We’re going to dive into how to bet on NHL goalie props in this guide. We’ll also include some strategies and tips to utilize to turn a profit when betting on NHL goalie props on a nightly basis.
The majority of discussion on NHL player props focuses on offensive props, such as goals, assists and shots on goal. However, NHL goalie props generally have less variance.
There are three NHL goalie props, those are saves, goals against and shutouts.
How to Bet on NHL Saves Props
Once a goalie is confirmed to be starting, bookies will release NHL saves props. With this prop bet, you need to predict whether a goalie will go over or under the posted save total.
Example: John Gibson Over 32.5 Saves (-110) vs. John Gibson Under 32.5 Saves (-130)
You can bet on Gibson having over or under 32.5 saves in his upcoming game.
When betting on this prop, you want to look at Gibson’s game log to see how many shots he has been facing on average and how many saves he has been averaging in recent games.
You also want to look at the opposing teams shots on goal stats to help form your prediction.
How to Bet on NHL Goals Against Props
You can also bet on how many goals a goalie will allow in a game. Bookies will release an over/under line on how many goals a goalie will allow. It’s similar to NHL team total bets, but the odds will differ.
The reason is because empty net goals don’t count against the goalie with this prop bet.
Example: Jacob Markstrom Over 2.5 Goals (-115) vs. Under 2.5 Goals (-115)
With NHL goals against props, you should look at how the goalie has performed as of late, how the opposing offense is performing and recent head-to-head trends. Injuries can also play a big role.
If an opposing team is missing a superstar on offense, the under can often offer value.
How to Bet on NHL Shutout Props
This is a very interesting NHL goalie prop. You can bet on a goalie getting a shutout and the payout odds are huge. You can also bet on a goalie not getting a shutout, but the payout odds are minuscule.
I wouldn’t recommend betting on the “No” side of this prop due to the payouts.
However, risking a ¼ or ½ unit on a goalie getting a shutout can offer big profits. It’s a tougher goalie prop to predict consistently, but you don’t need to hit at a high percentage to be profitable.
Example: Elvis Merzlikins Shutout – Yes (+1400) or No (-8000)
Typically, the payout odds on the “Yes” side of this prop will range from +800 to +2000.
In the example above, if Merzlikins gets a shutout, the bet will payout at 14/1 odds.
For this prop, I recommend studying how the goalie has performed recently, how the goalie has played against the opposing team in recent H2H games and how the opposing offense has been performing.
Even after handicapping this prop, it’s still a crapshoot, but the potential profits are enticing.
