The National Hockey League (NHL) is the world's premier ice hockey competition, featuring teams from the United States and Canada. As you probably know, ice hockey is an incredibly physical sport, which adds to the overall atmosphere and hype of each contest. Betting on hockey games has spread to several countries around the world, largely due to the entertainment value that each game brings along with the potential to win. The NHL consists of 31 hockey teams from six different conferences across North America. Each team competes for a chance to make the playoffs and compete in the Stanley Cup Finals. Check out our comprehensive guide to find out how to win with NHL betting. Our experienced experts have compiled the latest NHL betting lines, odds and stats from past championships to bring you the best NHL betting information available.
Best NHL Betting Sites 2025
|
Operator
|
Bonus
|
Features
|
Claim Now
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
300% Bonus
|
|
|
|
100% Match
|
|
|
|
100% up to €50
|
|
|
|
100% Match
|
|
|
|
R25 Sign Up Bonus
|
|
|
|
100% Match
Up to R3000 |
|
|
How Do You Bet on Hockey?
Start your excitement with NHL betting, where the unexpected is the norm. For NHL bettors, this is the essential element to understand. Unlike some sports where you can generally get a handle on what's going to happen, with the NHL, you can look at a playbook and listen to the "pros" with the very real possibility that it will all lead you astray, if only because the basics of the game and what makes for good gambling judgment aren't fully understood. If you are going to bet on the NHL, you need to understand the basics, and more importantly, you need to make it a practice to stay informed on the most common NHL betting lines.
- 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.
- The team's performance in last season's competition should support this bet.
- 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 several hockey games to bet on with a single ticket and watch your 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 each year. There is plenty of time for players to make up for bets that do not pay off. Online hockey betting has the advantage of giving you a general idea of how other punters are betting. There are so many forums dedicated to NHL betting that you would have to work really hard not to find advice on how to bet on the sport. Our expert tipsters, for what it's worth, have found certain bets that come out way more than they should and are offering free predictions today.
- Beginners should focus on one league to begin with and develop a deep understanding of the teams competing in that league.
- Betting on the point spread in the NHL is by far the most popular type of bet in the market. When placing a bet in this market, you are not so much predicting what the final score of a game will be, but rather by how much one team will beat the other, or vice versa, as this is the second half of what makes a successful bet.
- Bettors need to understand the different phases of the contest. A hockey game consists of three periods, each lasting 20 minutes. Players can bet on each period individually or on all periods combined.
- When placing a bet, keep the NHL schedule in mind. Some teams struggle to win on the road, while others win consistently at home.
NHL Betting Odds
Betting on hockey online has proven to be much more attractive than betting at physical bookmakers. Fans of the NHL will naturally come across decimal odds at the best betting sites in Uganda. If you're not familiar with how these are calculated, here's a basic rundown.
Pittsburgh Penguins (2.00) vs. Los Angeles Kings (1.50)
This means that the Kings have been set by the oddsmakers as the clear favorite to win the tie against the Penguins. To find out what you'd win on a R100 bet, simply multiply the amount by the odds. NHL betting is available from September, when the NHL regular season begins, through June.
Below is a comprehensive list of the NHL divisions that you will encounter when betting on NHL games online.
- 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 |