What Is an nHL Consensus Pick?

The NHL consensus is the percentage of which hockey lines the public's money is going towards. That number is crucial handicapping information for hockey bettors and can influence your decision to either go with the majority or fade the public.

Whether it's moneylines or totals, NHL consensus picks are a behind-the-scenes look into which teams thousands of hockey fans are voting on. 

We do the hard work for you by gathering the number of bets and picks on every NHL game each night. We'll let you know if 78 percent of bettors are still hopeful for the Toronto Maple Leafs to win against the Tampa Bay Lightning -- the rest is up to you, but our article on the best NHL betting strategiesdoesn't hurt either. 

nHL Consensus Tips & Tricks

First, it's important to remember that betting with the public is not always a good idea -- public consensus will often look skewed to one team early on, so it’s always best to wait a while and see where more of the money is going and where the lines are moving. As always, every bettor is different and can tolerate varying amounts of risk -- go with your gut.

The early bird gets the worm is a good phrase for most things in life. If you are checking NHL odds in the morning, be wary -- betting trends can be one-sided from time to time. This usually means there isn't enough action on the game to accurately determine a good valued line.

Spend some time scrolling through our expert picks, betting trends, or play around with our database to see any betting patterns of the two benches in their last 10 meetings. Then, check back for our NHL consensus data! 

What Is the difference between NHL Consensus Picks and Computer picks?

Simple answer: consensus picks are based on personal beliefs while computer picks strictly use data. 

There are significantly more Washington Capitals fans than Arizona Coyotes supporters -- no offense. Personal bias may skew that matchup as Caps fans are more likely to bet in favor of their squad. 

NHL computer picks are betting predictions made by a reliable computer algorithm, which doesn't make calculation errors. The computer picks and algorithm will consider betting trends, game venue, line-ups, injuries, news updates and weather factors in account. Since it filters strictly facts into its betting strategies, computer picks are essentially more accurate.