Puck Line

The puck line is ice hockey's version of a point spread, and it is almost always fixed at 1.5 goals: the favourite must win by two or more, while the underdog covers by losing by one or winning outright. Because the handicap is standardised, it is the price rather than the line that moves between matches. Worked example: you back the favourite at -1.5 on the puck line. A 4-2 win covers, but a 3-2 win does not, even though the team won the game. Empty-net goals count towards settlement, which is why favourites cover more often than the run of play suggests. Overtime and shootout goals are normally included, with a shootout win counted as a single goal. It is the direct equivalent of baseball's run line.