Betting NHL Outdoor Games: Factors to Consider When Wagering
How do you bet on an NHL outdoor game? Good question. It’s a little more complicated than looking at the NHL power rankings and picking the best teams.
Since the NHL resumed outdoor games in 2003, with the Heritage Classic in Edmonton between the Oilers and Montreal Canadiens, 45 contests have been staged through the 2025–26 season.
While you can never tell what will happen, we do have some trend lines and tips to guide you if you’re considering checking out NHL sportsbooks and placing a wager on any league-sponsored outdoor games.
Outdoor NHL Betting Tips
Road Teams Have Dominated
Road teams won eight of the first 10 outdoor games and were 15-10 through the first 25. That trend has moderated over time, but road teams still hold a slight edge in the all-time outdoor record. It's tough to say exactly why, but we'll venture one theory: Distractions for the home team.
In games like these, home team players have the burden of playing on unfamiliar ice sheets in an unfamiliar building and dealing with many ticket requests from family and friends. Ask any player who has been to a big playoff series, and they’ll tell you they are often driven batty by the constant distractions over ticket requests for such big games.
Home teams want to put on a big show for everyone, and that can mean players try to do too much. Home players often have family in town for the holidays, extending past the Winter Classic games, and that’s when they can lose focus.
Road teams don’t have to deal with that as much, and that helps them focus on simply winning the game.
However, one thing to keep in mind is that in 2017, home teams swept all four contests.
Consider Betting the Over
From 2016 to 2018, the over was 6-3-1. So, look for teams with tenuous goaltending situations and teams that feature strong attacks and jump in on the NHL goal market.
Watch the Trends
The Flyers lost their first three outdoor attempts in 2012, 2016, and 2017 before finally picking up a win in the 2019 Stadium Series against Pittsburgh.
The New York Rangers have been the best outdoor team in NHL history, going a perfect 6-0 all-time, including wins in the 2012 Winter Classic, both 2014 Stadium Series games, the 2018 Winter Classic, the 2024 Stadium Series, and most recently, the 2026 Winter Classic in Miami, where Mika Zibanejad scored the first hat trick in Winter Classic history.
Which Team is Older?
If you’re betting on one player to better withstand the elements, who do you go with: the younger or the older guy?
This is not proven science, but in harsh outdoor conditions that can include minus temperatures, high winds, and hard ice (or even slushy if the weather is warmer), younger guys probably just have an edge over older guys.
Is it Really Home-Ice Advantage?
In 2014, Toronto played Detroit in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In 2018, Washington and Toronto squared off in Annapolis, Maryland. In 2026, the Winter Classic was played in Miami—the southernmost outdoor game in NHL history—where the Florida Panthers hosted the Rangers as the designated home team.
It’s more of an advantage when the home team has that full-throated roar of the crazy die-hards in attendance. In these outdoor games, it’s more of a social day for everyone. That can help the road team.
