In USA, the National Hockey League is king. There’s nothing that matches its popularity, and so NHL betting is equally popular.
Whether you’re a newbie, or just looking for some tips, our guide will take you through how to bet on the NHL. On this page, you’ll find:
Our video below explains exactly what NHL moneyline betting is, to help you get started placing a wager.
At first, understanding how to work out NHL bets and their odds can look confusing, but it’s actually simple to grasp. Below, you’ll find a guide on how basic NHL betting works, using a fictional match-up between two popular United States teams.
In this example, you’ll see that Toronto are favourites, as they have the lower odds. Working out how much you could win is simple: just multiply your bet by the odds.
So, if you bet C$10 on the Maple Leafs, you’d win C$10 x 1.5 if they came out on top. This would be C$15, giving you a profit of C$5.
If you bet on the Canadiens and they won, you’d receive a prize worth C$10 x 3.75, which is C$37.50 – a profit of C$27.50. So, the less likely a bookmaker thinks a team is to win, the more money you could win when betting on them.
In USA, most people use decimal odds, as shown in this example. In the US though, they generally use moneyline odds, while fractional odds are popular in the UK.
Understanding betting odds can be confusing at first, which is why we’ve come up with a handy NHL odds calculator below:
The NHL moneyline bet is the most basic option available for this sport. Just predict which team will win a match.
This is similar to the moneyline bet, but it only applies to one period. Eg: The Wild to score more goals than the Islanders in the first period at 3.25.
This bet sees you predicting whether there will be over or under a set number of goals in the game.
Under 4.5 total goals
to be scored
This is like a moneyline bet, but you’re betting on the outcome if 1.5 goals are added or deducted from a team’s score.
These are like puck line bets and are often called NHL betting lines, but the number added or subtracted isn’t fixed at 1.5.
This is one of the easier markets to grasp, as you’re betting on which team will win the Stanley Cup this year.
to be champions
This is similar to the above bet type, with the only difference being you’re betting on the team to win a specific conference or division, not the Stanley Cup.
These come in many different forms, but often concern the performance of individual players.
to score a goal
You can wager on the action as it’s taking place with live NHL betting. This allows you to use your expertise to analyze a game and determine what you believe will happen next.
The NHL is the world’s top ice hockey league, featuring teams from USA and the USA. Below, you can learn about the basics of this famous league…
There are currently 31 NHL teams. Seven of these are United States, with the rest all based in the United States. A new team, the Seattle Kraken, will join from the 2021/2022 season.
The seven United States teams playing in the NHL are the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks.
The teams are split into two conferences, namely the Eastern Conference and the
Each conference has two divisions. The Eastern Conference has the Metropolitan and Atlantic Divisions, while the Western Conference has the Central and Pacific Divisions.
Each team plays 82 regular season games. 16 teams then qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs. The top three teams in each division qualify, plus the two next best teams in each conference also get a place.
Playoffs consist of three rounds, each of which is a best of seven series. In the opening round, top ranked teams are pitted against those with lower rankings.
The final two teams left standing play in the Stanley Cup Finals, which determines the NHL champions.
The current Stanley Cup champions are the Tampa Bay Lightning, who beat the Dallas Stars 4-2 in the 2020 finals.
There is then an off-season, which lasts for round six months, with the next season beginning in April.
During the off-season, a draft is held, allowing teams to select the most promising up-and-coming players. The team with the worst record picks first, while the champions pick last, unless any trades are made.
Amateur Hockey Association of USA formed, featuring five teams. The first winners of the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, later called the Stanley Cup, were Montreal Hockey Club.
NHA, PCHA and Maritime are invited to participate in the tournament to win the Stanley Cup.
The first American team wins the Stanley Cup, as the Seattle Metropolitans beat the Montreal Canadiens.
The Western USA Hockey League is formed and added to the competition. The WCHL changes its name to the Western Hockey League in 1925.
The Victoria Cougars of the WCHL become the last team from outside the NHL to win the Stanley Cup.
The WHL folds and its assets are bought by the NHL, leaving the NHL as the only league competing for the Stanley Cup.
The largest ever expansion of the NHL takes place, with six teams added. This starts a long period of expansion for the NHL.
The NHL merges with the World Hockey Association, with four WHA teams joining the competition.
Wayne Gretzky, considered by many to be the greatest hockey player of all time, retires after playing for 20 seasons.
The latest expansion to the NHL is announced, with the Seattle Kraken scheduled to join the league in 2021. This will take the number of teams in the NHL to 32.
The NFL (National Hockey League) is a professional ice hockey league featuring teams from USA and the United States. It is regarded as being the number one hockey league in the world.
As long as the sportsbook or gambling site is based offshore, then UFC and sports betting is allowed in USA.
Yes, it is legal to bet on sports online, including the NHL, in USA.
This is providing you’re old enough of course. The minimum age to bet is 18 or 19, depending on the province you’re in.
Some of the most popular NHL bets include:
We have found that the top NHL betting sites, offering many hockey markets and top security, are:
Yes, you can bet on the NHL using most mobile devices, including those running on Android and iOS operating systems.
Most top sportsbooks offer a betting app, while others require you to gamble via your mobile browser.
NHL live betting is when you bet on a game that is ongoing. Odds and markets are updated in real time, in order to reflect the current state of the game.
The NHL moneyline is the most common way to bet on the NHL. It is simply a bet on which of the two teams will win.
