WHAT DOES +1.5 MEAN IN HOCKEY BETTING?

The +1.5 puck line is the underdog side of hockey's spread bet. It means your team starts with a 1.5-goal cushion — they can lose by one and you still win.

By the PuckLineBetting.com editorial team · Updated March 2026

THE +1.5 PUCK LINE: UNDERDOG SPREAD BETTING

In NHL betting, +1.5 is the puck line for the underdog. It means the team receives a 1.5-goal head start for betting purposes. Your bet wins if the team wins the game outright or loses by exactly one goal.

Because the puck line is always fixed at 1.5 goals in hockey, the +1.5 side covers a large portion of possible outcomes. Historically, underdogs at +1.5 cover roughly 75–80% of the time. That's why sportsbooks charge heavy juice (negative odds) — the high cover rate is already priced in.

For a full breakdown of both sides of the puck line, see our complete puck line betting guide.

WHEN +1.5 WINS

✓ Your team wins the game (any score)
✓ Your team loses by exactly 1 goal in regulation
✓ The game goes to overtime or a shootout (always a 1-goal margin)

WHEN +1.5 LOSES

✗ Your team loses by 2 or more goals
✗ Empty-net goals that push the margin to 2+

EXAMPLE SCORE OUTCOMES

Here's how a +1.5 puck line bet plays out across different final scores. Remember: your team has the +1.5 advantage.

Final Score	Goal Margin	+1.5 Result
Your team wins 3-2	+1	WIN
Your team wins 4-1	+3	WIN
Your team loses 2-3	-1	WIN
Your team loses 3-4 (OT)	-1	WIN
Your team loses 2-4	-2	LOSS
Your team loses 1-5	-4	LOSS

KEY PATTERN

The only way to lose a +1.5 bet is if your team loses by 2 or more goals. Every other outcome — wins, one-goal losses, overtime games — results in a cover.

OVERTIME & THE +1.5 PUCK LINE

Overtime is the +1.5 bettor's best friend. Any game that reaches overtime or a shootout always ends with a 1-goal margin — which means the +1.5 underdog automatically covers regardless of who wins.

Approximately 23% of NHL games go to overtime. That's nearly a quarter of all games where the +1.5 is a guaranteed winner. This is a key reason why +1.5 cover rates are so high, and why sportsbooks price the odds with heavy juice.

Conversely, this is also why the -1.5 (favorite side) pays plus-money — favorites can never cover -1.5 in overtime since the winning margin is always exactly one goal.

~23%

of NHL games reach overtime

AUTO WIN

+1.5 covers every OT game

AUTO LOSS

-1.5 loses every OT game

HOW SPORTSBOOKS PRICE +1.5 ODDS

Since +1.5 covers such a high percentage of outcomes, sportsbooks assign negative odds — typically between -170 and -220. The heavier the favorite on the moneyline, the more juice you'll see on the +1.5 side.

The logic is straightforward: if a team covers +1.5 roughly 75% of the time, the fair odds would be around -300. But sportsbooks shade the line based on the specific matchup. Against a dominant team that wins by 2+ goals frequently, the +1.5 odds might be lighter (-160). Against a team that plays close games, the odds are heavier (-210+).

Use our puck line calculator to convert these odds into implied probability and check for value.

Matchup	+1.5 Odds	Implied Prob.	$100 Bet Payout
ARI +1.5 vs COL	-210	67.7%	$100 → $47.62
CHI +1.5 vs DAL	-175	63.6%	$100 → $57.14
MTL +1.5 vs BOS	-190	65.5%	$100 → $52.63
SJ +1.5 vs EDM	-220	68.8%	$100 → $45.45

THE VALUE QUESTION

Just because +1.5 wins often doesn't mean it's always a good bet. The key is whether the implied probability from the odds is lower than the actual cover rate. If a team covers +1.5 at 80% but the odds imply only 68%, that's a value bet. Learn more in our puck line strategy guide.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS