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For those of our readers who have probably read our article on betting hockey, you will be noticing some similarities between this article on NHL betting and Betting Hockey. It’s alright! Just read along.
NHL is a big deal in the sports arena - an acronym for National Hockey League. This means that it is the biggest hockey league in the world! Attracting talents from different nationalities around the world, the NHL has become a multi-million dollar industry with a variety of bets available on every game and lots of opportunities for you to benefit.
The National Hockey League (NHL) is the North American professional hockey league comprising thirty-one (31) teams. These 31 teams are further divided into two conferences that include 24 teams from the United States and 7 teams from Canada.
The NHL is known to be a league with a very rich tradition and a long history. It has been in operation for a full century, which not all leagues in other sports can boast of. In the NHL, each of the 31 teams plays eighty-two (82) games in a regular season.
By way of competition, eight teams from each conference advance to the playoffs. The playoffs are then played as a four-round tournament with each round in a best-of-seven format. The next stage of the competition features winners from both conferences meeting in the final series. In the final series, one of the teams will eventually emerge as the winner and will be awarded the storied Stanley Cup. The Stanley Cup is by far one for the most famous trophies in all of sports. After each season, the Stanley Cup is passed from one Champion to next that eventually emerge as the Champion for the following season. Most other recognized trophies don’t work like this.
In terms of success stories in the National Hockey League, the Montreal Canadiens lead with 25 championships, followed by the Toronto Maple Leafs with 13 championships, although their last win was in 1967. The Detroit Red Wings on the other hand, have also been successful with 11 championships.
Winners | Number of Championships | Last Championship |
---|---|---|
Montreal Canadiens | 25 | - |
Toronto Maple Leafs | 13 | 1967 |
Detroit Red Wings | 11 | - |
The most popular bet in the National Hockey League is the money line bet. A money line bet simply means a bettor place a wager on which team s/he thinks will win the game. Let’s assume, for example, that a bookmaker has the following money line bet offer:
Rangers | -130 |
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Maple Leafs | +120 |
In the example above, if you back the Rangers for $130, you will make a profit of $100. If otherwise you back the Maple Leafs, you’ll win $120 for your $100 stake. In the event that the game goes to overtime or a shootout, you will eventually be paid out based on the eventual winning team. You will get more Money line bet examples in our article on betting hockey. There we explained betting the money line and the puck line in great depth.
The puck line bet in NHL betting has some characteristic feature of Handicap betting. The puck line wager in NHL is one kind of wager where sportsbooks try to modify the situation by either taking goals off the favorite or adding goals to the underdog. Generally speaking, the puck line is typically set at one and a half goals. Let’s illustrate with a simple example. Let’s assume your preferred bookmaker has offered the following:
Bruins | +1.5 | -130 |
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Kings | -1.5 | +110 |
In the above example, if you back the Kings, this will afford you to win if they win by two or more goals: a $100 bet will make you a profit of $110. Let’s turn the table round, and say you back the Bruins, you’ll only win if they either win, or lose by the odd goal, in which case a $130 wager will fetch you a profit of $100. We should add at this point in our discussion that in some cases, you will see the team that was deemed favorite on the money line bet become the underdog on the puck line bet.
There is also the option of betting the total line in NHL (Again, we explained all these concepts in great depth in our discussion on Betting Hockey; feel free to read more in there). A total bet simply means you are trying to predict whether the total amount of goals in the game will be higher or lower than a given line that is set by a bookmaker. The “total” as used in the bet name implies the total number of goals to expect in the game. Let’s take this example:
Over 8.5 | -110 |
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Under 8.5 | -110 |
In the example above, what your bookmaker has simply done is estimated that the total number of goals to be expected in the game will be 8.5 goals (of course, there can’t be a decimal goal; it’s used that way to make everyone’s lives a little comfortable). Consequently, you, as a bettor, will be betting over or under this total line set by your bookmaker.
Let’s say you bet Over 8.5 in this example; it means that for you to win your bet, there must be a total of 9 goals or more (regardless of which team scores these goals) by game end. Conversely, if you bet Under 8.5, it means there must be a total number of 8 goals or less for you to win your bet. Anything that doesn’t fulfil these conditions means you forfeit your bet and lose your wager.
Another very important betting types available in NHL betting is Parlays. In the case of parlay bet, you are betting on two or more teams to win on a given day/night. One condition about parlay bet is that for you to win, all your selections must win and the return from one leg of your parlay bet will go to the next leg of the bet. It is important to know that with parlay bets; bettors have a good chance of winning a very large sum in profit relative to their original stake.
When it comes to sports and betting in the United States, many enthusiasts tend to focus on the more popular sports leagues like the NBA and NFL. However, if you’re an avid hockey fan or looking to become one in the US, you can also explore NHL betting. The NHL offers super intriguing sports experiences with an array of betting opportunities. As a beginner NHL bettor, here are some top bet types you should know about:
Moneyline is perhaps the most popular bet type for beginners and expert NHL bettors alike. Simply, Moneyline bets are bets placed on who will win a game. For instance, if you think Team A will win Team B, you can place a Moneyline bet on Team A. As expected, you win your bet if team A wins, and vice versa.
Usually, sportsbooks make it more competitive by adjusting the payouts to award bettors on how likely or otherwise a team will win a game.
Puckline is another interesting bet type in hockey, similar to runline in baseball. This bet forces the favourite team to win the game by at least 2 goals. It means that the underdog can win the bet even if they lose the game. Unlike other sports betting, the Puck Line is usually +/-1.5 goals.
This is one of the oldest hockey betting types, where bettors decide whether a game’s total score will be higher or lower than a specific set line. This means that when the sportsbook sets the line, you can bet if there will be more or fewer goals than the line. Most times, the set line is at 5.5 goals to ensure there are no ties.
As the name implies, futures relate to betting on the outcome of a long-term sporting event after a series of games. A popular futures bet is betting on the odds of a team winning the Western Conference Championship or the Stanley Cup. There are several other conference awards and individual awards that one can place a futures bet on. At the start of the season, the odds to wager on who wins the Stanley Cup is around +800. This implies that if you wager $1000, you can earn $800 if your wager was correct at the end of the season.
The NHL has several sportsbooks and bookmakers offering betting options to NHL enthusiasts and bettors. If you’re new to NHL betting, it’s important to conduct good research on the best bookmakers to explore before starting your betting journey. This can help you enjoy peace of mind while you wager on games. Some crucial elements to review before going for a reliable bookmaker are;
After a careful review of these factors, Underdog Fantasy, ParlayPlay, OwnersBox, and so on are some of the bookmakers that tick many or all of these boxes. You can, however, check out our comparison of some of the top bookmakers.
Underdog Fantasy is a new sportsbook that launched in 2020 and is available to most US players. We recommend this bookmaker because of its overall features. First, new players enjoy a 100% match of their first deposits, up to $100. In addition to its bonus options, the site’s design is simple and easy to navigate. Everything belongs to appropriate and easy-to-find sections.
If you want information on customer support and FAQs, you can find all of that at the bottom of the page. Adding to its excellent usability, the site itself is fast and has little to no lags when loading. When it comes to payment options, they don’t offer a super wide array. Regardless, the payment methods are still great and very reliable.
With NHL betting, bettors have more than enough sports betting options to choose from across several sports leagues in the US. You can choose to bet on different categories- whether it’s simple moneyline bets or something more intriguing like futures betting. You can choose to explore other types we've mentioned in this article.
Whichever game you choose to wager on, it’s important to bet responsibly and use reliable sportsbooks that offer the best services for your betting experiences. Find yourself a trusted bookmaker today on our sports betting comparison page and start making your NHL betting.
Different betting providers offer several amazing promotions from time to time. Ranging from standard welcome bonuses to other special rewards, many sportsbooks compete to offer the most enticing promotions. Some of the latest NHL betting promotions are BetMGM Sportsbook: bonus bets up to $1500, BetRivers Sportsbook: 2nd chance bet up to $500, FanDuel Sportsbook: Bet $5, get $150 in bonus bets if your bet wins, and so on.
There’s no singular sportsbook site that can hold the position for the best NHL betting in the US. What’s more applicable is a series of best sportsbooks based on their distinct features. For instance, a sportsbook may be the best in terms of bonuses and promotions, while another may hold the top spot in customer service and gameplay. Whichever the case may be, Fantasy, ParlayPlay, and OwnersBox are top picks for the best NHL betting platforms in the US.
Yes, you can. This is because you’re allowed to create accounts with different NHL sportsbooks. Keep in mind that you are allowed to create more than one betting account. This allows you to make use of the top bookmakers without limiting your exposure. However, you’ll need to make sure that you select the best sites that cover NHL betting markets. You don’t want to create an account with a bookmaker that does not offer NHL betting services.
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