Had a question from a site visitor asking what the puckline is. The puckline is basically a combination of a pointspread and a moneyline.
Let's take a look at one of tonight's game between the underdog Red Wings and the favored Blue Jackets as a example.
On the puckline, the Wings are +1 1/2 -300.
1 1/2 is the pointspread, and the + means the Wings are getting 1 1/2-goal head start. What this means is that if you bet on Detroit on the puckline, they could lose by a goal and your bet would still win.
However, you're paying a lot for Detroit's 1 1/2-goal head start, -300 moneyline. This means you would have to bet $300 in order to win $100.
On the flipside, the Blue Jackets are -1 1/2 +250 on the puckline. This means, the Jackets are giving the Wings a 1 1/2-goal head start. So, if you were to bet on the Jackets on the puckline, they would have to win by two goals for your bet to cash.
Because they giving Detroit a head start, the payoff on the Jackets is more attractive, +250 moneyline. This means you would win $250 on a $100 bet if the Jackets were to win by more than one goal.
Personally, I wouldn't take the Red Wings in this contest because I'd be paying too much. On a $100 bet, I'd only win $33 if the Wings covered.
Columbus, on the other hand, seems to have a bit more value on the puckline. They're 9-5-2 overall, including 4-1-2 at home so far this season.
That said, I probably would pass on this game on the puckline. Hard to bet against the Wings.
Editor