Fansided

Live bet the road team in OT in NHL Playoffs based on this crazy trend

By Iain MacMillan

Apr 30, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; The Florida Panthers celebrate their overtime win over the Boston Bruins in game seven of the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 30, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; The Florida Panthers celebrate their overtime win over the Boston Bruins in game seven of the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Many people believe the NHL Playoffs present the most exciting postseason in North American professional sport, and I tend to agree with them.

There’s nothing like overtime in the NHL Postseason and we saw 14 games needing extra time in the opening round.

Overtime presents a unique opportunity from a betting perspective as well, allowing us to live bet on a winner ahead of a sudden death period.

If you plan on doing exactly that for the remainder of the playoffs, allow me to bring to your attention a crazy trend from the first round of postseason action:

  • Road teams went 11-3 in overtime in the opening round

Road teams dominating NHL Playoffs

It’s not just overtime either, road teams as a whole have been winning at a record setting pace through the first round of the playoffs.

As you likely know, sports bettors have to pay a price to bet on the home team, with the odds skewed in their favor due to “home ice advantage”. That’s also the case when live odds are set for overtime periods, giving the home team the edge in what usually ends up being close to a coin flip.

So, if you think this trend will keep up, don’t bet on a team solely because they’re at home. In fact, it may prove profitable to do the opposite. Toss home ice advantage out the window and trust these teams to get the job done away from their home crowd.

We’ll see if road warriors continue to win as the second round of the NHL Playoffs begin tonight. Both the Florida Panthers and Seattle Kraken are set as road underdogs.

–

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.