How to bet on the NHL: Top six betting tips

The Vegas Golden Knights raised their 2023 Stanley Cup banner to the rafters this week, which means the Cup is officially up for grabs once again. A new season also means hockey betting is back, so sharpen your pencil and get your notepad out because we’re here to give you some NHL betting tips that could give you the edge to win.

You can check out Sports Interaction’s revamped site for a complete list of NHL game odds, prop bets and futures bets.

How to bet on the NHL

Before you can bet on the NHL you need to know your betting options. Here’s a quick rundown on NHL betting options and you can check out our video above for a more detailed explanation.

Moneyline: This is simply a bet on which team will win a specific game. The favourite will always be listed with a minus number (Ex: -150) and the underdog will always be plus (Ex: +200).

Puckline: Hockey’s version of a spread, the puckline is usually listed at 1.5. That means the favourite, listed at -1.5, must win by two or more goals. The underdog, listed at +1.5, needs to win outright or lose by no more than one goal.

Totals: Also known as Over/Under, each game will have a set total, usually 5.5 to 6.5 goals. You are betting if the total combined goals by both teams is more (Over) or less (Under) than the set total.

Prop betting: Prop betting can range in anything from which player will score the game’s first goal to how many goals will be scored in a specific period.

Futures: The hardest bets to win, but the highest payouts. This is a bet on a future event, such as which team will win the Stanley Cup or will a specific team make or miss the playoffs.

NHL betting tips

Now it’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty of NHL betting with some tips to help you beat the book. As always, the most important tip is to know your limits and never bet more than you can afford to lose.

Schedule

Look at the calendar for both teams. The NHL’s 82-game schedule can be gruelling, so it’s always important to check how well rested each team is. Is one team in the middle of a long home stand or road trip, is one team playing for the second straight night, did one team just travel across the country?

Starting goalies

Always check who the starting goalie for each team will be. The days of the workhorse goalie who plays 70-plus games per season are long gone in the NHL as teams are increasingly relying on tandem situations. There were 107 goalies who logged NHL minutes last season, including 79 who played 10 or more games. That means there were an average of three or more goalies used per team. A team like Tampa Bay becomes a little less dangerous if Jonas Johansson is playing between the pipes in place of Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Special teams

Check the special teams stats as a strong power play can make or break a team’s success. Eight of the top 10 power play teams during the regular season made the playoffs last year while nine of the bottom 10 penalty kill teams missed out. Power plays can determine the outcome of games, but they are also great for live betting. If Edmonton is on the man-advantage, betting Connor McDavid to score the game’s next goal is a very attractive option.

Player props

If you’re not sure about the team, bet the player. Player prop bets take team success out of the equation. These bets come down to individual player’s performances, so you can bet on a player like Connor Bedard without worrying if Chicago wins or loses. If you successfully pick Bedard to score the game’s first goal, the Blackhawks could lose 10-1 and you’ll still be sitting pretty.

Streaks

Always check a team or player’s recent performances because hot and cold streaks can be critical to betting. This is about more than just winning and losing, although those streaks are also a factor. Think outside the box. If Montreal is on a losing streak, but they consistently cover the spread, it’s a good idea to bet on the puckline instead of the moneyline. Or, maybe Nick Suzuki is in the middle of a goal slump, but he has scored in his last three games against Toronto. Get creative in your research because certain streaks can tell you a lot.

Puckline or moneyline?

Consider whether it is better to bet the puckline or the moneyline. Betting the puckline is a great way to hedge your bet if you’re taking the underdog while the moneyline is safer if you bet the favourite. Arizona had a losing regular season record of 28-40-14 last year, but they were a successful 45-37 against the spread. In that situation, bettors were better off taking the ‘Yotes on the puckline. The reverse of Arizona is a team like Toronto, which had a 50-21-11 record in the regular season, but went just 37-45 against the spread. The safer option for the Leafs last year was the moneyline.