BEST NHL BETTING ODDS & LINES
Find the best NHL betting odds and all other NHL betting resources like picks, power rankings, and statistics here. One of the most important resources we can provide to those looking for the best NHL odds is a set of reviews and recommendations for the best NHL betting sites.
Stanley Cup Winners Odds 2024
The odds for the 2024 Stanley Cup winner are subject to change, especially this early into the offseason. Moreover, as each individual game is played throughout the 2023/24 NHL season, we’ll see changes in any live NHL betting lines.
| Western Conference Top 5 | Odds | Eastern Conference Top 5 | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Avalanche | +850 | Toronto Maple Leafs | +900 |
| Edmonton Oilers | +900 | New Jersey Devils | +1100 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | +1100 | Boston Bruins | +1100 |
| Dallas Stars | +1700 | New York Rangers | +1300 |
| Los Angeles Kings | +1800 | Carolina Hurricanes | +1400 |
Toronto Maple Leafs to win the 2024 Stanley Cup
NHL Betting Odds FAQ
For individual games, standard bets include NHL moneylines, totals, and pucklines. Each game can have a wide variety of prop bets, like predicting the team that will score the first goal or win the first period. NHL futures betting includes Stanley Cup futures, conference and division futures, along with betting on individual awards, such as the Hart Trophy for regular season MVP.
For those who want to learn how to bet on hockey in Canada, this page gives tons of great information. But in short, there are two main options for Canadians who wish to bet on the NHL. Online sportsbooks provide a full range of betting on NHL games, along with the usual futures market. Online hockey betting has boomed in the past couple of years and will only bet bigger as the Canadian hockey betting landscape becomes more in-depth.
Provincial sports lotteries like Proline have historically allowed you to bet on NHL games, originally specializing in parlays but shifting to single-game with new regulations.
Every sportsbook caters to a slightly different type of sports bettor. Experienced wagering fans may look for a sportsbook that has a bit of a bigger sign-up incentive and lengthier rollover. Casual NHL bettors may prefer a smaller incentive that’s easier to cash out. Check out different sportsbook sites to find the one that works best for your betting style.
NHL lines change for a multitude of reasons. For example, the volume of bets placed on one team can raise the price of choosing that team and lower the cost of wagering on the other. Injuries to star players will change the odds greatly, along with roster changes like a backup goaltender getting the nod instead of the starter.
The NHL futures market involves predicting an outcome that will happen in the long term, such as the winner of the Stanley Cup, instead of betting on a game in the next day or two. Futures odds change throughout the season according to how well a team plays, injuries, and other competitive variables.
The puckline works similar to a point spread in the NBA and NFL. NHL pucklines involve a winning margin of 1.5 goals. The favorite must win by two goals to win the puckline bet, while the underdog wins the bet if they lose by one goal or win the game outright.
The Stanley Cup started in 1893, but it was first called the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup. In 1915, the first Stanley Cup was given to the best professional team in the world, instead of focusing only on Canadian competition. The NHL Stanley Cup era formally began in 1927, though only one non-NHL team won the famous trophy between 1918 and 1926 (Victoria Cougars of the WCHL, 1925).
This answer can change at a drop of a hat throughout the season. The general favourites at the beginning of the 2023/24 offseason include the Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Edmonton Oilers.
The first NHL champions were the Toronto Arenas, also known as the Torontos or the Blue Shirts, depending on who you asked 105 years ago. This team would eventually become the St. Patricks, and eventually, the Maple Leafs.
At the time, the Stanley Cup was still shared by the NHL and the PCHA (later WCHL, later WHL, later defunct), so the Arenas had to follow their season up by defeating the Vancouver Millionaires – which they did, in a best-of-5 series that went the distance.
The Montreal Canadiens have won the most Stanley Cups in league history, earning 24 Stanley Cup championships. This is eleven more than the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have the second most Stanley Cup wins, despite their lengthy slump.
These are odds using the American betting system, which is the most common in Canada as well. In essence, a “plus” bet means that for every 100 dollars/units you bet, you will get that amount as a profit if you win. A “minus” bet means you will need to place that many dollars/units to get 100 as a profit if you win. So a +200 bet will get you 200 dollars/units in profit if you are correct.
Understanding the NHL Vegas odds is key to getting the best edge with your NHL futures bets and general hockey prop bets.
Generally this is in reference to the puckline, which is another name for the moneyline in other sports, or “spread betting”.
An team that finds themselves as an underdog to win outright might be seen as capable of holding their opponent within a certain amount goals, so the puckline is available for those who aren’t sure of victory, but are sure of a solid effort. +1.5 in this context would mean that you expect the underdog to keep the score within two goals. The odds will be shorter than if you pick them for victory, but it’s an avenue you can take with your NHL odds today if you aren’t certain of victory (or, if you take the team at -1.5 – if you expect a big win)!
NHL Vegas Odds
There are many types of NHL Vegas odds available to be played, and the NHL Las Vegas odds are not limited to just during the season of play. For example, at Bet365, you can already wager on which team will win the 2024 Stanley Cup.
The NHL Vegas lines are the NHL betting lines, and the variety of offerings is limitless. NHL betting in Canada is excellent, with customers getting not only competitive odds, but top-tier markets to choose from.
There are opportunities to wager on pre-match odds for individual games, live odds during individual games, and futures for both teams and individual players, in such categories as rookie of the year and MVP.
Related content: The best NHL bet of 18/19 season: This Blues fan turned $400 into $100K in Vegas!
The hockey season may come to an end, but there are always NHL betting markets available. We are here to help sports betting fans in Canada place their best NHL wagers.
- One of the most important NHL Futures are the Stanley Cup odds. This market is hot, and available to bettors throughout the entire year.
- Betting on the NHL Playoffs is another popular bet for fans of NHL futures. You can bet on who will make it to the playoffs and how far.
- The Hart Trophy goes to the most valuable player in the National Hockey League. Check out the latest NHL MVP odds.
- That’s not the only award in the MVP. Check out the latest odds for all the hockey awards given out on a yearly basis. These include the Art Ross Trophy (points leader) and Norris Trophy (best defenceman).
- For big sports fans, betting on your favourite hockey team is a great way to organize your wagering portfolio.
- For hockey fans in general, you can expand beyond the NHL professional sphere and check out the bets for the World Junior Hockey Championship.
How does the 2023/24 NHL season work
The 2023/24 NHL season is set to operate just like the one prior – a phrase we’ve come to appreciate after pandemic-related disruptions in 2020 and 2021. The regular season is scheduled to have 82 games and runs from October to April – not as compact as a typical year to leave room for the odd rescheduling, but landing on the correct months nonetheless.
Teams play in four divisions: The Atlantic, Metropolitan, Central, and Pacific.
- Atlantic Division: Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Metropolitan Divison: Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals
- Central Division: Arizona Coyotes, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues, Winnipeg Jets
- Pacific Division: Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, Seattle Kraken, Vancouver Canucks, Vegas Golden Knights
How will the playoffs work?
The first two rounds will be played against divisional rivals and the four remaining teams will be re-seeded for the new Stanley Cup Semifinals. All rounds will use the classic 7-game format.
When preparing for NHL betting, remember that each of the 31 NHL teams will contest an 82-game regular-season schedule, playing 41 games at home and 41 on the road.
The schedule breakdown sees every team play a home-and-home set with the teams in the opposing conference and three games against the teams in the other division within their conference.
All remaining regular-season games are intra-divisional matchups.
The NHL betting lines on the Stanley Cup playoffs are different. They are NHL futures, meaning you should have something of a different strategy. Be more careful to watch as the lines shift over time as the regular season advances.
The top three teams in each of the four divisions and the two best Wild Cards qualify for postseason play. This means that the main competition happens within each division. These games have more on the line, as a win for you is also a loss for your rival. Wild cards are decided by points. The next two teams in terms of total points in each conference advance. This crosses the traditional divisional boundaries.
Four rounds of best-of-seven series are conducted and there’s no crossover between the two conferences until the champions of the Eastern and Western Conferences clash in the Stanley Cup final.
How to bet on Hockey Games
The most popular NHL game odds available is the moneyline. When wagering on NHL moneylines, it’s simply about picking which team will win the game outright.
As a generally competitive league, NHL moneylines on favourites often open between 1.56 and 1.71, with underdogs around 2.20 to 2.50.
The closest games are between division rivals neaar to each other in the standings. When the Anaheim Ducks visited the Vancouver Canucks late in the 2018-19 season (and the teams were only two points apart in the standings), Vegas opened the Ducks as 2.15 underdogs and the Canucks at 1.74 favourites.
When NHL game odds are this close, the difference is typically due to home-ice advantage. But when the best team in the league plays the one of the worst, the lines can open much wider.
When the league-leading Lightning hosted the woeful Ottawa Senators in March 2019, Tampa Bay opened at 1.20 on the moneyline, and Ottawa was the underdog at 5.00.
NHL odds these far apart are rare and only occur a few times per season.
Another popular betting option available on NHL games throughout the regular season and playoffs is the puck line. The puck line is a fixed 1.5 point spread on hockey games.
Around 40 percent of the games on an average NHL season are decided by one goal. The large number of single-goal games can make the puck line a trickier bet than merely picking a winner on the moneyline.
The puck line turns NHL moneyline favourites into underdogs, because they are giving away 1.5 goals. Underdogs get favourite odds because they are theoretically starting the game with 1.5-0 lead.
Outside of the moneylines, the most popular bets on NHL hockey games are over/under wagers, also referred to as total bets.
Opening odds on most NHL over/under lines are gerenally 1.91 for both options. Those odds will be altered if the public is wagering heavily on one side of the equation.
A total is established for combined goals scored in the game by both teams. You wager on whether they will go over or under that total.
With a recent increase in scoring, the average over/under line is opening at 6.0. Even lines of 7.0 are popping up on sportsbooks websites.
Where Can You Find The Best NHL Prop Bets?
Prop bets are fun and popular wagers that have come to grow exponentially in how they’ve been embraced by the betting public since they were first introduced to sports betting in the mid-1980s.
A prop bet – short for proposition bet – is exactly that, a proposition wager on an outcome from an event within a larger event. As with all sports, the NHL hockey odds offer plenty of options when it comes to prop wagering.
Future book wagers can often be prop bets.
You are wagering on the outcome of a team’s season, or perhaps an individual player’s campaign. It might be a prop offering over/under plays on total goals by the player. It could be a play on who you think will be the NHL’s leading goal scorer.
Events like the Conn-Smythe Trophy, the NHL All-Star Game, and the NHL entry draft tend to lend themselves to a variety of prop bets. The outcome of the all-star game isn’t a great play from a wagering standpoint, so wagers on who will be named MVP on the total goals scored tend to be more reliable bets.
The draft is full of dramatic twists and turns. Pegging where a player will be selected in the draft are common prop wager offerings. Because of these dramatic twists, hockey props can be especially difficult to master.
Even expert bettors can have a tough time with props. That is because we so often focus on the end result: who won and what was the final score. Getting a hold on these details is basic, the first step. With props, it is not enough.
When looking to make the best hockey prop wagers, you also have to understand the details of each player and how they perform throughout the game. if they typically come out strong and tire out or if they have more stamina. To master hockey props, you have to be intimately familiar with the players and the teams.
Who has the best app for NHL betting?
There was a day not so long ago when the only way to legally place a wager on a sporting event in North America was to book a travel junket to Las Vegas.
Technology has shrunk the world smaller and made virtually everything available at our fingertips without leaving our homes. Thanks to online sportsbooks, this also applies to sports betting.
Still, in this fast-paced world, there are times when we are left with no choice but to leave home. The good news is that when we do, we can take the sportsbook with us thanks to our mobile device.
All of our sportsbook partners offer mobile access, and you’ll find plenty of choices in this area when seeking out a site compatible with your mobile device.
Sports Interaction’s mobile site offers full services through smartphones and tablets without a dedicated download. No need to add an app to chew up valuable memory on your device to gain access to all your NHL betting needs.
When it comes to mobile apps, Bet365 offers the top mobile site for those whose mobile device of choice is an Android device. Those with iPhones will be best served by Spin Palace Sports.
When seeking out a mobile site, look for a clean one-touch menu that fits any size screen and is compatible with all popular forms of online payment solutions. You’ll want the login to be quick and the navigation to be simple and easy to manipulate.
They should be accessible anywhere a cell phone signal can be picked up in Canada and should provide bettors with the platforms they’d get on a desktop version of the site.
How to Bet on Hockey Games
When seeking out the NHL best bets, time and effort are vital components to winning wagers.
Some trends can be unearthed which will open a window into how to bet on a specific game. Maybe one team has endured a long losing streak against its next opponent, or perhaps they’re heading into a rink where wins have proven to be few and far between.
A little research goes a long way toward wagering success stories. It pays dividends to do your homework on NHL betting tips.
Is a team at the end of a long road trip, banged up and worn out?
East coast teams playing West Coast night games are prone to be upset because they are taking the ice just before their usual bedtime.
Likewise, a Pacific Coast team skating in an afternoon game on the East Coast would be performing around the time when they’d normally be just sitting down to breakfast.
Here are some of the basic questions you should be asking as you go to place your hockey bets:
- Are there any players injured?
- How important are they? Who is the backup?
- Are the teams tired from hard-fought matches?
- Is the media narrative affecting the odds?
- Am I overvaluing my favourite team because I want them to win?
Is the power play struggling?
The team that wins the special teams battle wins the vast majority of NHL games. That’s why it’s essential to know where the strong power plays are located, as well as which teams are strong at the penalty kill.
A mismatch in this area will almost always determine the final outcome when it comes to NHL betting odds.
These are all factors to consider when wagering. Is a team playing its backup goalie? Was a key player injured in the last game? Are their top scorers slumping, or are they hotter than blacktop in July? Knowing all of these elements will make you a winner at wagering on NHL game odds.
Fortunately, there are options at Canada Sports Betting that can provide some of the answers to these questions. Use NHL Free Picks to access expert analysis and unearth the best NHL betting lines.
How to get the most out of NHL Betting Lines?
Once you’ve made the decision that hockey betting odds are something of interest, in order to make the best bets for NHL today you’ll want to find the sportsbook with the top NHL betting odds.
While every sportsbook will offer NHL betting tips, it’s in your best interest to shop around and study what each online book has to offer, to see where you can make NHL’s best bets.
Check out the bonus offers and other special promotions each site provides, to see which are most in line with the sorts of wagers you’ll want to play. How compatible are their mobile sites with your device of choice?
Compare the NHL markets because there are plenty of good NHL betting sites. Are you interested in live betting, future books, props or straight moneyline wagering? Determine how you want to bet and then decide which sportsbook provides the best ice hockey betting tips.
Look at the odds on offer. Is one site slightly looser with their odds than others? Which sportsbooks are the quickest to post their NHL odds tonight? This can be especially vital at the most important time of year when you are seeking out the best NHL playoff betting odds.
The site that answers yes to your questions with the most frequency is likely the sportsbook that best fits your needs as a bettor.
How to find the best welcome bonus for NHL betting odds?
Just about any sportsbook that you sign up with will entice you to join with some sort of bonus offer. These bonuses can take on several forms, so you’ll want to determine which offer best serves your NHL game odds.
You’ll want to compare bonuses before betting at any site.
Some sportsbooks will offer anywhere from a 50 to 100 percent matching sign up bonus for NHL betting Canada, where they add that amount to your account upon your first deposit.
Another popular bonus item is a free bet. Offered at a pre-determined maximum dollar amount, this bonus enables you to bet for the first time risk free. Win and you cash in. Lose and they’ll refund the entire amount of the losing wager to your account.
For instance, Spin Palace Sports Review shows that they offer a $200 free bet to new players.
No deposit bonuses are just what they say. You’ll get a specific cash sum deposited to your account instantly upon joining the sportsbook.
All of these bonus offers will come with restrictions applied to them. Rollover requirements – the number of times you must wager the bonus money before you are permitted to cash out – are fairly standard. There may also be limits of what types of wagers you are permitted to play.
Always familiarize yourself with the terms and conditions prior to signing up.
Which Sportsbook has the highest NHL betting odds?
At the Canada Sports Betting site, you’ll find that there are dozens of sportsbooks partners, and all of them are capable of offering NHL game odds today.
By utilizing the Canada Sports Betting odds widget, you can comparison shop between multiple sportsbooks to locate the best hockey odds today.
For example, let’s suppose the Tampa Bay Lightning were playing the Florida Panthers. You want to place a moneyline wager on the Lightning.
At one sportsbook, the Lightning is listed as 1.25 favorites to beat the Panthers. But you check around, and at a rival sportsbook, the price on the Lightning is 1.37. On a $100 wager, you’d make $25 profit on a winning wager at odds of 1.25. But the payout on the wager at odds of 1.37 would be $37. You’re $12 further ahead if you play the second set of odds.
The same comparative shopping should be utilized on all sorts of wagers, everything from live in-play bets, to prop wagers and especially future book wagers.
The variables on future wagers are perhaps the widest you’ll see from sportsbook to sportsbook. If the Lightning were at odds of 8.50 at one sportsbook to win the Stanley Cup, you’d win $750 on a $100 bet.
But jump those odds up to 10.0 at another sportsbook and now you’ll pocket $950 profit on that same $100 play if Tampa Bay were to win the Stanley Cup.
Which Sportsbook has the most NHL Odds tonight?
Everyone likes action. We’re a fast-paced, digitally-driven society and the world of online sportsbooks recognizes this absolute fact of life. That being said, when it comes to providing action, you’ll discover that the levels vary in the different sportsbooks.
There are sportsbooks that get their NHL betting odds up for that day’s games bright and early in the morning. Bet365 is known to be among the fastest to post their hockey odds today.
There can be valid reasons why the NHL game odds today are delayed. It could be that they are waiting to hear about whether an injured player is going to suit up or to discover which netminders are starting for each team.
When betting on tonight’s NHL games, if you’re someone who is enticed by live game props, then you’ll want to check out Bet365.
PowerPlay offers a unique prop wager on its NHL game odds. Place a pre-match bet on any NHL team. If your selection proves a winner and the team you wagered on scores a shorthanded goal, PowerPlay will give you an additional 100 percent on top of your winnings.
If NHL future book wagering is what you desire, you’ll find a buffet of options at Sports Interaction (SIA). They offer Odds for all NHL teams in markets on the outcome of the Stanley Cup final, conference finals and the race for top spot in each division.
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All-Time NHL Champions
Here is a list of all the winners of the NHL Stanley Cup:
- Ottawa Senators – 1927
- New York Rangers – 1928
- Boston Bruins – 1929
- Montreal Canadiens – 1930
- Montreal Canadiens -1931
- Toronto Maple Leafs – 1932
- New York Rangers – 1933
- Chicago Blackhawks – 1934
- Montreal Maroons – 1935
- Detroit Red Wings – 1936
- Detroit Red Wings – 1937
- Chicago Blackhawks – 1938
- Boston Bruins – 1939
- New York Rangers – 1940
- Boston Bruins – 1941
- Toronto Maple Leafs – 1942
- Detroit Red Wings 1943
- Montreal Canadiens – 1944
- Toronto Maple Leafs- 1945
- Montreal Canadiens – 1946
- Toronto Maple Leafs – 1947
- Toronto Maple Leafs – 1948
- Toronto Maple Leafs – 1949
- Detroit Red Wings – 1950
- Toronto Maple Leafs – 1951
- Detroit Red Wings – 1952
- Montreal Canadiens – 1953
- Detroit Red Wings – 1954
- Detroit Red Wings – 1955
- Montreal Canadiens – 1956
- Montreal Canadiens – 1957
- Montreal Canadiens -1958
- Montreal Canadiens – 1959
- Montreal Canadiens – 1960
- Chicago Black Hawks – 1961
- Toronto Maple Leafs – 1962
- Toronto Maple Leafs – 1963
- Toronto Maple Leafs – 1964
- Montreal Canadiens – 1965
- Montreal Canadiens – 1966
- Toronto Maple Leafs – 1967
- Montreal Canadiens – 1968
- Montreal Canadiens – 1969
- Boston Bruins – 1970
- Montreal Canadiens – 1971
- Boston Bruins – 1972
- Montreal Canadiens – 1973
- Philadelphia Flyers – 1974
- Philadelphia Flyers – 1975
- Montreal Canadiens – 1976
- Montreal Canadiens – 1977
- Montreal Canadiens – 1978
- Montreal Canadiens – 1979
- New York Islanders – 1980
- New York Islanders – 1981
- New York Islanders – 1982
- New York Islanders – 1983
- Edmonton Oilers – 1984
- Edmonton Oilers – 1985
- Montreal Canadiens – 1986
- Edmonton Oilers – 1987
- Edmonton Oilers – 1988
- Calgary Flames – 1989
- Edmonton Oilers -1990
- Pittsburgh Penguins – 1991
- Pittsburgh Penguins – 1992
- Montreal Canadiens – 1993
- New York Rangers – 1994
- New Jersey Devils – 1995
- Colorado Avalanche – 1996
- Detroit Red Wings – 1997
- Detroit Red Wings – 1998
- Dallas Stars – 1999
- New Jersey Devils – 2000
- Colorado Avalanche – 2001
- Detroit Red Wings – 2002
- New Jersey Devils – 2003
- Tampa Bay Lightning – 2004
- Carolina Hurricanes – 2006
- Anaheim Ducks – 2007
- Detroit Red Wings – 2008
- Pittsburgh Penguins – 2009
- Chicago Blackhawks – 2010
- Boston Bruins – 2011
- Los Angeles Kings – 2012
- Chicago Blackhawks – 2013
- Los Angeles Kings – 2014
- Chicago Blackhawks – 2015
- Pittsburgh Penguins – 2016
- Pittsburgh Penguins – 2017
- Washington Capitals – 2018
- St- Louis Blues – 2019
- Tampa Bay Lightning – 2020
- Tampa Bay Lightning – 2021
- Colorado Avalanche – 2022
- Vegas Golden Knights – 2023
