1. What -1.5 asks
The favorite at -1.5 must win by two goals or more. Last season 56.8% of all NHL games ended two or more apart.
Toronto is -1.5 and wins 3-2. Does the bet win?
Bet type
Puck Line Betting Explained: NHL -1.5 and +1.5 With Real Cover Data
The puck line is hockey's spread: a goal and a half, nearly every night. It looks like a simple handicap, but the empty net, overtime and the shootout bend it in ways the final scores hide. Here is how it works, and how often it really pays, counted from every game of the 2025-26 season.
Your path
How do you want to learn the puck line?
2. What +1.5 gives you
The underdog at +1.5 gets a goal and a half. It covers with any win, or with a loss by exactly one goal, including overtime.
Boston is +1.5 and loses 2-1 in overtime. Does the bet win?
3. The shootout rule
A shootout winner is credited with one goal, so every shootout ends in a one-goal margin. In 2025-26, 9.1% of games went to a shootout.
The favorite at -1.5 wins in a shootout. What happens?
4. The empty net
A team down by one late usually pulls its goalie for an extra skater. In 2025-26, 28% of the two-goal-or-more margins only existed because of an empty-net goal.
Leading 3-2, the favorite scores into the empty net with 20 seconds left. -1.5 on the favorite:
5. Read the price
Every price is a probability. Positive odds: 100 / (odds + 100). A -1.5 favorite at +140 implies 100 / 240.
What win-by-two chance does +140 imply?
Puck line: done.
Puck line cover data by team.
How often each team won by two or more (covers -1.5) and how often it avoided losing by two (covers +1.5), 2025-26 regular season. Click a column to sort.
56.8%of games decided by 2+ goals
43.2%decided by exactly one
0.387empty-net goals per game
9.1%went to a shootout
| Team | Won by 2+ (covers -1.5) | Covers +1.5 | Wins by 2+ | Losses by 1 | Empty-net goals / game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Colorado Avalanche | 50.0% | 85.4% | 74.6%55 wins | 55.6%27 losses | 0.439 |
 Tampa Bay Lightning | 42.7% | 80.5% | 70.0%50 wins | 50.0%32 losses | 0.463 |
 Buffalo Sabres | 42.7% | 75.6% | 70.0%50 wins | 37.5%32 losses | 0.561 |
 Washington Capitals | 36.6% | 73.2% | 69.8%43 wins | 43.6%39 losses | 0.512 |
 Carolina Hurricanes | 35.4% | 78.0% | 54.7%53 wins | 37.9%29 losses | 0.366 |
 Pittsburgh Penguins | 35.4% | 78.0% | 70.7%41 wins | 56.1%41 losses | 0.378 |
 Edmonton Oilers | 34.2% | 76.8% | 68.3%41 wins | 53.7%41 losses | 0.341 |
 Ottawa Senators | 34.2% | 79.3% | 63.6%44 wins | 55.3%38 losses | 0.341 |
 Utah Mammoth | 32.9% | 73.2% | 62.8%43 wins | 43.6%39 losses | 0.378 |
 Minnesota Wild | 31.7% | 76.8% | 56.5%46 wins | 47.2%36 losses | 0.402 |
 Philadelphia Flyers | 31.7% | 73.2% | 60.5%43 wins | 43.6%39 losses | 0.415 |
 Boston Bruins | 30.5% | 76.8% | 55.6%45 wins | 48.6%37 losses | 0.317 |
 Montréal Canadiens | 30.5% | 78.0% | 52.1%48 wins | 47.1%34 losses | 0.329 |
 Vegas Golden Knights | 28.1% | 80.5% | 59.0%39 wins | 62.8%43 losses | 0.244 |
 New York Rangers | 28.1% | 67.1% | 67.7%34 wins | 43.8%48 losses | 0.451 |
 Detroit Red Wings | 28.1% | 68.3% | 56.1%41 wins | 36.6%41 losses | 0.463 |
 Dallas Stars | 26.8% | 82.9% | 44.0%50 wins | 56.3%32 losses | 0.293 |
 New Jersey Devils | 26.8% | 64.6% | 52.4%42 wins | 27.5%40 losses | 0.402 |
 Columbus Blue Jackets | 26.8% | 79.3% | 55.0%40 wins | 59.5%42 losses | 0.366 |
 Seattle Kraken | 25.6% | 61.0% | 61.8%34 wins | 33.3%48 losses | 0.488 |
 Calgary Flames | 24.4% | 59.8% | 58.8%34 wins | 31.3%48 losses | 0.402 |
 Anaheim Ducks | 23.2% | 67.1% | 44.2%43 wins | 30.8%39 losses | 0.415 |
 Winnipeg Jets | 23.2% | 72.0% | 54.3%35 wins | 51.1%47 losses | 0.329 |
 Florida Panthers | 23.2% | 61.0% | 47.5%40 wins | 23.8%42 losses | 0.451 |
 St. Louis Blues | 23.2% | 70.7% | 51.3%37 wins | 46.7%45 losses | 0.305 |
 Toronto Maple Leafs | 21.9% | 61.0% | 56.3%32 wins | 36.0%50 losses | 0.512 |
 Nashville Predators | 21.9% | 68.3% | 47.4%38 wins | 40.9%44 losses | 0.427 |
 San Jose Sharks | 20.7% | 63.4% | 43.6%39 wins | 30.2%43 losses | 0.366 |
 New York Islanders | 19.5% | 72.0% | 37.2%43 wins | 41.0%39 losses | 0.256 |
 Chicago Blackhawks | 19.5% | 62.2% | 55.2%29 wins | 41.5%53 losses | 0.293 |
 Los Angeles Kings | 17.1% | 74.4% | 40.0%35 wins | 55.3%47 losses | 0.293 |
 Vancouver Canucks | 12.2% | 51.2% | 40.0%25 wins | 29.8%57 losses | 0.39 |
“Won by 2+” is the share of all games the team won by two or more. “Wins by 2+” is the share of its wins that came by two or more. Overtime and shootout results count as one-goal games.Methodology →
Replay a real game
Watch a puck line bet get settled.
Pick a game from the last few nights and move through it goal by goal. Every common market shows whether it is winning at that moment, and how it finally settled.
Loading recent games…
Rules used: standard US settlement. Moneyline, puck line and totals include overtime and the shootout; a shootout winner is credited with one goal. The 60-minute line settles after regulation. Check your sportsbook's house rules. Source: official NHL play-by-play.
The NHL puck line explained
Puck line betting is the hockey version of a point spread, explained simply: hockey scores are low, so a points spread like football's would make no sense. Instead, sportsbooks set almost every NHL game at 1.5 goals. The favorite plays at -1.5 and has to win by two. The underdog plays at +1.5 and covers with any win or a loss by a single goal. Because 1.5 is a half number, there is no push.
The NHL puck line almost never moves off 1.5, so what changes from game to game is the price. On a typical night a solid favorite might be -180 on the moneyline and around +140 on the puck line, while the underdog sits near +155 to win outright and around -170 at +1.5. The spread stays put and the odds absorb the difference between the teams.
56.8%of 2025-26 games ended 2+ apart
50.0%best -1.5 cover rate (COL)
12.2%lowest -1.5 cover rate (VAN)
How to read the puck line cover data
Before you place a puck line bet, check how often the team has actually covered it.
The table above counts every regular-season game from 2025-26. The first column is the number that matters for a favorite: how often the team won by two or more, as a share of all its games. Colorado Avalanche led the league at 50.0%. At the other end, Vancouver Canucks managed it in only 12.2% of games.
The second column is the underdog's view. A team covers +1.5 when it wins, or loses by one. Colorado Avalanche did that in 85.4% of games. A team that loses a lot of close games is a different bet at +1.5 than a team that gets blown out, even if their records look alike.
Compare those rates with the price. A puck line at +140 implies about 41.7%. If a team only wins by two in a third of its games, that price is not a bargain, whatever the moneyline says. Sample size matters too: one season is 82 games, and a few lucky empty-net goals can move a team several places in this table.
Empty nets: the hidden half of NHL puck line betting
When a team trails by one late in the third period, it usually pulls its goalie for an extra attacker. That raises its chance of tying the game, and it also hands the leading team an open net. Last season, NHL games averaged 0.387 empty-net goals.
Here is the part bettors often miss: 28% of all two-goal-or-more margins in 2025-26 only existed because of an empty-net goal. Take that goal away and the game ends 3-2, the favorite fails to cover, and the +1.5 cashes. So an NHL puck line favorite is partly a bet on how aggressively the other coach pulls the goalie, and how often your team finishes the chance.
Why coaches pull earlier now
NHL coaches have moved the goalie pull earlier over the last decade, sometimes with three or four minutes left. More time with an empty net means more late goals both ways, which nudges one-goal games toward two-goal finishes or ties.
Puck line or moneyline: a quick betting check
Enter a favorite's moneyline and its -1.5 price. The calculator turns both into implied probabilities and shows how often the team must win by two for the puck line price to make sense, next to how often it actually did last season.
The output is a reading aid, not a recommendation. Every puck line bet still needs the goalie and injury news on top. Last season's rate is history, and the price already knows about injuries and goalies that a season average cannot.
When the puck line fits, and when it does not
The -1.5 tends to fit strong teams that score in bunches and rarely play coin-flip games, especially against opponents that give up a lot of shots. It fits less well with a heavy defensive favorite that wins 2-1 night after night, or with any game where the starting goalie on the favorite's side is a backup.
The +1.5 is the mirror image. It suits a well-coached underdog that keeps games tight, has a reliable goalie, and can take games to overtime. It is a poor fit for a team that chases games and gets blown out on the road. Check the goalie board and the power rankings before you settle on either side.
Whatever you choose in puck line betting, remember the overtime and shootout rule: a shootout always ends in a one-goal margin. Teams that play a lot of tight games will see their -1.5 cover rate suffer and their +1.5 rate improve. Our overtime and shootout rules guide explains how every market settles, and the odds converter removes the vig from both sides of a line.
Alternate puck lines and reverse lines
Alternate lines, explained briefly: most US sportsbooks let you move the line. A -2.5 favorite pays much more because three-goal wins are rarer, while a +2.5 underdog pays very little. Some books also sell the favorite at +1.5 or the underdog at -1.5, often called reverse puck lines. These are useful when you think a game will be lopsided, but the price on each extra half goal is steep, so compare implied probability before you move off the standard 1.5.
Puck line payouts and common mistakes
Here is what a $100 bet returns at a few typical puck line prices. These are example numbers to show the math, not current odds. The implied probability is the share of bets at that price you would need to win just to break even.
| Side and price | Profit on $100 | Total return | Break-even win rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| -1.5 at +150 | $150 | $250 | 40.0% |
| -1.5 at +180 | $180 | $280 | 35.7% |
| +1.5 at -200 | $50 | $150 | 66.7% |
| +1.5 at -250 | $40 | $140 | 71.4% |
Put those break-even rates next to the cover data above. A favorite at -1.5 and +150 needs to win by two in at least 40% of its games, and only 56.8% of all 2025-26 games ended two or more goals apart, empty-netters included.
Period puck lines
Some books also offer a puck line for a single period, usually at 0.5 goals: the favorite at -0.5 has to win the period, the underdog at +0.5 covers with a win or a tie in that period. Overtime never counts. Tied periods are common in hockey, so these lines price very differently from the full game; the period betting guide shows how often each period ends level.
Mistakes that cost puck line bettors
- Forgetting overtime. A game that goes to overtime or a shootout ends one goal apart, so the -1.5 loses even though the favorite won.
- Laying -1.5 with a small favorite. A team at -130 on the moneyline is close to a coin flip; asking it to win by two rarely pays enough to make up for that.
- Ignoring the empty net. A large share of two-goal margins come from a goal into an empty net in the last minutes, and that depends on how the trailing coach pulls the goalie.
- Skipping the goalie check. A backup in net for the favorite changes both the moneyline and the chance of a two-goal win.
Questions & answers
Questions,
answered.
Short answers to the questions readers ask most.
What does -1.5 mean on the puck line?
The team at -1.5 must win by two goals or more for the bet to win. A 3-1 win cashes; a 3-2 win, an overtime win or a shootout win does not. Last season 56.8% of all games finished with a margin of two or more.
What does +1.5 mean on the puck line?
The team at +1.5 is given a goal and a half. The bet wins if that team wins outright, or loses by exactly one goal, including an overtime or shootout loss. It only loses when the team is beaten by two or more.
Does the puck line include overtime and the shootout?
At most US sportsbooks, yes. Overtime counts, and a shootout winner is credited with one extra goal, so a shootout always ends in a one-goal margin. That means the -1.5 favorite can never cover in a shootout and the +1.5 underdog always does. Check the house rules, because a few books also offer 60-minute puck lines.
Why is the puck line favorite often plus money?
Because winning by two is much harder than winning. A team priced around -180 on the moneyline is often near +140 on the -1.5 line. The price drops to reflect how many of that team's wins come by a single goal or after regulation.
How much do empty-net goals matter for the puck line?
A lot. A team trailing by one late in the third usually pulls its goalie for an extra skater, and the leader often scores into the empty net. In 2025-26, 28% of two-goal-or-more margins would have been one-goal games without the empty-net goal. That is why the line is closer than the final scores make it look.
Is there an alternate puck line?
Yes. Most books offer -2.5, +2.5 and sometimes -1 or reverse lines like a favorite at +1.5. Alternate lines change the price a lot. Turn each one into implied probability with the odds converter before you compare them.
