Calgary Flames fans may be looking for a reason to make their season bearable and the games more interesting, and what better way to do that than to lay a few wagers throughout the year. Here are a few concepts to understand if you’re looking to bet on the NHL this season.

Money Lines

Most sportsbooks use a 20-cent line on hockey betting, and it isn’t as difficult as you may think. For example, you may find Toronto as a -150 favorite in a game against Montreal, but the 20-cent line means the Canadiens will be rated at +130. Of course, there are larger lines if the teams are far apart in talent, but the 20-cent rule should be abided by everyone from those that buy pay head services as well as casual players.

Puck Lines

The puck lines are similar to a spread in football in that you can select a team to win by a certain amount of goals. The line always stays the same (1.5 goals), so if you use the above example, it would read, Toronto +1.5 (-150), and that means if you bet on the Maple Leafs, you win if they win or lose by a single goal.

Totals

Totals are exactly how they sound: wager on the total of goals that will be scored in a given game. For the most part, totals will be between 5-6.5 goals, although you’ll occasionally see a 7-goal total, and these are the types of things you have to research before making your sports bet for an NHL game.