Top NHL Betting Sites

NHL Puck Line Betting

The puck line is hockey’s version of spread betting. This bet type is a wager on the number of goals that a team needs to win by. Take a look at the puck line example below:

• Tampa Bay Lightning -1.5
• Philadelphia Fliers +1.5

Here, the minus sign (-) in front of Tampa Bay shows that they’re the favorites. If they win by 2 points or more, then a bet on them wins. The plus sign (+) next to the Fliers means that they’re the underdogs. If Philadelphia loses by 2 points or fewer or even win, then the wager pays out.

Overall, puck line betting helps to balance the playing field between two teams and encourage equal betting action for both sides. Look out for value on puck line bets. If there’s a clear favorite and little value on the underdog, then it can often be one of the best NHL bets to make.

NHL Moneyline Betting

The moneyline is a straightforward bet on which team will win an NHL match. Each team is assigned a number that represents the expected payout – take a look at the odds below:

• Winnipeg Jets -200
• Calgary Flames +175

Just like with the puck line, the minus sign (-) shows the favorites and the positive (+) sign shows the underdogs. A negative moneyline bet shows how much money you’d need to bet to win $100. Meanwhile, a positive moneyline shows how much money you’d win if you bet $100.

So, if you bet on the Winnipeg Jets, the favorites, the odds show that a $200 stake would return $100 profit. Or if you bet on the Calgary Flames, the underdogs, a $100 bet would return $175 in profit.

The moneyline is a pretty standard NHL bet and one that beginners can easily get on board with. One thing to remember is that the wider the gap is between the odds, the less evenly matched the two teams are perceived to be.

NHL Totals Betting

Totals or over/under betting allows you to gamble on the combined points scored by both teams in an ice hockey match. Totals bets will look like this:

• Over: 6.5    +125
• Under: 6.5    -110

For this NHL bet, the sportsbook has predicted the average number of goals in the game will be 6.5. Bettors will be able to place wagers either over or under this number. For the over, a $100 stake would win $125 if there are six points or less scored in the game. Meanwhile, for the under, a $110 bet would win $100 if six points or less are scored.

NHL Parlay Betting

NHL parlays combine multiple bets into a single wager for a higher payout. For a parlay bet to payout, all of the wagers involved need to win. Though a riskier wager, many bettors like parlays for their flexibility and the gigantic returns they promise.

The most common picks for NHL parlays are puck lines (spread betting), moneyline, and totals. In particular, three-team parlays and four-team parlays are hugely popular among bettors. Mathematically, the more picks involved in a parlay, the less likely the bet is to payout. Keep this in mind when you’re putting together an NHL betting strategy.

NHL Futures Betting

NHL futures are predictions on outcomes that will happen later in the tournament. There are many NHL future bet markets, though the most popular are wagers on the team to win the Playoffs and the Stanley Cup. Typically, odds on futures will be updated after every game in the season. They’re constantly fluctuating, though some bettors believe that wagering at the very start of the season can give much better odds.

NHL Prop Betting

Prop bets are wagers placed on specific events in a game, but not the final result. For example, NHL prop bets can include wagers on the first team to score, how long a player might spend in a penalty box, or how many penalties will be scored.

There are a lot of NHL prop bets around player performance, called NHL player props. These are more specifically bets on players and whether they will or won’t do something during a game. Popular player props include a player to score a goal, have an assist, or even be the last goalscorer.

Prop bets tend to be a little more fun, though are much less predictable. When it comes to NHL betting, prop bets add excitement, though they’re not the best starting point for a long-term betting strategy.