Why is there a point spread and a money line in hockey?
Hockey is a unique game, in that it often ends in a tie. Sports books learned early that this can be very annoying. Refunding ties is very time consuming. They list most teams as 1/2 goal favorites to avoid this scenario. The money line is still used because sometimes giving a team a 1/2 goal can be an advantage. In the playoffs, there must be a winner. Therefore all hockey games are usually “pick” and just have a money line.