NHL betting popularity is on the rise. The thrill of the game and high level of unpredictability make it exciting for NHL handicappers. What has really boosted the hockey betting experience is live betting, including betting hockey periods.
Bettors can place moneyline, puck line, and totals bets for an individual game. Over the last few years, bettors have been able to place the exact same bets on individual periods of games.
Betting hockey periods continues to grow and interested bettors should understand exactly what they are getting into.
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How NHL Periods Bets Work
Betting on the first period of an NHL hockey game is the most popular single period wager. Regardless of the period you wager on, the only thing that matters with your period bet is what happens during that individual period.
Let’s say the Pittsburgh Penguins are losing to the Philadelphia Flyers 3-1 at the end of the first period.
You take the Penguins on the moneyline to win the second period. Pittsburgh scores once and shuts out the Flyers.
Since Pittsburgh won the second period 1-0, you win your bet even though the overall score at the end of the second period is Philadelphia 3 – Pittsburgh 2.
Only the goals scored in the second period counted for your bet.
Placing an NHL Periods Bet
First period bets are the most popular in NHL betting. With scoring so low in NHL games, it makes more sense to bet the moneyline where you are essentially picking the winner of a period.
For example, we’ll stick with the Penguins and Flyers and see that the first period offers the following moneyline bet.
Pittsburgh +140
Philadelphia -160
A $100 bet on the Penguins would pay out $140 if Pittsburgh wins the period. Likewise, a $160 bet would pay out $100 if the Flyers were the winners of the period.
To be successful in betting NHL periods, it pays to do your homework. There are teams that typically win 60 percent or more of first periods. Some teams perform extremely well at home in the first period winning 70 percent or more of first periods in front of their home crowd.
Using this information can go a long way in having success placing NHL periods bets.
Third Period Betting
While you can place bets on the first, second, or third period of NHL games; third period betting is typically a bit more popular than second period betting. Third period bets are often used as a hedge against a previous bet.
A bettor may have placed a moneyline wager on Penguins to win the game, but after two periods Pittsburgh trails 3-0. The bettor may hedge his bet with a wager on a third period moneyline or a third period over/under total.
Waiting to place a third period bet also allows bettors to get a better feel for the game having watched the first two periods. Going back to the Penguins-Flyers example when Pittsburgh won the second period: maybe you feel like the momentum is shifting to Pittsburgh. You can place a third period moneyline bet picking the Penguins to win.
Betting on NHL periods is an exciting way to stay involved in a game. If done right, it’s also a way to pad your sports betting bankroll.