Are you looking to begin wagering on hockey in 2021? With a look at all the different betting markets, terminologies, and tactics, our NHL betting guide explains all you need to know to place hockey bets. We’ll also offer you the major legal US sportsbooks’ daily NHL betting odds.
The NHL regular season in 2021 lasted from Wednesday, Jan. 13, through mid-May, with all 31 clubs playing a 56-game regional plan. The Stanley Cup will be given in July, and the playoffs have begun. The Colorado Avalanche came as the gambling favorite to win the Stanley Cup, with the Tampa Bay Lightning close behind the 2019-20 winner.
Odds on Hockey
This article compares all of the biggest sportsbooks in the industry to help you discover the best NHL betting odds. If you’re new to the exciting world of pro hockey betting, keep reading to find out how to choose a good sportsbook. After that, we’ll go through the most common betting alternatives available to you.
Visit our NFL Odds and NBA Odds articles today if you’re interested in betting on other major leagues. Please see our Betting Odds post for all other betting odds. Only here at Legal-Sportsbetting.
Pro Hockey’s Best Sportsbooks
Today, many sports betting companies accept wagers on NHL games, making it challenging to discover your ideal match. Thankfully, SBR has already done the legwork for you. Choose a site with an A+ or A rating from our list of the finest sportsbooks, such as Bookmaker, Bovada, BetOnline, BetAnySports, and JustBet.
These sites provide attractive sportsbook bonuses, a fantastic user experience, fine NHL hockey lines, outstanding customer service, and various banking methods, including Bitcoin. All of the sites on our denylist should be avoided since they have a reputation for being dishonest and not paying out winnings to clients.
HOW TO PLAY HOCKEY BETTING IN THE NHL
NHL Moneyline
Hockey betting, unlike football and several other sports, is based on the Moneyline. A bettor simply picks the winning team in a money line wager, with rewards varying based on the odds.
In hockey, bettors must choose the winning side regardless of the margin of victory. There has to be a favorite and an underdog, with payouts varying depending on who you choose.
For instance, in a game between the St. Louis Blues and the Colorado Avalanche, the book may include the following:
St. Louis Blues +125
Colorado Avalanche -152
Therefore, the Avalanche are favored, and a bettor would have to risk $152 to win $100 (or $15.20 to win $10). A $100 wager on the underdog Blues would return $125 if it won. Betting on the underdog is more profitable than betting on the favorite.
Point spreads aren’t used in conventional hockey betting, unlike in other sports. Do you have a gut feeling about a team? Simply open your sports betting app and choose your wager. It’s that simple.
NHL Puck Line Odds
The puck line (akin to the run line in baseball) is a type of point spread betting used in hockey. It is generally set at 1.5. This provides bettors with another intriguing wager with the possibility for higher profits depending on whose side you bet on.
In a typical hockey game, the final score is generally determined by one or two goals. These bets provide you an extra chance to bet on teams who know how to score.
When betting on the puck line, gamblers are essentially deciding whether or not a team can win by two goals or more.
In a game between St. Louis and Colorado, for example, the Blues might be +1.5 (-240) while the Avs could be -1.5 (+190).
If the Avalanche win by two or more goals, a $100 bet on them will return $190. On the other hand, a $100 bet on the Blues will need a $240 wager.
In most cases, the puck line is set at 1.5, but depending on the showdown, it can go as high as 2.5. The puck line may shift up if a bad defensive team faces a top-notch offensive opponent.
Betting on the puck line adds to the excitement of picking a winner, particularly with regard to a favorite.
Totals in the NHL (over/under)
The over/under is a common wager that involves the total number of goals scored by two teams. This is comparable to the kind of wagers that a bettor could see in other sports.
The bettor decides whether the total goals will go “over” or “under.” A major offensive matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers, for instance, could be set at a total of 6.5.
Because the overall score of the game was 7, a 4-3 win by the Flyers would reward “over” bettors with a win. Instead, a 3-2 Penguins victory would pay “under” bettors.
It’s crucial to keep in mind that these lines are subject to change based on the wagering activity on either side. The sportsbook attempts to balance the amount of money wagered on each side to avoid being overly liable.
The vig or juice is a percentage of the total bet that sportsbooks earn from. Totals may be profitable bets, especially if the bettor has some knowledge of each team’s offensive output.
Parlay betting in the NHL
Parlay gambling, like other sports, maybe a fun way to bet on several games or event results. A parlay is when a bettor puts numerous bets on a single stake.
For a player to win, all of those picks must be correct. If you lose one of those, the entire wager is a loss. On the other hand, betting on a parlay might offer significantly better odds than betting on a single game or event.
A player may put a parlay wager on the Stars, Devils, and Sharks, for example. If all of those teams win, a bettor could make a 6-1 profit on that bet. A $100 wager would return $600, depending on the picks and whether they were favorites or underdogs.
Parlays can be placed on two teams of up to ten or twelve. Along with picking teams, some bookmakers let bettors mix in totals and other sports to make it even more intriguing.
Betting on NHL futures
Futures betting is one of the most popular types of sports betting, and it has a lot to offer hockey enthusiasts. When gambling on futures, a gambler is anticipating a specific outcome at the end of the season.
Indeed, the Stanley Cup champion will attract the most NHL futures bets. All 31 clubs will have odds to win the title, according to the books.
Before the 2019-20 season, the Tampa Bay Lightning were the overwhelming favorites to win the Stanley Cup. The odds for the winning side were +750, or 7.5 to 1.
With Tampa Bay’s Stanley Cup victory, a $100 bet on the Lightning would have netted a gambler $750. A $100 stake on the Winnipeg Jets at +2800 would have returned 28-1 – a $2,800 profit on a $100 bet.
Futures gambling on the Stanley Cup isn’t the only option. It’s possible to get odds on:
- Winners of the conference
- For individual teams, there are over and under for points on average.
- Individual player point totals during the regular season
- Top scorers on the team
- Awards like the Vezina Trophy are given out at the end of the season.
Betting on NHL games live
Most sports gamblers like live betting because it provides them with even more activity. This is a feature that many online sportsbooks have, and it allows you to place extra bets in the middle of a game.
During the first and second intermissions, this might include totals, puck lines, and other wagers. As the game progresses on the ice, bettors may make more wagers and modify their betting patterns as required.
When placing bets, it’s vital to keep track of what’s going on in terms of various facts. These might include the following:
- Injuries
- Leaders in the scoring
- The ability of one team to win a game.
- The ability of a group to maintain a lead
What Is The Best Way To Bet On NHL Hockey Games?
Select a Reliable NHL Sportsbook
The first step is to locate a reputable sports betting website. Some websites are frauds that you should avoid at all costs. Use one of our suggested sportsbooks to be sure you’re selecting a good one.
Make the Most of Your Bonuses
When you initially join a gambling website, you will be given bonuses based on how much money you deposit. Then you’ll utilize NHL bets to work your way up to the bonus prize. Make sure to take advantage of all available NHL betting incentives.
Place Your First Bet
You’ll want to deposit your betting money after you’ve opened an account with a sportsbook. Examine the many alternatives they provide and the related costs. Betting using debit or credit cards is the most secure and easiest approach.
Seek out +EV. Bets on the NHL
The easiest approach to earn money betting on the NHL is to keep an eye out for errors in the betting lines. Because the NHL is not as well-known as other sports, there are plenty of weak lines to be found.
Search for a home team that is a big underdog or a rivalry game with a lot of money on one side. We’ve dedicated a whole page to NHL betting methods that you may use.
Make an NHL wager
Check to be sure the wager you’re going to put is the one you want. After that, you’ll press confirm, and the transaction will be complete. You may now sit back, relax, and root for your favorite team.
Why should You choose these sites?
Whether you’re new to this site, you might be wondering why you should trust the suggestions listed above. That’s a reasonable question, especially given the abundance of websites advertising their best selections. Here, we give our readers unbiased advice.
It’s worth noting that none of the suggested sites have compensated us to include them in our list of the best hockey betting sites. Rather than being bought by the highest bidder, top selections are won by being the finest in the business. We’re free to choose only the finest of the best because we’re not taking money from sites. Our objective is to use our honest advice and input to help sports bettors like you locate the best online sports betting house for your requirements.
When we review a new sports betting site, we look at ten factors that are particularly significant to us. We’ve prepared this useful infographic below to help you visualize everything we look into. You’ll be able to get a high-level overview of everything we considered before recommending a site as one of the top hockey betting sites if you use it. If you want to learn more about any of our criteria, simply click on it in the infographic, and you’ll be directed to a page with a more detailed description of what we look for.
Hockey Betting is covered
Our team couldn’t suggest a site as one of the best for hockey wagering if it didn’t offer comprehensive hockey wagering coverage. As a result, each of our best hockey betting sites listed above provides a fantastic selection of hockey wagers, allowing you to conduct all of your hockey betting in one place. Such sites will cover you whether you want to wager on live action or leagues from all across the world.
Lines of Competition
We double-checked our list of recommended websites to ensure that they offer competitive lines on their hockey activity, in addition to offering a wide range of hockey wagers. If the lines aren’t competitive, a long list of hockey bets is useless. We’ve compared our sites to all of the major companies in the business to ensure that you’ll always be able to discover competitive hockey betting odds. You’ll ensure that when your choices are accurate, you’ll earn larger returns as a result of this!
Protection and safety
The safety and security of your personal information and hard-earned money is something we never take lightly here. As a result, we’ve double-checked each of our suggested sites to ensure that your personal information and funds are secure. We didn’t include a site on our list of top selections if we had any doubts about its capacity to safeguard either of them.
History and a good name
We see new sports betting sites crop up on a weekly basis in the business. However, we are usually wary of websites unless we are certain that they have a track record of running a dependable and high-quality operation. There are no online sportsbooks on our list of recommended websites that have a poor track record in terms of history or reputation. We’re only presenting you sites that we’d be willing to put our money on.
Alternatives to Banking
The more alternatives accessible to you when it comes to banking at a sports betting site, the better. Deposits and withdrawals from your online sportsbook will be more flexible if you have a wide range of alternatives. Each of the sites in our list of the top hockey betting sites offers a diverse range of banking methods, making it simple to transfer funds both on and off their website.
User-Friendliness
When it comes to sports betting, speed is crucial. You may have a hot hunch or a tip that you need to act on right away in many situations. As a result, we’ve spent time on each of the sites we’ve recommended above to ensure that they’re simple to use. We don’t want you to waste time looking for items when you need to wager as quickly as possible. . When you visit the websites of our best selections, you’ll see that they all have excellent user interfaces that make it simple and painless to navigate and choose the ideal wager.
Bonuses and Special Offers
In contrast to brick-and-mortar sportsbooks, internet sportsbooks frequently provide incentives and promotions. We’ve scoured the internet for the finest hockey betting sites with the best incentives. With these promos, you may win thousands of dollars throughout the course of your betting experiences on these sites. If you’re new to these sites, take advantage of the generous welcome bonuses to help you get started with online betting.
Speeds of Withdrawal
We’re guessing you don’t enjoy waiting for your money as much as we do! Each of the sites we recommend offers some of the industry’s quickest withdrawal times. Unlike some websites that can take ages to complete your withdrawals, these sites will process your withdrawals promptly so you don’t have to wait long to receive your money back.
Excellent Customer Service
The customer support of any site we’re considering for a recommendation is another thing we look into. We’ve put the above-mentioned sites through their paces to ensure that you’ll be well taken care of in the event of a problem. While many people don’t consider the importance of good customer service until it’s too late, it’s always on our minds. You’ll get some of the greatest customer service in the industry if you select one of our top hockey betting sites.
Compatibility with mobile devices
One of the most appealing features of online betting sites is that most of them allow customers to wager using mobile devices such as a smartphone or tablet. Each of our recommended sites has been thoroughly vetted to ensure that it is mobile-friendly. You will be able to make bets on your mobile device regardless of where you are as long as you have an internet access. You’ll be able to set up bets on your phone or tablet in minutes if you use a mobile-friendly sports gambling site
NHL Betting Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I place a bet on NHL?
It doesn’t have to be difficult to find a good NHL betting site. You can easily find a reputable and highly-rated hockey betting site with competitive odds if you have the appropriate information. As you narrow down your selections, Sports Betting Dime can assist you in determining what to search for. We selected the best sites to bet on NHL hockey using a mix of industry data and direct experience betting with and analyzing hundreds of online sportsbooks.
- Betway – Betway makes it simple to get started and keeps you there with a large selection and a variety of betting options.
- 888sport – 888sport has a wide range of betting alternatives for both novice and seasoned gamblers. Wherever you go, you may get amazing odds on athletic events from across the world.
- BetVictor – BetVictor has decades of sportsbook experience and offers a good all-around product, as well as tempting promotions and low-cost odds.
- Paddy Power – This household name provides some of the greatest odds options in the business and is one of the most popular and renowned gambling sites in the UK and Ireland. Paddy Power is a prominent bookmaker with over 100 lines each game and a premium live-streaming service.
- William Hill – With a contemporary betting app and online sportsbook that includes one of the largest betting menus available, a major name that’s been in business since 1934 is as relevant as ever.
What to know about NHL betting?
Betting on NHL Games: How to Win Big
- Do participate in live betting
- Take the Streaks on a Ride
- Special Teams Should Be Considered
- Take a look at the Home / Road Records section.
- Consider other markets such as period betting and team totals.
- Heavy Favorites and Parlays with a Limit
- Keep an eye on the timetables.
- Line Shop Project
How do NHL sports betting work?
If you bet on the favorite and the favorite wins by a margin higher than the point spread, you win your bet. If you wager on the underdog and it wins, ties or the favorite team wins but fails to cover the point spread, you win.
How to make NHL betting lines?
Every season, the NHL features dominating teams, but any club may win on any given night. With such a demanding schedule that includes extensive travel, it’s easy to forget that hockey players are human people who require rest, not robots who can go for days on end without rest. As a result, big favorites aren’t necessarily worth the high price tag. If a -300 team loses, you might find yourself in a big deficit with a lot of distance to make up. When betting on favorites, make sure you don’t go overboard with your money.
How to read NHL betting line
A minus sign (e.g. -5.5) denotes the favorite, whereas a plus sign (e.g. +5.5) denotes the underdog. If you bet on the favorite and the favorite wins by a margin higher than the point spread, you win your bet.
How do NHL parlays work in sports betting?
NHL parlays allow you to place a single wager on numerous hockey wagers in order to increase your potential payoff. However, in order for the parlay to pay out, all of the bets in it must win. Even if four of the five bets in the parlay are right, the parlay is considered a loss because of one erroneous bet.