The National Hockey League doesn’t draw the biggest TV numbers among major professional sports leagues in North America. However, it does not take a back seat to the NBA, MLB or even the NFL when it comes to postseason excitement. For two months each spring, the Stanley Cup playoffs provide riveting drama on a nightly basis and plenty of Canada sports betting action.
And that’s before we even talk about overtime.
BetCanada performed a deep dive through the NHL record books to look for recent trends in overtime games. Since the start of the 2020 playoffs through April 30, 118 games needed extra time to determine a winner.
| Time of Goal | Instances | Percentage | Equivalent Odds |
| First minute | 5 | 4.24% | +2259 |
| Second | 16 | 13.56% | +638 |
| Third | 8 | 6.78% | +1375 |
| Fourth | 11 | 9.32% | +973 |
| Fifth | 10 | 8.47% | +1081 |
| Sixth | 10 | 8.47% | +1081 |
| Later (including multiple OTs) | 58 | 49.2% | +103 |
There’s no drama for Stanley Cup betting like a playoff game that’s in overtime. It can end in a minute or go on for hours, but all it takes is one play to win the game and perhaps change the outcome of a series.
There’s a decent chance that the game will end early. Since 2020, 60 games have been won in the first six minutes. That’s roughly 51% of the OT games in the last five years.
It makes sense for most OT games to end early. The ice is smooth and the players still have energy. Teams also have the long change in the first overtime, and that can create breakaways and odd-man rushes.
But customers at Canada sportsbook apps should not automatically assume a quick ending.
If an OT game in the playoffs doesn’t get settled in the first six minutes, then you might want to get comfortable. No other one-minute segment in the first overtime has had more than four goals scored. There also have been 20 games that needed multiple overtimes in the past five years, with 16 ending in the second OT period.
When it comes to overtime, the data shows it really doesn’t matter that much if the team is playing on home ice or holding the higher seed. It also shows there’s not much benefit for live NHL betting to being the team that forced sudden death.
Because the 2020 playoffs were played at neutral sites because of COVID-19 protocols, we looked at the 93 overtime games that have occurred since the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs. It turns out the visiting team holds a small edge, having won 49 (52.7%) times.
Home ice might not play a factor, but the data shows higher-seeded teams are more likely to pull out the victory. Since 2020, the team with home-ice advantage in the series has won 63 times (53.4%) in overtime.
Teams scoring the tying goal that necessitated overtime have won 60 times, or (51.7%). We excluded the two 1-0 overtime games that have taken place since 2020 from this count.
BetCanada is your source for the latest gaming news taking place across the Great White North. Be sure to check out our Stanley Cup Playoff page to see who has the best odds of advancing past the second round and into the conference finals.
As of April 30, Pinnacle Canada Sportsbook had the defending champion Florida Panthers as the Stanley Cup favorite with +384 odds. Among Canadian teams, the Edmonton Oilers had +506 odds, the Winnipeg Jets were at +891 and the Toronto Maple Leafs had a +911 futures betting line.
USA Today photo by Perry Nelson
Author
Steve is an accomplished, award-winning reporter with more than 20 years of experience covering gaming, sports, politics and business. He has written for the Associated Press, Reuters, The Louisville Courier Journal, The Center Square and numerous other publications. Based in Louisville, Ky., Steve has covered the expansion of sports betting in the U.S. and other gaming matters. He shares his expertise on BetCanada, among other sites.
