Bet on hockey totals and you can get paid just as you would with side wagers. Totals are one area of NHL betting that doesn’t get a lot of attention but can provide excellent value. Let’s look at some tips for playing totals as you bet on hockey. Bet on hockey totals should start with basic NHL handicapping that looks at past history between the two NHL teams. You can look back just a few years and get some recent trends for how the games are likely to be played.
You don’t want to go back too far because the rules have changed in the NHL and past trends can be dangerous to consider if you go back too far as you bet on hockey. As you look at team matchups you can look at home and away meetings as well as you bet on hockey. You will find that some teams just play a certain way against each other in their own building. You can find teams that just continually play high scoring games against each other or they might play tight, defensive games in NHL betting. Looking at previous matchups is a good place to start as you bet on hockey totals.
A factor to consider when you bet on hockey with totals is whether or not the game is within the division or out of division. Teams tend to open up more when they are playing outside of their own division. If a low scoring team like New Jersey is playing outside of the division against Ottawa, the game could have more goals than if the Devils are playing the Rangers.
NHL betting also has another factor that can influence the total and that is the goalie. If the starting goalie happens to be out then you probably want to lay off the game. You just never know how a backup goalie will play as you bet on hockey. If you see that a game is missing a normal goalie you probably should just leave the game alone as you bet on hockey.
Researching past meetings should give you a good idea as to the NHL total but you can look at other things as well as you bet on hockey. You might have a team that is on an over/under streak. When you see teams that are really struggling offensively then you can bet their games under the NHL betting total until they get back on track. It is just another handicapping tool you can use when you bet on hockey.