The National Hockey League (NHL) features the best hockey teams in the world, with participants from both sides of the 49th parallel. As you'd expect from the sport, the league's teams are very physical, which only adds to the energy and excitement that drives each contest. Betting on hockey games has spread across the globe, with enthusiasts in many countries taking part, and for good reason: each game serves as a highly entertaining spectacle, prime for betting. The NHL, meanwhile, features 31 teams spread across six divisions in North America. Each of these teams fights tooth and nail to earn a spot in the postseason, where the ultimate prize is the chance to hoist Lord Stanley's cup. Our complete guide to betting on the NHL is designed to inform and educate.
Best NHL Betting Sites 2025
|
Operator
|
Bonus
|
Features
|
Claim Now
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
200% Bonus
|
|
|
|
100% Match
Up to 100€ |
|
|
|
100% Match
|
|
|
|
100% up to €50
|
|
|
|
100% Match
|
|
|
|
R25 Sign Up Bonus
|
|
|
|
100% Match
Up to R3000 |
|
|
How Do You Bet on Hockey?
NHL betting can make your blood boil because anything can happen. The most important thing for gamblers to keep in mind when betting on NHL sports is that nothing is set in stone. You can study the playbook and heed the advice of tipsters all over the web. But if you don't understand the basic concepts, all that hard work won't pay off. This collection seems to contain the most popular lines to use when betting on NHL games.
- NHL Futures - You can place an NHL bet on the hockey team with the best odds to win the Stanley Cup before the competition even starts.
- Last season's competition should support this bet with the team's past performance.
- Moneyline Explained - for betting on specific NHL games, you can pick the team with the strongest roster to win.
- NHL Picks and Parlays - each online bookmaker will offer odds on the most competitive games of the round.
- Select multiple hockey games to bet on with a single betting slip and watch your potential payout increase.
- Puck Lines - this is the version of hockey handicapping where oddsmakers try to balance the scales by predicting the winner of the game as well as the score.
NHL Betting Tips
The National Hockey League runs from October to June. Players have plenty of time to make up for bad betting decisions. The benefits of betting on the NHL are twofold: first, you get a good feel for how the masses are betting; and second, there are a ton of dedicated forums that will help you both understand and improve your betting strategy. Our expert tipsters also give free daily predictions that can greatly help your understanding of the NHL and where it is headed.
- In the beginning, bettors should focus on a particular conference and gain an understanding of the various teams that make up the competition.
- The most common type of bet you will find in the NHL is point spread betting. When you bet on the NHL point spread, you are actually betting on the NHL score. These are popular bets with some serious payout possibilities.
- Understanding hockey periods is essential for bettors. A hockey game has three 20 minute periods. Bets can be placed on any of the three periods, or on all three periods combined. This is called a "game bet".
- Consider the NHL schedule when placing your bets. Some teams are better at home than on the road, while others are more vulnerable on their own ice than you might think.
NHL Betting Odds
Online hockey betting has proven to be significantly cheaper than betting at physical bookmakers. Kenyans betting on the NHL will most likely encounter decimal odds at our country's leading betting sites. If you're not too familiar with calculating these odds, take a look at the example below.
Pittsburgh Penguins (2.00) vs. Los Angeles Kings (1.50)
This means that the Kings are favored to win the matchup against the Penguins. If you placed a bet for R100, you would multiply that amount by the payout odds to see how much you could potentially win. The NHL is a league that captivates many fans around the world. From September, when the league's regular season begins, to June, when the finals take place, there are plenty of opportunities for bettors to get in on the action.
Below is a complete list of NHL divisions that you will encounter when placing bets on NHL online sportsbooks.
- Eastern Conference
- Eastern Conference Metropolitan
- Western Conference Pacific
- Western Conference
- Eastern Conference Atlantic
- Western Conference Central
Past Stanley Cup Winners
Here’s a list of the most recent winners of the Stanley Cup Championship:
| Season | Winner | Conference |
| 2022 | Colorado Avalanche | Western Conference |
| 2021 | Tampa Bay Lightning | Eastern Conference |
| 2020 | Tampa Bay Lightning | Eastern Conference |
| 2019 | St. Louis Blues | Western Conference |
| 2018 | Washington Capitals | Eastern Conference Metropolitan |
| 2017 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Eastern Conference |
| 2016 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Eastern Conference |
| 2015 | Chicago Blackhawks | Western Conference Central |
| 2014 | Los Angeles Kings | Western Conference Pacific |
| 2013 | Chicago Blackhawks | Western Conference Central |
| 2012 | Los Angeles Kings | Western Conference Pacific |
| 2011 | Boston Bruins | Eastern Conference Atlantic |
| 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks | Western Conference Central |
| 2009 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Eastern Conference |
| 2008 | Detroit Red Wings | Eastern Conference Atlantic |