vary depending on which teams are involved, the puck line in hockey is typically 1.5 for every game. The favorite will subtract 1.5 goals to its final score, while the underdog will add 1.5 goals to its final score.

Example: Colorado will be the betting favorite against Chicago in the season opener. This means bettors can choose to bet on the Avalanche to win by two or more goals on the puck line. If you back the Blackhawks, you would need them to lose by one goal or win outright for your ticket to be graded as a winner. The juice for this will vary depending on the matchup.

Moneyline betting

A moneyline wager is less complicated, as a bettor is simply betting on which team will be victorious in a given matchup.

Example: Let’s say Colorado is -420 to defeat Chicago in Wednesday’s season opener. In this scenario, you would need to risk $420 to profit $100 by betting on the Avalanche. The Blackhawks have more enticing odds as the underdog of +320, meaning a $100 bet would net you $320 if they were able to pull off the upset.

Total betting

This is a wager based on the number of combined goals scored in a game. A bettor must choose “over” (whether more goals will be scored) or “under” (fewer total goals scored) than the assigned number for that contest.

Example: The season opener between Colorado and Chicago has a total of 6.5 goals at Caesars Sportsbook. This means an over bettor would need seven or more goals scored to win a bet, while an under bettor is rooting for six or fewer goals to be scored in the opener.