NHL Betting Guide: How to approach the North Division

Whether you consider yourself an avid playoff bet vet, or you’re brand new to the lifestyle, you’re in good company here because absolutely nothing beats betting on the playoffs.

The stakes are already sky high as it is so adding a little excitement to the mayhem is just icing on the cake. With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at some of the best opening night bets for the northern four.

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THE LEAFS LEAD THE WAY

When you log on to any betting website, you’re instantly going to see the most popular betting style on Earth – the moneyline. It’s simple. It’s easy. You pick the winner. That’s it. Outside of that golden rule, the only other thing you need to know is when it shows a positive amount (+), that’s the amount you’d win if you bet $100. If the line shows a negative amount (-), that’s what you’d have to bet to win $100.

Now that we’re through the 101, let’s take a closer look at why Toronto is dominating the money.

When the Leafs and Habs series was originally locked in, the line for Game 1 opened favouring Toronto at -225. That has since changed to -210 and there’s a log jam of reasons for this.

More and more people are likely betting Montreal at +175 because the payout is far more enticing, so they needed to alter Toronto’s odds to allure the masses. On top of that, no team is ever a lock in playoff openers — let alone throughout the series — so there’s a barrage of people already betting the underdog across the board. Hence, the Leafs odds got better to bring a few more bettors to the table.

THE TEMPTATION OF OVERTIME BETTING

Not sure if you noticed, but most playoff tilts are generally airtight to the finish. In Round 1 of the 2020 playoffs there were eight overtime games alone with another 16 games that were decided by one goal in regulation.

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens needed extra time twice this season with an additional three games being decided by a single goal. This could bode well for a fourth frame (or more) and the odds are currently sitting at +320 for just that.

As for the Oilers and Jets, once again you don’t have to look too far to find a good potential OT payout. These two teams never needed the extra frame this season, but they did finish a goal apart on four occasions. With that in mind, the payout for OT here is +295.

BEST NORTH DIVISION OPENING GAME PROPS

Some of the most fun prop bets out there are player props, but a lot of bet sites won’t release those until the day of the game or even in some cases a few hours before the game. This relieves them of having to worry about injuries, benchings and money returns. So, with that in mind, let’s find the best game props on tap.

Edmonton-Winnipeg: Will there be a goal in the first 9:30 of the first period?

For this Oilers-Jets tilt, we’re looking at a payout of -160 for YES and +120 for NO. The Oilers have scored or had a goal scored against them in the first 9:30 in seven of their past 10 games. Meanwhile, the Jets have have had a goal scored (or scored against them) within the first 9:30 in five of their past 10 games, but four of those happened within their last five games.

Toronto-Montreal: Team to score first wins the game?

Generally, this type of bet is pretty slanted as most people pick YES — the first team to score will win the game. For the Toronto-Montreal series opener though, this bet is a very intriguing option.

As we know, the Leafs won the 10-game season series handily 7-3 over Montreal. However, it’s important to note that in each of those games the losing team actually scored first 60 per cent of the time. Now, whether that tickles your fancy or not, a NO bet here could score you a nice +190 payout.

This is a very low risk prop so it could be a nice starter wager for all the betting rookies out there.

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