-1.5 is generally found on the NHL betting line known as the puck line. The puck line works similarly to spread betting which is a line commonly found when wagering on more high-scoring sports such as NBA basketball or the NFL. Ice hockey scores tend to be low in comparison to gridiron football, so the spread is kept at -1.5. Betting on this line simply means that you are challenging one team to finish 1.5 (or 2, in reality) goals clear of the opposition. So, if you wager on the Pittsburgh Penguins to beat Tampa Bay Lightning at -1.5 on the puck line, and the Penguins win 3-0, your bet pays out; if the Penguins win 2-1, or fail to win at all, you lose your money.