The Best NHL Betting Sites For 2023

With 32 teams each playing an 82-game regular season, NHL betting online can be fun and rewarding. To help you out in your quest to win some Crosby-esque money, we’ve created this guide to help you place your NHL bets. Covering everything from an NHL betting guide, to how to create an account at an NHL sportsbook, so you can start your NHL betting journey.

How To Sign Up At An NHL Betting Site

Signing up at a sportsbook like Sportsbook to start ice hockey betting during the NHL season is an easy process, and like a penalty kill, it only takes a couple of minutes. Select one of the sites from our list above. We have vetted each site to ensure they are safe, secure, easy to use and have odds on all NHL games. You’ll need your email and deposit option to create an account – more on funding your account below.

Deposits And Withdrawals

At the best ice hockey betting sites, you can add real money to your betting bankroll with credit cards (VisaMasterCardAmerican Express), e-wallets (SkrillNeteller, PayPal) and Bitcoin.

Depending on the method you used to back your NHL bets, you may be able to withdraw your winnings the same way. For the most part, withdrawals can take anywhere from a few seconds to a few days. Cryptocurrency is the only type that is instantaneous.

Bonuses And Rewards

After you sign up to wager on hockey at an online betting site, before making your picks, be sure to take advantage of bonus offers. These are incentives for first-time sports bettors that will match a certain percentage of your initial deposit up to a specific amount, like 100 percent up to $200.

That means with these hockey betting best cash bonuses, if you were to add $50 to your account, you’d get another $50 to bet with. You may also be entitled to sport-specific bonuses and free bets.

Please read the terms and conditions associated with any bonus you accept. Each sportsbook has stipulations regarding their rewards and it’s important to understand how the fine print applies to the offer.

Customer Service

Our recommended hockey betting sites are known for their great customer service. Should there be a problem with your account, you can reach the client services team by email, phone and live chat.

NHL Betting Types At Your Sportsbook Of Choice

A little hockey knowledge goes a long way when you start betting on hockey. If you’re already an NHL fan and familiar with the teams and players, you’re off to an excellent start. If you’re new to the game of puck, we have everything you need to handicap your bets when using the best online hockey betting sites:

Sites that offer NHL hockey betting online typically provide the following lines and odds:

 

Moneyline: Picking A Sportsbook Straight Up

A moneyline bet requires you to pick an outright Sportsbook in the matchup. Let’s say the Boston Bruins are playing the Toronto Maple Leafs. The odds on this single-game bet would look something like this:

Bruins -120

Leafs +110

In this scenario, Boston is the favorite – you can see this by the minus sign (-). Toronto is the underdog – you can tell by the plus sign (+). In betting, no matter the sport, the plus and minus signs are universal across all the best NHL sportsbooks. You will always see these symbols next to the odds, regardless of the league or event you’re betting on.

To make this bet, you would need to decide which team you think will win the game. If you were to wager $100 on Boston, you’d get a payout of $183.33 – your original $100 comes back along with your winnings of $83.33.

On the other hand, that same bet on TO would get you a payout of $210 – you get your $100 back along with your prize of $110. Selecting the underdog will result in a larger payout due to the risk of the pick.

However, that doesn’t mean you should bet them blindly. When oddsmakers set the lines, they take everything from injuries to coaching into consideration to ensure that the dog and fave are represented accordingly. Finally, you do not have to bet $100. You can bet any amount you want.

Totals: Combined Score Bets

Also known as OVER/UNDER betting, you would need to decide if the total number of goals scored in the game will go OVER or UNDER the number selected by the oddsmakers.

An example of a totals bet would be:

The combined number of goals for a game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers is set at 5.5 goals. In this case, it wouldn’t matter who wins the game.

If you bet that the total score would be 5 goals or less, you would take the UNDER. If you believe the combined goals scored by both teams will be 6 or more, you would take the OVER.

Another result that can happen with OVER/UNDER betting is a PUSH. This could occur when the total is set as a whole number (without the .5), and the combined score of the game equals that number. When that happens, the hockey sportsbook would refund your wager.

Puckline: The Hockey Point Spread

These bets are like runlines in baseball or the spread in football. For pucklines, the underdog receives an advantage of 1.5 goals and the favorite is given a disadvantage of 1.5 goals.

That means the dog has to win outright or not lose by more than one goal. Conversely, the fave would need to win by at least two goals. Pucklines are always set at 1.5 no matter which teams are playing because hockey is a low-scoring game, with the typical final being 3-2.

Let’s say the San Jose Sharks are the fave vs the Vancouver Canucks. If the Sharks win 4-2, that would be a win for NHL bettors wagering on the Sharks puckline. But, if the final score is 3-2, the Canucks would own the winning bet.

Parlays: Multiple Bets On One Ticket

parlay in NHL betting is when you select multiple hockey games and bet the moneyline, puckline or totals bets and combine them into one wager. In order to win your parlay bet, all selected wagers must hit for your ticket to pay out. If even one of your bets loses, the whole thing is considered a bust.

In-Play Wagering: Betting During The Game

Live betting gives you a chance to bet on a game at any point during the matchup in real time. Live NHL betting odds will be available as the game progresses, allowing you to bet on things such as which team will score next, and if there will be a penalty.

Props: Entertainment Bets

A prop is a bet on player or team milestones that may not directly correlate with the outcome of the game. These are considered more entertaining bets and are made prior to the puck drop. Player and team props usually range from which team will score first to which player could score a goal or how many shots a player might take in a given period.

High-profile games such as those in the NHL playoffs and Stanley Cup Final generally have more prop betting options since there is more at stake – and more opportunity for exciting outcomes like overtime and shootouts.

Futures: Long-Term Bets

These are bets on events that will take place at a later date. Predicting the Sportsbook of the Stanley Cup Final is a futures bet. Another example would be guessing the Eastern or Western Conference champions or who will win the Hart Trophy. Stanley Cup odds are released before the regular season begins and if you get in on them early, you could see yourself with a major payout in NHL online betting.

Now that you know where and how to bet on hockey and the NHL, sharpen your skates and get to betting!

NHL Betting Sites FAQ

What Does +1.5 Mean In Hockey Betting?

In hockey betting, +1.5 indicates the spread (better known as the puckline) within a matchup’s odds. If a team is slated as a +1.5 underdog, this means in order to win a bet placed on that team, they would need to win the game outright or lose by only goal.

How Do You Bet On NHL Games?

There are several strategies and options when learning how to bet on NHL games. First, you will need to pick a sportsbook to deposit with – we recommend Sportsbook. After signing up, check out the NHL odds page and find the bet that seems most attractive to you.

What Is A 3 Way Bet In Hockey?

A 3 Way Bet in hockey is when you wager on the moneyline of a matchup with a draw as an available option. In the NHL, there are no draws, so in hockey betting, if a game goes to overtime, this counts as a draw. This is called a 3 Way Bet as there are three options for betting on that matchup.