NHL PREDICTIONS, FREE NHL PICKS, AND BEST BETS
The NHL season features 32 teams playing 82 games each from October through April, giving bettors plenty of opportunities to cash in on all the exciting action. Lines.com is the best place to find free betting picks and predictions for all of those markets all season long.
NHL Best Picks
Top Plays to Parlay
Best NHL Prop Bets
FREE NHL PICKS TODAY
Lines.com will bring you the best expert NHL hockey picks from a staff of seasoned NHL experts throughout the fall, winter and spring. Make sure to take advantage of their insights for all the free expert NHL predictions, ranging from Money Lines to Puck Lines to the best in parlays and props.
NHL EXPERT PICKS
Our team of experts follows every ongoing development in the NHL, and their knowledge of the fast-paced and ever-changing league makes Lines.com the best destination for free hockey picks and expert hockey predictions, for wagers on every NHL game to future bets.
NHL BETTING TRENDS: PUCK LINE, TOTALS, PARLAYS, AND MORE
There are countless ways for bettors to take advantage of the expert NHL insight throughout the regular season and into the playoffs, and Lines.com is here to guide you through all of these popular markets.
MONEYLINE
An NHL Moneyline is the simplest and most popular wager. All a bettor has to do is pick which team will win the game, with cash lines based on the favorite (minus line) and the underdog (plus line). For more evenly-matched NHL games, it’s possible that both sides will feature a minus line, but that can also be attractive.
The typical NHL Moneyline is based on the final result, which could include overtime or a shootout.
For example, if the New York Rangers are favored to defeat the New Jersey Devils, the NHL moneyline odds could read as follows:
- New York (-155), New Jersey (+130)
That means a bettor would wager $155 to win $100 for a Rangers victory, or bet $100 to win $130 if the Devils triumph.
Some of the most popular sportsbooks also offer an NHL Moneyline excluding overtime or a shootout, called a 60-minute result. The choices for that bet are usually Home Team, Road Team and Tie.
Those betting odds are presented in the same manner, though because NHL games often do need to go past the regulation three 20-minute periods, it is possible for all three to have a plus line available.
For example:
- New York (+100), New Jersey (+160), Tie (+200)
In the same manner as regular moneylines, a bettor would wager $100 to win $100 on the Rangers to win in just three periods, $100 to win $160 on the Devils to prevail in 60 minutes, or $100 to win $200 if the game does indeed go beyond that into overtime.
All of these options are simple to understand and can bring big-time excitement to any NHL game.
PUCK LINE
An NHL Puck Line works in exactly the same way as picks against the spread in the NBA or NFL, or a run line in MLB.
The favored team would “lay” goals (usually 1.5 goals), meaning they would have to win by at least 2 for that bet to cash. The underdog would “get” goals (also usually 1.5 goals), which means if they lose by just 1 or win the game outright that would be the winning betting side.
When the game is determined to be more of a mismatch, it is possible to see a team favored by or getting 2.5 goals, though those times are few and far between.
So if a bettor expects a blowout, or the underdog to hang close, an NHL Puck Line is a good way to get into the action.
TOTALS
NHL Totals are most often based on the total number of goals scored in a single game by both teams combined, and usually excludes the deciding goal awarded via a shootout.
These, too, work in the same way as a total would in the NBA, NFL (points) or MLB (runs).
They typically range from 6.5 goals or 7.5 goals, depending on the abilities of the teams to either score goals as well as prevent them.
In addition, most sportsbooks offer Totals for individual teams on how many goals they will score in a game, or for goals scored in an individual period as well.
You also may be able to find Totals for such things as shots on goal (in the game, by team, by period) or saves by a goalie (in the game, by period). Some sportsbooks may even go as far as to provide a Total for power-play goals in any particular contest.
These options could provide a great opportunity for savvy NHL bettors who may have a better idea of how a game may play out without having to figure out who might win or lose. There are many useful websites that present underlying hockey statistics that could be very helpful in this regard.
PARLAYS
Now that you have an idea of all the individual bets you can make on every game, a path to an even bigger payout can be had by combining those components into a NHL parlay wager.
Based on the expert handicappers’ info provided, plus your own analysis based on watching many games, it can be a great way to use that knowledge to make up lucrative combinations.
For example, if the high-scoring Edmonton Oilers happen to be on a heater and are heading into a matchup against the lowly San Jose Sharks, you can conjure up a combination of the Oilers’ puck line, over in goals scored and over in shots on goal to take advantage of the possible lopsided victory.
Not only does this ease the likely prohibitive odds just on the Oilers to win, it makes sense based on the style of play that a high-scoring contest would result in more shots on goal and likely more goals scored.
Many of the most popular sportsbooks also allow you to combine individual Player Props into these parlays, so the ways to cash in and add to your interest in nightly NHL action is countless.
NHL FUTURES: NHL GAMES, PLAYOFFS, STANLEY CUP WINNER, AND MORE
All of these individual outcomes form the foundation of the NHL season, and you can use NHL Future Wagers to make use of that knowledge to generate interest for the entire season.
Betting on the Stanley Cup Champion is the most popular way to make a Futures wager, with high payouts possible even on some of the better teams in the league. For example, the Vegas Golden Knights are the defending Stanley Cup champions and are expected to be a strong contender to repeat, but they can be found at odds as high as +1300 at some sportsbooks (meaning you would wager $100 to win $1300 if they are able to hoist Lord Stanley again).
Past recent champions like the Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins also provide good hockey futures odds, and possible upstart teams like the Detroit Red Wings and Vancouver Canucks can provide some long shot opportunities for big payouts.
And for NHL bettors looking for a piece of history, maybe the Toronto Maple Leafs can win the Stanley Cup for the first time in more than 50 years.
Other popular types of NHL wagers in the Futures market are on the award winners, including the Art Ross Trophy (scoring champion), Hart Trophy (MVP), Vezina Trophy (best goalie), Norris Trophy (best defenseman) or Calder Trophy (rookie of the year).
Lines.com has a thorough betting guide for NHL Futures, with expert betting advice on how to navigate all of the popular options.
BEST SPORTSBOOKS TO BET ON NHL
There are many popular sportsbooks available for bettors to wager on NHL action. Here are some of the best NHL betting sites that provide easy-to-use access, a wide variety of betting options, and enticing sign-up bonuses for the beginner to the expert player.
DraftKings has evolved from a fantasy sports site into one of the most popular sports betting sites in the United States. One of its special NHL features is its Quick Same Game Parlay, which presents popular combinations and their odds for you.
FanDuel is another popular option with profit boosts available on many wagers. For the NHL, it provides an intriguing menu of Daily Specials, NHL live betting and a selection of prop bets.
BetMGM can get you into the NHL action using its Special Parlay Builders. It also offers easy access to many other sports while you are online.
Caesars Sportsbook is well known for its Rewards Program made famous by its commercials, giving NHL bettors the opportunity to cash in on many levels.
PointsBet is using a new partnership with Fanatics to offer new NHL customers a lucrative sign-up bonus, plus wide access to Bonus Bets through a Power Hour promotion.
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