Hockey Betting Guide: The Basics of NHL Betting & More

There’s no other sport quite like hockey—and from a sports betting perspective, that makes for a number of interesting bet types and strategies. Compared to sports like football or baseball, NHL games are low-scoring, but the pace is lightning-fast. The puck constantly moves up and down the ice, but there are relatively few major turning points in each game. However, despite the fact that teams average less than 3.5 goals per game, there are plenty of game, team, and player props to wager on.

You’ve got the standard spread bets (called puck lines), moneylines, and totals, but you can also find more niche markets like power play scoring, goalie performance, or the increasingly popular GIFT (goal in first ten minutes) bets. The low number of tallies per contest makes live betting extremely exciting, with lines shifting dramatically every time the score changes or even when penalties are taken. Add it all up, and you can see why the coolest game is a hot ticket at online sportsbooks. 

The main NHL betting markets are similar to those in other major sports leagues, so sportsbook vets won’t see anything too surprising. That said, there are some important differences and things you should remember that are specific to hockey betting. 

Here’s a quick overview of the kinds of wagers you can make when betting on hockey. (Note that all of the following markets will also be available for in-game or live betting.)

• Futures Bets: Future bets (also known as simply “futures”) are wagers on long-term results, often decided over the course of an entire season. Futures can be bets on how a team will do or may be tied to how an individual player performs. As it relates to ice hockey betting, betting on the Stanley Cup teams are the most common, finish with the best record, or win their respective divisions or conferences. You can also wager on over/unders for the number of points each team will rack up in the standings. For player props, you can bet on players to lead statistical categories like goals, assists, or points, along with betting on players to take home awards like the Vezina, Norris, Hart, or Selke awards. You can also place bets on individual players to reach different statistical milestones by the season’s end.
• Prop Bets: We’ve touched on what prop bets (also known as “props”) are in the previous sections, but it’s worth defining them here. Props are bets on whether a specific outcome will or will not happen in a given game. They DO NOT need to be directly related to a team’s overall performance or what team will be on top. In NHL betting, the most common team prop is how many goals a team will score. Game props include how many goals will be scored in a given period (or the first ten minutes of a period), which team will reach a specific goal threshold first, or even if the game will go to overtime. Player props, unsurprisingly, are centered on stats like shots on goal, goals, assists, points, and saves.  
• In-Game Betting: Because of the pace and massive momentum swings that come with each score, in-game NHL betting (also known as “live betting”) is extremely exciting and dynamic. You’ll see big swings in lines and payouts after a team nets a goal or even if something impactful happens in the game, like a major penalty, penalty shot, or injury. At most hockey betting apps, you’ll find most of the same live wager options as you can for pregame markets. Moneylines, puck lines, totals, and a range of team, game, and player props are all available.
• Parlays: Parlays are bets where you combine more than one predicted result (known as “legs”) for higher payouts - each result needs to settle as a win or push for the wager to cash. (Note that if a leg pushes, your overall payout will decrease, almost as if that bet wasn’t part of your original parlay.) You can combine different bet types, too…so you might pair a puck line with a goalscorer prop or an over/under. In the parlay betting sites, you can also combine picks from a single game, known as a same-game parlay or SGP.
• 60-Minute Line: 60-minute lines remove overtime from the equation, and will be settled based on the result after the third period. They’re kind of a middle ground between the moneyline and the -1.5 puck line for the favored team, with a higher payout than the moneyline but shorter odds than betting a team -1.5.
• Grand Salami: A Grand Salami bet is an over/under for ALL the NHL games on a given day. Bettors try to predict whether the overall number of goals scored across every game will be higher or lower than the number a book sets.

Hopefully, you’ve got a better sense of the basics of NHL betting now. If you think you’re ready to hop over the boards and get in on the action, just be sure to follow these simple steps:

So now that we’ve got hockey betting explained to a large degree, let’s move into some specific hockey betting tips:

1. Matchups & Trends: As with any sport, it’s not all about how teams match up on paper. Does a particular skater have a goalie’s number? Does a team not handle the physicality of another squad very well? Is a team of mostly rookies going to be at a disadvantage going up against a group of grizzled vets? You’ll want to look at all these factors, along with past performance and head-to-head stats, when you’re evaluating any game on the NHL schedule.
2. Injuries: Unfortunately, injuries always have and will play a big role in how hockey games (and betting lines) play out. As you’d expect, injuries to role players, like checking line forwards, will have less of an impact on lines (and props) than an injury to a starting goalie or a defenseman on the top pair. The better sense you have of how healthy a roster is, the more educated decisions you can make about your bets.
3. Line Movement: As we’ve alluded to, NHL betting lines are not stationary. They’ll move up and down with roster changes, injuries, or heavy money coming in on one side or the other. Don’t be surprised if a line has changed a day (or even a few hours) after you’ve placed your bet.
4. Referees & Playoff Hockey: An important note to call out is that while you may see a fair number of penalties called in most regular season games, the trend in the NHL playoffs is for refs to “let the players play.” As it relates to hockey betting, this is most relevant when you’re looking at props involving power play scoring, but it can also impact the team and game over/unders. This might especially impact a team that does most of its scoring on the man advantage.
5. Managing Money: Betting responsibly is key for NHL betting and any type of betting. You should come up with a standard bet size that helps your bankroll withstand the natural ups and downs of sports betting. You should do research and bet only amounts that you’re comfortable losing. Stick to those principles and avoid betting impulsively or “on tilt,” and you’ll get the most out of your gambling budget. 

1. Team Form and Injuries: More than in some other sports, momentum can substantially affect how a hockey team (and how individual players) perform. A big winning streak may mean that a team has found the right mix of line combos or that a goalie is riding a hot hand. A losing streak, on the other hand, could point to a lack of team chemistry, dwindling confidence, or a series of impactful injuries. Either way, these are all variables to consider when placing bets.
2. Schedule and Travel Effects: The hockey season is a marathon, and an 82-game schedule means that teams will sometimes have to play games on back-to-back nights, or even 3-5 games in a given week, with extensive travel mixed in. This can take a toll on player performance and may even lead the coach to rest certain players during a stretch like that. You’ll want to be aware of the schedule and the gameday lineup.
3. Rivalries and Matchups: Similar to what we noted in the “Matchups and Trends” section above, it’s important to look at how teams and players have fared against each other, historically and recently. Does a particular matchup lead to low-scoring games or offensive explosions? Does a defensive-minded forward always seem to tally a point or two against a particular team or goalie? Does a team seem to feed off the crowd whenever it faces off against a big rival? All of these can be important factors in determining (and predicting) outcomes.

Given everything we’ve discussed in the past few sections, it’s still important to remember that using all of this data and information is not an exact science. However, evaluating and understanding different team and player trends can certainly help you make a more educated guess as to how a particular game or series might play out.

If you can pick up on a trend or tendency that isn’t reflected in the lines for a game, even better; you can try to get out in front of the market to lock in a potential payout that may be mispriced. Momentum and feeling “in the groove” can certainly elevate the play of a particular team or player. While they may not be the sole determining factor in a game, there’s no arguing that they can have a significant effect.

In the end, you should keep in mind that no streak or trend will last forever, but paying attention to them certainly can give you a more informed opinion of how a matchup might play out. 

• Statistical Analysis: Advanced stats like Corsi and Fenwick aim to measure how effective teams are playing, trying to account for some of the “puck luck” that can lead to fluke goals or goals against the run of play. Though no statistic can truly distill how well a team is performing, Corsi and Fenwick attempt to show how a team is truly performing, regardless of the results on the scoreboard.
• Situational Betting: No two teams follow the same path through the course of an NHL season, and remembering that can help set you up for hockey betting success. If one team is more rested while another is on the second night of a back-to-back, you could see a pronounced advantage. If one team has a playoff spot locked up, but another desperately needs the points, that could be reflected in both the lineups and the playing speed of the respective squads. Even for individual players, if a traded player is lining up opposite his old team, he may have a little motivation to light the lamp.
• Weather Conditions: While it only occurs a couple of times a year, the weather can have a big impact on the tempo and style of play for the NHL’s signature outdoor games. Warmer weather can lead to odd puck bounces and a slippery ice sheet, while precipitation can make puck handling and playmaking a tougher task.
• Game Tactics: The X’s and O’s come into play quite a bit with hockey and hockey betting. Certain coaches will play more defensively, “trapping” the puck at mid-ice for long periods of time. Other bench bosses will encourage a free-flowing, attack-minded approach, with less of an emphasis on defensive coverage. Each team's tactics and strategy can give one side a distinct advantage or generally make for a higher- or lower-scoring affair.

38 states allow legal sports betting, and 32 (plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico) allow legal online sports betting.

Legal States & Territories for Online Sports Betting:

• Arizona Sportbooks
• Arkansas Sportbooks
• Colorado Sportbooks
• Connecticut Sportbooks
• Delaware Sportbooks
• Florida Sportbooks
• Illinois Sportbooks
• Indiana Sportbooks
• Iowa Sportbooks
• Kansas Sportbooks
• Kentucky Sportbooks
• Louisiana Sportbooks
• Maine Sportbooks
• Maryland Sportbooks
• Massachusetts Sportbooks
• Michigan Sportbooks
• Nevada Sportbooks
• New Hampshire Sportbooks
• New Jersey Sportbooks
• New York Sportbooks
• North Carolina Sportbooks
• Ohio Sportbooks
• Oregon Sportbooks
• Pennsylvania Sportbooks
• Puerto Rico Sportbooks
• Rhode Island Sportbooks
• Tennessee Sportbooks
• Vermont Sportbooks
• Virginia Sportbooks
• Washington Sportbooks
• Washington, DC Sportbooks
• West Virginia Sportbooks
• Wisconsin Sportbooks
• Wyoming Sportbooks

To know more about sports betting legislation, check our legal sports betting states tracker and stay up to date.

While each state independently licenses online sports betting operators, some major operators are available in most, if not all, locations. Here’s a quick list of the big names in the industry, and you can read our in-depth reviews of them in our hockey betting guide.

• BetRivers Sportsbook Review
• BetMGM Sportsbook Review
• FanDuel Sportsbook Review
• bet365 Sportsbook Review
• Caesars Sportsbook Review
• DraftKings Sportsbook Review
• ESPN BET Sportsbook Review
• Fanatics Sportsbook Review

As you can probably tell, NHL betting has a lot to offer for both recreational sports bettors and seasoned handicappers alike. The uniquely fast-paced but low-scoring sport makes for a number of interesting and entertaining betting markets and a special brand of excitement as you make and follow wagers.

Like any sport, there are a lot of variables that can change the outlook for any game on the schedule. And there are plenty of factors that you should consider before placing bets. Hopefully, after reading our guide, you’ve got a good sense of how talent, momentum, trends, injuries, roster decisions, and more can all come together to inform your decisions.

We encourage you to check out the many resources you can find right here on our site to zero in on not just the types of hockey bets you’re interested in but also what sportsbooks might be a good match for your betting style, frequency, and budget. Hockey betting is popular for a reason, and we’re here to help you find your skating legs as you get started.