Hockey is an extremely slippery slope in betting. Rarely can you find yourself making significant gains in hockey betting. But you can have some fun and make some headway with a few guidelines to help focus your betting and make the most of your bets.

Hockey games are tight and predicting them can be a nightmare because there are so many variables:

Officials – if they are calling a tight game, there may be a lot of power plays. This benefits the weaker teams, giving them a chance to hang in there with a more powerful team. Some teams are dynamite 5-on-5 at even strength, but struggle in the penalty kill or on the power play.

Injuries – A definite part of the game, both during the game and prior. More so than any other sport, hockey coaches are extremely guarded about injuries. So many times you will see descriptions as vague as "upper body injury" given to players. There is no way to know for sure how hurt a player is unless you are actually at practice or sit in the room with the doctor.

Back-up goaltenders – A goalie change before the game could change the outcome. There is a big difference between the starter and the backup. Think of a football game where Tom Brady is benched just before the start of the game so that he can get a rest!

Goaltenders in general – A goalie can stand on his head on any given night and steal a game. This X factor is always in play in hockey. One team can completely outplay the other, but if the goalie is hot, there is nothing getting by him.

So do you ignore hockey all together? I can’t! I love the sport. So here are a few helpful guidelines to get you interested in playing some hockey games:

1. Look for situations where a team has played three games in four nights. Or four games in five nights. Particularly, if the team is an East Coast team playing out West or vice versa. I always like to take the home team in those cases. These are "getaway games" for the road team. They are focused on getting home and ending the road trip. Hockey is a grind and that third or fourth game is a nightmare on their legs. They aren’t skating as well and this results in more penalties, which leads to more scoring. Take the home team and bet the over when you find these cases.

2. Speaking of over/unders, this is a very good way to attack hockey games. Many over/unders are set at 5 in hockey, but the number is usually obviously leaning toward one direction or the other. If you follow teams and know your hockey, these numbers seem to jump out. Toronto, for instance, is horrible defensively. I have gone with the over with them in virtually every game this year and have not been disappointed.

3. Go for the wins and favorites. Playing spreads in hockey is a recipe for disaster…unless you bet against the Leafs! Empty net goals and teams adding a late goal by pulling the goalie can wreck point spreads in hockey. Avoid those spreads completely and just side with the winner.

4. Look for back-to-backs and teams coming off rest. There are many cases in the NHL when one team will actually be spending the night in a city while the other team is on the road. I know of a case last year when the Sabres were playing in Chicago and flew back to Buffalo that night, not getting into town until 4 am. The Penguins had the night off and were staying in a hotel in Buffalo. The rested Penguins pasted the Sabres in Buffalo. Additionally, that team playing the back-to-back, will probably start their backup. Again, a huge difference in goals and wins and losses.

So don’t be afraid to take a look at the frozen pond for some interesting action. If you know your teams, you can be successful looking at hockey games.