NHL Betting – Everything You Need to Know 2021

By Betting.com | Sponsored Content

PUBLISHED: November 18, 2021 at 7:22 a.m. | UPDATED: November 18, 2021 at 7:22 a.m.

When it comes to NHL betting, this is still a sport that’s drawing very little attention. If there was a Mount Rushmore of popular sports to bet on, then the NHL would be looking up from the ground at four other major sports.

NHL betting is starting to grow though, and it’s best that you learn about hockey betting before it really starts to take off. This is a fast-paced sport that is played by men who drive the prices of dental insurance, and NHL betting is starting to move in that direction as well.

Most popular Sportsbooks for NHL betting that we tested:

T&C Apply, you must be at least 21 years old, please read all terms on the sportsbook site.

So what exactly is it that you need to know about NHL betting before you’re able to start winning some money? Grab a seat in your most comfortable chair and read on to find out how to score more on NHL betting than Wayne Gretzky scored on opponents.

How to Place Successful Bets on the NHL

If you’ve ever heard, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take,” then you are familiar with the first step to place a successful bet on the NHL, and you’ve come across a second reference to Gretzky in this guide to NHL betting. This NHL betting guide will attempt to give you a hockey assist to set you down the right path, but it’s really all up to you at that point.

The first step to being successful when betting on the NHL is doing research, research, and even more research. Just as the Colorado Avalanche put together a scouting report for their opponents, you must also do some scouting before making a bet.

Sure, doing research is boring and can be a nightmare, but losing your entire bankroll because you’re not prepared is a reality you don’t want to deal with. Not only do you need to research, but you also need to know how NHL betting works and which NHL betting markets are available.

This is where we come in and we will provide better coaching than the legendary hockey coach, Scotty Bowman. You think you are ready to learn more about NHL betting?

NHL Betting Markets

Before strapping on the gear and taking the ice, you must first know how to skate. Similarly, you must first understand the different NHL betting markets that are available before you start placing some wagers.

We’ll use the Colorado Avalanche and the Minnesota Wild as examples to help explain some of the most popular betting markets. Of course, it’ll be the Avalanche that are the favorites against the lowly Wild.

Having this knowledge will have you on the power play and ready to score some winning bets at the betting site of your choosing.

NHL Moneyline bets

If you’re just getting into NHL hockey betting then your first step should be a moneyline bet. This is the easiest bet to make, and it’s also the easiest betting type to explain and understand.

With a moneyline bet, you’re simply placing a bet on which team will win the game. If that team is victorious then you can also pop some champagne and celebrate your win.

Colorado Avalanche -160
Minnesota Wild +140

In the situation above, it would take a $160 bet on the Avalanche to win $100, while a $100 bet on the Wild would result in a win of $140. Of course, winning the bet is ultimately more important than the payout, but it’s something to keep in mind when making a moneyline bet.

NHL Spread betting / Puck Lines betting

“Betting against the spread” is as common of a phrase in the sports betting industry as “icing the puck” is in hockey. When it comes to NHL betting on the spread, it looks and acts a bit differently.

Instead of a spread, it’s known as a puck line in the NHL, and it’s almost always set at 1.5 goals either way. This puck line is how many goals a team would have to win by or lose by for the bet to hit.

Colorado Avalanche -1.5
Minnesota Wild +1.5

Not only do the Avalanche need to beat the Wild, but they need to win the game by at least two goals to be the right selection. The Wild, while still losing, can simply keep the deficit to just one goal to make them the right team to bet on.

Pulling the goalie is always fun for hockey fans, but it can be a nightmare for you if you’re taking the 1.5 goals on the puckline.

NHL Prop Betting

If you’re someone that likes to live on the wild side a bit, then perhaps prop betting is the right choice for you. NHL prop betting is an area that continues to grow and expand, especially at sportsbooks such as Betway and BetMGM.

There are two kinds of NHL prop bets: skill and fun. You can also find prop betting options for both individual players and for teams.

Prop betting typically doesn’t have anything to do with the outcome of the game, but rather on things that’ll take place within a game. The most famous prop bet of them all is on the coin flip for crying out loud!

Prop betting options will come around more often during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and each sportsbook will do things a bit differently here. If you’re making a “fun” prop bet then you better hope you have more luck than the Arizona Coyotes have had finding a goalie.

Here are some examples of prop bets that you might be able to find:

Over/Under 2.5 total points for Nathan MacKinnon
Will the Colorado Avalanche record at least one power play goal
Over/Under 6.5 total penalties in the Avalanche/Wild game
Will the zamboni break down in between periods (we told you these are random)?

NHL Totals

There traditionally isn’t a ton of scoring being done in the NHL, but you can still make a wager on the total number of goals being scored. This betting market is sometimes referred to as an over/under, because those are your only two options.

This is a bet that doesn’t require you to pick which team will win the game, and that can take some pressure off. You still have to make a sound choice to win this bet, but it’s entirely different than the first two markets discussed.

Colorado Avalanche vs. Minnesota Wild
Over/Under 5.5 Goals

If the Avs and Wild combine for at least six goals then the over would be the right play. If the offenses take a night off and five or fewer goals are scored then betting the under would win.

NHL Parlay bets

If you’re looking to win big and feel like Floyd “Money” Mayweather then you need to look into parlay betting. It should also be noted that sportsbooks encourage this form of wagering because bettors tend to get carried away at times.

A parlay bet is a “combination” wager and you’re in complete control. You’re able to add many different “legs” or bets to the parlay, and it makes the potential payout larger with each leg that you add.

Of course, there is also a catch as adding each leg also increases the risk of losing that parlay. Unless you are getting some parlay insurance from sites such as Betway and BetMGM. Then you have to hit each leg to win.

This is the ultimate go-big-or-go-home wager.

NHL Live betting

Hockey is a fun sport to watch because it’s played at such a fast pace, and NHL live betting falls right in line with that. Live NHL betting is an experience unlike any other, and there’s a rush that is felt when making these bets.

Live betting odds are available on nearly all of the options discussed above, but you don’t have much time to think before making a decision. If you’re someone that tends to overthink things then this might not be the right betting option for you.

NHL Betting Strategy

When you’re looking to put together an NHL betting strategy, there are a number of different ways to go. These strategies can start out small and then get more complex and complicated over time.

The best NHL betting strategy to use is to start small and then go up from there. You can’t jump on the ice if you don’t know how to skate, and you can’t start winning bets until you spend some time getting settled.

Another betting strategy to use is to set a unit size and use that same unit for all of your bets. A “unit” is the amount of money that you’re willing to wager, and it should fall in line with your overall bankroll management plan.

So now the question is, how many different times can you use an NHL betting strategy during the NHL season?

NHL Schedule

After making some changes to the regular season schedule in 2020-21, the NHL has returned to a normal schedule for the 2021-22 season. Each team plays an 82-game schedule, which might be about 30 games too long for a team that can’t seem to find a win.

There are a total of 1,312 regular season NHL games, and the season stretches from October through April. If that’s enough time to get your NHL betting going, we don’t know what is. For teams such as the Colorado Avalanche, this is just a tune-up for the real fun in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Eight teams from each conference then advance to the playoffs, which presents even more NHL betting opportunities online. If you’ve ever seen how cool it looks when players drink out of the Stanley Cup then you know why teams fight so hard to reach the postseason.

Each round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is a best-of-seven format, with the final two teams ultimately meeting up in the Finals. The Stanley Cup is traditionally awarded in June, just as most of the country is heading for a beach.

Now that you have a better idea of how the schedule works, you are probably wondering how to find the best NHL picks? That answer is coming up quicker than you can say, “Zamboni machine.”

Where to Find the Best NHL Picks?

You might think that simply doing a quick Google search is the best way to find NHL betting picks, but you couldn’t be more wrong. There are two places to look when you want to find NHL picks, and both sites will have a full slate of picks each day.

The Denver Post and Betting.com will both have these picks available to you, and no, the Colorado Avalanche won’t be picked to win every single night. Both of these sites know their hockey though, and you’d be a fool to look elsewhere.

Doing your own research is important as well, but you also want to compare your picks to the “experts.” Let’s face it, you can use all of the help you can get.

NHL Odds comparison and Live odds

Before you make any bet on an NHL game you first need to “shop around” and do an NHL odds comparison at several different sportsbooks. Even though you typically won’t find a huge disparity in the odds, every little bit can help when betting on the NHL.

Unfortunately, this isn’t really an option when you are live betting as there just isn’t enough time. These odds are posted in real-time, and the odds can change depending on what takes place in the game.

NHL Expert Predictions

Stop me if you have heard this before, but the Colorado Avalanche are the betting favorites to win the Stanley Cup this season. It’s deja vu all over again as Yogi Berra would say, but at some point, the Avalanche have to cash in.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have won the title two straight years in a row, and the Vegas Golden Knights are always in contention. Colorado should have another great regular season, but they have to find a way to deliver in the postseason.

This year just feels like the perfect year for Colorado to cash in and win the Stanley Cup. Tampa Bay can’t win the title every year, and that will open up a new spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Avalanche against the Florida Panthers feels like the correct pick to meet up in the Stanley Cup Finals. The streak will finally end for the Avalanche as they win the title.

Conclusion

The Denver Post and Betting.com are two of the best sources to find terrific hockey picks before visiting a site such as DraftKings and FanDuel to make your wagers. Sportsbooks are starting to offer new and exciting ways to bet on hockey, and those were all covered earlier in this review.

The Colorado Avalanche are one of the teams helping to make this sport popular, but we are even hoping to help fans of the hated Vegas Golden Knights. There are some great betting opportunities available when it comes to hockey, especially if you put together a sound strategy.

Don’t let the ice melt before you get to the mobile betting app and place your first NHL bet. Use the information from this NHL review and take your best (slap)shot at the sportsbook.

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