NHL Betting Online
The National Hockey League (NHL) was established in 1917 and actually covers two great nations, North America and Canada, and has highly skilled players from about twenty countries. The high standards of the games make them fantastic to watch, especially if you have money riding on them. To ensure you have the best online NHL betting experience possible, we present our guidelines below.
With NHL wagering, there are three types of odds formats used: American, Fractional and Decimal. American odds can be positive or negative. Positive odds give you the potential profit on a wager, while negative odds tell you how much you need to bet to profit by $100 and are usually found on favorites to equalize the field. For example, if a strong team like Calgary plays a weak team like Edmonton, you might have -200 odds and would then need to bet $200 on Calgary to win $100.
Some online American bookmakers also choose Decimal odds, for enjoying their simplicity. These odds show the potential return from bets of one unit. If a team has odds of 3.80, for example, you will win $3.80 for every dollar you bet it they win.
Fractional odds are common with UK bookies and in the media, so it is helpful to understand them. Odds are expressed as fractions, and show the potential profit of a bet. Your wager is multiplied by the fractional odds to determine your profit.
Deciding which team or players to back in NHL games is an art in itself. Check who is in goal position first, as this can set the tone for the entire game, and stay on top of injury reports as well. You can also review all previous statistics and recent history to help you make your decision. As you spend more time betting on NHL games you will get to know what works best for you, but to get you started we have outlined the major types of wagers here.
- With Moneyline bets, you place wagers on a set price instead of a point spread. This means the team you are backing only has to win the game.
- Puck Line bets involve a point spread and a moneyline. The team you bet on must win by the point spread.
- In Total bets, also called Over/Under bets, you need to say whether you think the total number of goals is going to be under or over what the bookmaker predicted.
- The winners of a championship or division are only determined at the end of the season, so laying bets on who will claim these titles means you are placing Future bets.
- Proposition bets are similar to Future bets and use a Moneyline format with game-specific wagers, such as whether a new player will score a goal in his very first NHL game.
- As with other games, Parlays in NHL online betting means you can bet on multiple games on one ticket, and multiply the odds for them all together. This means they can be really rewarding, but they are also risky because every wager on your ticket has to win for you to be paid out.
- A Teaser bet involves two or more selections but unlike in a Parlay you can tease, or adjust, the line to favor you.
| Rank | Site | Bonus | Bet | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | BetOnline |  | 5/5 | 25% Bonus up to $1000 | Bet now |
| 2 |  | TopBet | | 4.9/5 | 50% Deposit bonus | Bet now |
| 3 |  | Sports Betting | | 4.8/5 | 25% Bonus up to $1000 | Bet now |
NHL Betting for You
Now that you have a little more insight into NHL betting, it’s time to get started yourself. Read our reviews of trustworthy online American sports betting sites and start wagering today.