A negative puck line in hockey betting means that the favorite team has to win by a certain number of goals for you to win the bet. For example, if the puck line is -1.5, the favorite team must win by 2 or more goals for the bet to be successful. Conversely, a positive puck line means that the underdog team can lose by a certain number of goals or win outright for the bet to be successful. For example, if the puck line is +1.5, the underdog team can lose by 1 goal and you can still win the bet. The puck line is a popular form of betting in hockey and can offer higher payouts for taking on more risk.