NHL betting

How the NHL season shapes the betting

The NHL has 32 teams, and each plays 82 regular-season games. Sixteen teams reach the playoffs, which run as four rounds of best-of-seven series, ending with the Stanley Cup Final. That gives you games almost every night from October to April, and a second, slower betting season in the spring when every series can swing on one goal.

Two rules matter more for betting than anything else:

• Regular-season overtime. A game tied after 60 minutes goes to five minutes of three-on-three sudden-death overtime, then to a shootout if nobody scores.
• Playoff overtime. There is no shootout. Teams play full 20-minute five-on-five periods until someone scores.

Every market below depends on whether it counts overtime and the shootout or only the first 60 minutes. Sportsbooks print this in the market name or the rules, and it is the first thing to check.

Moneyline: who wins the game

The moneyline is the simplest NHL bet: you pick the winner. At most sportsbooks the standard moneyline includes overtime and the shootout, so a 3-2 shootout win counts as a win.

Many sportsbooks also offer a three-way line, often called "regulation time" or "60-minute line". Here a tie after three periods is its own result, and overtime does not count. Because a tie is possible, both teams pay more than on the standard moneyline. If you think a game will be close, the tie can be worth a look; if you just want the winner, use the two-way line. Three-way betting is the default in soccer, where it is called 1X2.

Worked example

Say a game is priced Vancouver -150 (1.67) and Calgary +130 (2.30).

• Vancouver -150: you stake $15 to win $10 profit. If Vancouver wins, you get $25 back.
• Calgary +130: a $10 bet wins $13 profit. If Calgary wins, you get $23 back.

Puck line: hockey's point spread

The puck line is the NHL version of a handicap, almost always set at 1.5 goals. The favourite at -1.5 has to win by two goals or more. The underdog at +1.5 covers if it wins outright or loses by exactly one goal.

Because most NHL games are decided by one or two goals, the puck line changes the prices a lot. A favourite at -150 on the moneyline is often an underdog price on the puck line, for example +160 (2.60): a $10 bet returns $26 if it wins by two or more. The other side, +1.5 at -190 (1.53), costs $19 to win $10.

One hockey detail decides many puck-line bets: the empty net. A team trailing by one late in the game usually pulls its goalie for an extra skater, and an empty-net goal can turn a one-goal win into a two-goal win in the last minute. That is why the -1.5 side pays well but loses often by a single goal.

Totals: over or under

A total is a bet on the combined number of goals, regardless of who wins. NHL totals are usually set at 5.5 or 6.5 goals, with the half-goal there so the bet cannot tie. Check whether the total includes overtime: at most sportsbooks it does, but a shootout usually adds only one goal to the final score, however many shooters score.

Example: Over 6.5 at -110 (1.91). You stake $11 to win $10, or a $10 bet returns $19.09. If the game ends 4-3, the over wins; at 3-2 it loses.

Things that move totals: the starting goalies, injuries, back-to-back games (the second night often brings a backup goalie) and how a team has been scoring lately. Starting goalies are often confirmed only on game day, so a total you bet in the morning can look very different by puck drop.

Period bets

Each NHL game has three 20-minute periods, and sportsbooks price each one as a small game of its own. Common period markets are:

• Period result: a three-way bet on who wins the period, with a tie as its own result. First periods end tied often, so the tie is usually priced short.
• Period total: over or under a line such as 1.5 goals in the first period.
• Highest-scoring period and first team to score.

Period bets settle fast, which also makes it easy to bet too often. Treat them as separate bets with their own stake, not a way to win back a game bet.

Player and game props

Props are bets on events inside a game rather than on the result. In the NHL the most common are:

• Anytime goalscorer and first goalscorer.
• Player points (goals plus assists), for example over 0.5 points.
• Shots on goal for a skater, such as over 2.5 shots.
• Goalie saves, such as over 27.5 saves.

Read the rules before you bet a prop. Sportsbooks differ on what happens if a player is scratched or leaves the game early (some void the bet, some do not), and on whether overtime goals count. Prop prices also carry a larger margin than the main lines, so you need to be right more often for them to pay.

Futures: the Stanley Cup and the awards

A future is a bet on something that settles weeks or months later. The biggest NHL future is the Stanley Cup winner, priced before the season starts and updated all year. Other futures include conference and division winners, whether a team makes the playoffs, and season awards such as the Hart Trophy (most valuable player), the Vezina (best goalie), the Norris (best defenceman), the Calder (best rookie) and the Conn Smythe (playoff MVP).

Futures can pay large prices, for example +1200 (13.00), where a $10 bet returns $130. The cost is time: your money is tied up until the market settles, and the sportsbook's margin on a market with 32 teams is wider than on a single game. Check the operator's rules on what happens if a season is shortened.

Live betting

Live (in-game) betting lets you bet while the game is on, with odds that change after every goal, penalty and goalie pull. A power play, a shot count that leans heavily one way or a team chasing the game late all move the prices within seconds.

• Expect delays. Sportsbooks hold live bets for a few seconds before accepting them, and odds can change in that time.
• Streams run behind. A TV or stream feed can be several seconds behind the sportsbook's data, so the price you see may already be stale.
• Cash-out is not everywhere. Some sportsbooks let you settle a bet early for a smaller amount; others do not offer it on every market. Check before you rely on it.

Live betting is fast, and fast betting is where losses grow quickest. Decide your stake before the game starts.

Betting on Canadian teams

Seven NHL teams play in Canada:

• Atlantic Division: Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators.
• Central Division: Winnipeg Jets.
• Pacific Division: Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks.

Canadian teams draw a lot of money from Canadian bettors, especially on Saturday nights and in the playoffs, and sportsbooks know it. When most of the money lands on one side, the price on that side can be shorter than the team's real chance would justify. Betting on your own team is fine as entertainment; just set the stake you would set on any other game.

Canadian rivalries, such as Toronto against Montreal or the Battle of Alberta between Calgary and Edmonton, also tend to bring more props, specials and live markets than a regular game.

For the record: no Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup since the Montreal Canadiens in 1993. Edmonton came closest lately, losing the Final to Florida in both 2024 and 2025.

American odds, decimal odds and what they mean

Most North American sportsbooks show American odds, and many let you switch to decimal in the settings. Here is how to read both.

Negative odds: the favourite

A minus number shows how much you stake to win $100 profit. At -150 you stake $150 to win $100, so $15 wins $10. To convert to decimal, divide 100 by the number and add 1: 100 / 150 = 0.67, plus 1 = 1.67.

Positive odds: the underdog

A plus number shows the profit on a $100 stake. At +130 a $100 bet wins $130, so $10 wins $13. To convert, divide by 100 and add 1: 130 / 100 = 1.30, plus 1 = 2.30.

Decimal odds: total return

A decimal price is the total you get back per $1, stake included. A $10 bet at 2.30 returns $23: your $10 plus $13 profit.

Implied probability and the margin

Odds also tell you the chance the sportsbook gives each result. For decimal odds, divide 1 by the price: 1.67 is about 60%, and 2.30 is about 43.5%. Add the two sides of the Vancouver and Calgary game together and you get about 103.5%, not 100%. Those extra 3.5 points are the sportsbook's margin, and it is why you need to win more than half your even-money bets just to break even.

Parlays

A parlay combines several bets into one. Every leg has to win, and the prices multiply, so the payout grows quickly and so does the chance of losing.

Example: Winnipeg to win at -125 (1.80) and Montreal to win at +120 (2.20). The parlay price is 1.80 x 2.20 = 3.96. A $10 parlay returns $39.60 if both win, and nothing if either loses. Add a third leg, over 6.5 goals in another game at -110 (1.91), and the price becomes about 7.56, so $10 returns about $75.60.

Two things to know. First, the sportsbook's margin is in every leg, so it compounds: a parlay carries a bigger margin than any of its single bets. Second, many sportsbooks do not let you combine markets from the same game unless they offer a same-game parlay product, and those are priced with an extra margin of their own.

Where you can bet and how to pay

Single-game sports betting has been legal in Canada since August 2021, and the provincial lottery corporations run their own legal sportsbooks. The sportsbooks in our list are offshore operators licensed outside Canada; each review shows the licence we found and whether we could check it in the regulator's register. Ontario and Alberta players are not covered by this site.

For deposits and withdrawals, Interac appears in the payment lists of many operators on our list, though often only on review sites and not always for withdrawals. Our Interac e-Transfer guide explains deposits, Autodeposit, delays and fees, and the Canadian banks guide shows which banks treat card deposits as cash advances. For the full picture of sports betting on this site, see our sports betting hub, and read how we rate each operator.

Four checks before any NHL bet

1. Confirm the starting goalie. No single player moves an NHL price more. If the starter is rested, the moneyline and the total can both shift.
2. Look at the schedule. A team on the second night of a back-to-back, or at the end of a long road trip, often plays tired and may start its backup goalie.
3. Read the market rules. Does the bet include overtime and the shootout? What happens to a player prop if the player does not dress? The answer is in the market name or the sportsbook rules, and it differs between operators.
4. Compare prices. The same bet can be -150 (1.67) at one sportsbook and -135 (1.74) at another. Over a season, a better price on the same pick adds up more than any single tip.

Bet responsibly

Sports betting is entertainment, not a way to make money, and the margin means the sportsbook comes out ahead over time.

• Set a budget for the season, not for the night, and use the deposit limits in your account.
• Do not chase losses. A late empty-net goal that costs you a puck-line bet is part of hockey, not a reason to bet bigger on the next game.
• Keep stakes the same whether you bet on your own team or a team you have never watched.
• Take breaks. Most operators offer time-outs and self-exclusion; use them if betting stops being fun.

Betting is for adults only: 19+ in most provinces, 18+ in Quebec and Manitoba. Our responsible gambling page lists free, confidential help in every province we cover.