What Is the 60 Minute Line in Hockey Betting?

NHL regulation time betting or the “60 minute line” is a hockey betting market that’s often overlooked by sports handicappers. We’re going to discuss the intricacies of betting on the 60 minute line in ice hockey.

The first step is learning how the 60 minute line in hockey betting works.

How to Bet on the 60 Minute Line in Ice Hockey

The most common way to bet on the 60 minute line in hockey is the three-way betting market. There are three options to select from, including a home win, away win or tie (draw).

Here’s an example of a three-way 60 minute line from the NHL:

• Boston Bruins (-145) / Tie (+360) / Detroit Red Wings (+285)

The 60 minute line in hockey betting doesn’t include overtime. The bet is graded based on the result after three periods (regulation time). Anything that happens after regulation time in overtime is irrelevant.

Here are the possible outcomes when betting on the 60 minute line in ice hockey:

1. Bet on Boston: Bruins need to win the game in regulation time or the bet loses.
2. Bet on Detroit: Red Wings need to win the game in regulation time or the bet loses.
3. Bet on Tie: Ties win if the game is tied after the first 60 minutes and the game goes to overtime.

What happens if you bet on the Bruins or Red Wings to win, but they win in overtime? The bet loses when betting on 60 minute lines because overtime results don’t count for this type of NHL bet.

What Is the 60 Minute Line (Tie = No Bet)

The other way to wager on the 60 minute line in hockey betting is a two-way market. There are only two options to choose from with this market and that’s a home win or away win.

Here’s an example of a two-way 60 minute line from the NHL:

• Boston Bruins (-280) / Detroit Red Wings (+220)

When you bet on the 60 minute line (tie = no bet), the bet is graded after regulation time. If you bet on the Bruins or Red Wings to win, they need to win in regulation time. If the game is tied after regulation, bets on the Bruins or Red Wings to win will be voided and your bet will be refunded.

How Often Do NHL Games Go to Overtime

Before we jump into 60 minute line hockey betting strategy, we need to analyze how often NHL games go to overtime. We’re going to analyze the data from the last five NHL seasons.

Let’s take a look at how often NHL games go to overtime:

• 2022-23 NHL Regular Season: 302 of 1,312 games went to overtime (23.02%).
• 2021-22 NHL Regular Season: 288 of 1,312 games went to overtime (21.95%).
• 2020-21 NHL Regular Season: 195 of 868 games went to overtime (22.47%).
• 2019-20 NHL Regular Season: 250 of 1,082 games went to overtime (23.11%).
• 2018-19 NHL Regular Season: 271 of 1,271 games went to overtime (21.32%).

The data illustrates that there isn’t a lot of variance in how many NHL games go to overtime each season. In the last five NHL seasons, games have gone to overtime in 22.34% of regular season games.

When Should You Bet on the 60 Minute Line in Hockey

We’re going to look at situations when betting on the 60 minute line in hockey makes the most sense.

This NHL betting market is often overlooked by casual hockey fans, but sharp hockey handicappers will utilize 60 minute line wagers to extract the most value from online sportsbooks.

Here are some tips for winning on the 60 minute line in hockey betting:

• Betting Favorites on the 60 Minute Line in Hockey

The 60 minute line bet is most commonly used to improve the odds on a favorite. In our example above of a three-way bet, the Bruins have -145 odds to win in regulation. The moneyline odds (overtime included) for the Bruins in that same game is priced at -220 odds. If you expect the Bruins to handle the Red Wings in regulation time, it makes a lot more sense to bet Boston on the 60 minute line at -145 odds.

There will be situations when the Bruins win in overtime and 60 minute line bets will lose. However, there will also be situations where the Red Wings win and any wager on the Bruins will lose. Betting on huge favorites in the NHL is a bad strategy, which is why sharp bettors will look at the regulation time odds.

• Betting on Ties in the NHL

A lot of hockey fans struggle with the idea of betting on ties. Most fans lean towards picking teams to win, but there’s value betting on ties using the 60 minute line. As I showed you earlier in the guide, games in the NHL go to overtime 22.34% of the time during the last five regular seasons.

With average odds for the tie paying +300 or better, you only need to win 25% or less of your tie bets to break even. You’ll lose money if you blindly bet every game to end in a tie after regulation time. However, targeting match-ups that are close to toss ups (50/50) can lead to huge profits during the season.

• Removing Overtime From the Equation

Lastly, some NHL fans prefer removing overtime from the equation when handicapping. This can make a lot of sense in some situations, but should be avoided in other situations.

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A situation where it can make a lot of sense is betting on underdogs using the 60 minute line (tie = no bet) because you’re concerned the team will lose if the game goes to overtime. 

Using our example above, Detroit has +220 odds to win in regulation (tie = no bet). The Red Wings are +185 on the moneyline (overtime included). If you think the Red Wings can win, but don’t trust them to win in OT, betting the Red Wings 60 minute line (tie = no bet) is the best play. Not only are you getting better odds (+220 instead of +185), but if the game goes to OT, your bet will be refunded.

60 Minute Line Betting FAQ