in NHL Articles

Despite Jeremy Roenick telling fans to stay away, and despite the fact that the NHL has yet to reach a conclusion in its contract impasse with its players, the fact is that when hockey does return there will be some changes to the game designed solely to generate offense.

What that means for the betting public is that there is a definite chance that the majority of games in the NHL schedule will be going ‘over’, for those who like to play the over/under. At least in the early going before the sports books are able to get an accurate read on the average number of goals that will be scored, the bettor should have a large advantage as his guess will be as good as the books in terms of how the new rule changes will affect total goals scored.

For those new to the incredible world of sports wagering, the over/under pick is based on a single number produced by the oddsmakers. It is up to the bettor(player) to determine whether the total number of goals scored in the contest will be higher(over) or lower(under) then the assigned number. Often the number selected by the book will be a 1/2 number in order to avoid ties(pushes).

The new nets that the NHL experimented with last week in Toronto had the same width as last season, but were two inches higher, which basically means that every shot that hit the crossbar last year will be goals this season. If one calculates that between three and four shots hit the crossbar every game, this year’s changes could produce an additional three or four goals per game which would create havoc for oddsmakers looking for an accurate spread.

If you are a gambler looking for an edge then keep your fingers crossed that the NHL does return this season, because betting the ‘over’ early in the year may be a very easy way to make some extra money.