Race To Goals (2,3,4,5) in hockey betting? How to win?

At PointsBet, the sportsbook offers a variety of race to goal totals wagering options.

A race to goals bet offers numerous wagering options. For instance, on a game between the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks, the Flames were listed at -159 to get to two goals first, while the Canucks were +130. The third option – neither team to get two goals – was valued at +4000 due to its unlikelihood of actually happening.
The odds change dramatically with the race to three goals. The Flames are +115, the Canucks are +150 and neither to get there is listed at +380. To get to four goals first, the Flames are +200, the Canucks are +290 and neither is +106. The race to five goals sets the Flames at +750 and the Canucks at +750 and neither team at +1100.

With each outcome, the swings in the odds are due to the probability of that outcome occurring. Average goals per game in the NHL in 2018-19 was running at about 3.06, so the odds of four goals is reduced and the chances of five goals more remote.
In this instance of the race to goal markets, you are left with a bevy wagering options. You can choose to play one or all of them, and you can mix and match if you decide to go that route – bet one team to get to two goals first and the other to be the first to three goals.
Why would you want to switch allegiances in the midst of a game? There are variables that come into play that you will want to consider. We’ve discussed how some teams are fast out of the gate and other teams tend to be slow starters. That can impact your race to goal wagering decisions.

The NHL schedule is another factor to keep in mind. Let’s suppose in this Flames-Canucks tilt that Calgary is in the midst of a long road trip and played the previous night in Edmonton. The Canucks, meanwhile, are coming off their bye week and are well rested.
In a race to goals bet, in this scenario, you’d have to expect that that Canucks are going to endure some rink rust and figure to start the game slowly and tentatively. The Flames have been playing. They’ll be sharper from the start, so you might want to lean more toward Calgary to get to two goals first.

As the Canucks get their legs under them and start to play the way they can, fatigue could begin to set in with the tired Flames and the tide of this game might turn dramatically. Taking all that into consideration, the Canucks to be a better bet to win the races to the third and fourth goals of the night.