Field hockey is India’s national sport. But did you know that India—known more for cricket and endless summers—has an ice hockey team as well? They were in the news too, a few years ago, when they crowdsourced funds to participate in an international tournament. NHL in North America is the most popular ice hockey league in the world. 25-year-old Jhujhar Khaira is currently the only player of Indian (Punjabi) descent in the NHL, and he plays for Edmonton Oilers.
NHL presents sports bettors with an exciting, opportunity to look forward to, especially when the weather dips. Even better, the best hockey-friendly sites go beyond focusing on just the NHL. Beyond the NHL, sports betting sites offer hockey fans wagering opportunities far beyond the NHL, with the German DHL, Russian KHL and Swedish SHL often included—Our guide focuses mainly on hockey betting for the NHL. Read on for everything you need to know about hockey betting.
Our NHL betting guide covers:
Obviously, if you’re into sportsbetting, you’re likely into statistics. When it comes to hockey betting, however, if you live by the sword, you can die by the sword. Let’s explain.
Be sure the statistics you collect come from a reputable source, and, are timely and relevant at that. For example, are you looking at stats from ESPN, TSN or even stats from the official NHL site. Many hockey betting sites will have some sort of stats available, but be sure you’re not wasting time studying numbers that might not help you make an informed bet.
When it comes to stats, as a bettor you should also make note of which stats are most useful to you. Some statistics, like the fact that a team hasn’t won the Stanley Cup for the past 10 years might not be useful if that team has had a relatively successful season, or is made of strong players who were recently traded and weren’t with the team while they were losing.
For many sports, the home team automatically has an advantage when playing in their home arena, field or state in general.
In hockey betting, however, this doesn’t provide the same advantage it gives in other sports. In hockey, the fans and the team are separated by tall plexiglass. This allows the NHL teams to focus on the game a bit more, plus, teams playing an away game aren’t as distracted by jeers and boos’ opposing teams’ fans can create. Therefore, you might find a home arena doesn’t offer the same advantage it does in other sports.
When it comes to betting on hockey, you should note which teams or players have had 3-4 days off since their previous game, or didn’t make the playoffs the previous year. In addition to noting which teams are well-rested, it’s also helpful to note if they’re the visiting team—This can be an additional advantage.