NHL overs have become some of the most fun bets in sports.
Taking the over in any sport is a popular bet for the public, but goal scoring has been on a meteoric rise in the NHL over the past three years, which has added to the fun.
Looking at the season as a whole, the over hasn't been profitable. The over has hit at a 49.1% rate this season, but over the past seven days, we have seen a flurry of goals. The over is hitting at a 59.2% rate over the past week. That includes a 17-goal game between the Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks on Monday.
Last season, NHL goal scoring had it's biggest season since 1994 as teams were scoring 3.18 goals per game. This season is just slightly behind at 3.12 goals per team per game.
The goal scoring rise started in 2021-22, when goals rose to 3.14 per game. The previous season, teams were scoring 2.94 goals per game.
From a betting perspective, we have seen totals at 6.5 most commonly over the past two years. Before the rise, goal totals were typically around 5.5.
If you are looking at taking the over in an NHL game, it's important to find the teams that not only score goals, but also give up a lot of goals.
Take the game between the Maple Leafs and Coyotes on Wednesday night, for example. The Leafs are the No. 4 goal-scoring team in the league. They also give up a significant amount of goals as they rank 15th in goals allowed per game. The over is 28-24-2 in Leafs games this season.
Arizona isn't the highest goal-scoring team. In fact, the Coyotes are pretty abysmal at 26th in the league in goals for per game. But the overs with the Coyotes have been profitable. The over is 29-22-2 in Coyotes games.
Here is to hoping the goal scoring flurry continues in the NHL.
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