What is Race to Goals betting in hockey and NHL games?

They’re on their marks . . . get set . . . GO! The race to goals is on.

Sportsbooks offer a variety of race to goals wagers,  a bet on which team will arrive at a certain goal plateau first during a game.

Let's say you are logged on to a sportsbook with the intention of betting on the NHL game between the visiting Detroit Red Wings and Las Vegas Golden Knights. You are planning to wager on the game but are a little bored with the traditional moneyline, puck line, and goal total.

The race to goals bet offers that kind of excitement. And like a horse race, the one that gets out of the gate first isn’t always the one that reaches the finish line first.

FanDuel is offering three separate races to goals wagers on this particular game. You can bet on the race to two goals, to three goals, or to four goals. At two goals, for example, you would get odds of +240 on the Red Wings getting there first, meaning you win $240 if you bet $100 on Detroit and the Wings got to two goals before the Golden Knights. But if Vegas is the one to arrive there first, the odds offered by FanDuel on the Golden Knights is -310, so you would be required to wager $310 in order to turn a $100 profit on your bet.

At three goals, the Wings are +310, and Vegas is -410. Detroit will pay out at +430 on getting to four goals first, while the Golden Knights offer negative odds of -610 of being the first to arrive at this destination.

By studying a team’s recent goal-scoring patterns, you can detect which teams are trending as potent goal scorers and which clubs are not lighting the red lamp with regularity, and then bet accordingly.

If you make your play at FanDuel, you can qualify for a $1000 risk-free bet if you lose your first bet.