This article is part of our NHL Picks series.
NHL Betting: Hockey Betting 101 for the Stanley Cup Finals
The Stanley Cup Finals is one of the most thrilling and intense sporting events in the world of ice hockey. For sports bettors, it presents a fantastic opportunity to immerse themselves in the action and potentially profit from their knowledge and predictions. However, understanding the odds and terminology can be a challenge for newcomers to hockey betting. Before delving into the specifics of this Stanley Cup matchup between the Panthers and Golden Knights, it's crucial to understand the basic concepts of hockey betting. In this article, we will provide expert advice on key strategies for successful betting in the Stanley Cup Finals, helping you navigate the action to make informed wagers.
The puck line is the most common form of wagering in hockey, similar to the point spread in other sports. The favored team will have a negative puck line, usually -1.5, while the underdog will have a positive puck line, typically +1.5. This means that the favorite needs to win by two or more goals, while the underdog can lose by one goal or win the game outright for a successful bet.
Prop bets allow you to bet on specific occurrences during the game, such as individual player performance like shots on goal for skaters and saves made by goalies, total goals scored by each team, or even the outcome of specific periods. Prop bets can provide an opportunity for more precise predictions and can be a fun way to diversify your betting portfolio.
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Here are all the player prop bets DraftKings Sportsbook lists for the series as a whole, meaning that these props apply to players' cumulative performance over the duration of the series:
Most Goals
Author Pick: Carter Verhaeghe (FLA) +600
Most Points
Author Pick: Aleksander Barkov (FLA) +475
Head-to-Head (H2H) Goals
Author Pick: Most Goals in Series - Jack Eichel (VGK) vs Matthew Tkachuk (FLA)
Matthew Tkachuk -130
Head-to-Head (H2H) Points
Author Pick: Most Points in Series - Mark Stone (VGK) vs Aleksander Barkov (FLA)
Aleksander Barkov -140
Players Goals
Author Pick: Sam Reinhart (FLA) to score 2+ goals in series
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Here are some of the popular series props that DraftKings Sportsbook lists for the overall matchup, meaning these bets are determined by the outcome of the games themselves:
Series Winner
Author Pick: Panthers +105
Series Spread
Author Pick: Panthers +1.5 games -190
Series Correct Score
Author Pick: Panthers 4-3 +550
Series Total Games
Author Pick: 7 Games +200
Series Hat Trick (any player to record a hat trick)
Author Pick: No
Series Total Goals
Author Pick: Under 33.5 (-125)
Series Exact Outcome
Author Pick: G1 VGK / G2 FLA / G3 FLA / G4 VGK / G5 VGK / G6 FLA / G7 FLA +6500
Game X / Series Double
Author Pick: Golden Knights to Win Game 1 / Panthers to Win Series +400
Total Number of Overtime Games
Author Pick: Over 1.5 +145
Total Number of Shutouts
Author Pick: Under 0.5 -125
Happy hunting, y'all!