Hockey Betting Using The Goaltending System Articles | Gambling

By: Richard Bleuze

Hockey Betting Using The Goaltending System
 
In hockey, the one single factor that matters more than any other is who is goaltending.  A great hockey goalie can make a mediocre team a contender, while a not so good goalie performance can cost a team the game before the end of the first period.  In hockey, goaltending is so important that no sports bettor should even think about betting on a hockey game without learning everything they can about the goalies involved.
 
It is the biggest mistake any new hockey gambler can make.  It is so important to keep an eye on who each team intends on starting in a given game.  It can really make the difference between being a winner or a loser.  It is not as obvious as in baseball, since the starting goaltender will play the majority of the team’s games, and they are not always listed in game previews like pitchers are listed.  However, just as a pitcher can make a baseball team, so does a goalie can make as big a difference to a hockey team.  Thus, knowing who will be minding the net is critical when placing a hockey bet.

Although hockey is not as popular as other sports in placing bets, hockey can be very profitable!
 
The most critical number to look at when judging how a goalie will impact a game is their Goals Against Average (GAA).  GAA is a statistic used in ice hockey - that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender.  GAA  is calculated per game by dividing the number of goals against by the number of minutes played in the game then multiplied by 60.  GAA is analogous to a baseball pitcher's earned run average (ERA). 

GAA is not the only tool you would use if you were trying to scout a goalie, of course.  But in gambling, we are not really concerned with how great the goaltender is on his own; we want to know how he and his defense work together to prevent goals, and GAA tells us that.  Save percentage can also come in handy if you want a little more insight onto how a recently traded or signed goalie might perform.
 
However, we do not want to simply consider a goalie’s overall numbers when thinking about how he will likely perform in game.  Check out how a goaltender has done over the last few games; if their numbers have been outstanding, it may mean that they are in good form and can be expected to continue putting up good results.  On the other hand, if you see their save percentages going down during recent games, and especially if that number goes below 90%, you can feel confident that a goalie is headed for a cold streak.  It may be best to bet against that goalie when he is playing, or at least refrain from betting on his team until he starts to come out of his cold streak.

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