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NHL Picks

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Today's Top Free Expert Picks

  • expert headshot
    Angelo Magliocca
    Amags
    TB @ COL • Fri 9:00pm
    player headshot
    N. MacKinnon
    Over 3.5
    -110
    Shots on Goal
    Picked: Oct 23 @ 9:33am

    Analysis

    Nathan MacKinnon and the Avs went winless on their two-game, east coast road trip earlier this week, but return home looking to bounce back against a tough opponent. Both losses were decided by just one goal each for Colorado, and MacKinnon couldn't get on the score sheet in either game. I think he bounces back well here, at home where he's been much better thus far. With 11 points at home and five goals in five games, the Avs' star will be needed if they want to beat Tampa and avoid a three game losing streak. He was over this line in both games vs. Tampa last year, and MacKinnon has been a shot machine in Colorado, registering 9,4,8,4,8 SOG at home this year.
  • expert headshot
    Todd Fuhrman
    #2
    +905
    (90%)
    9-1-1 in Last 11 NHL Picks
    MON @ CHI
    CHI
    +130
    Money Line
    LOSS
    Picked: Oct 22 @ 11:50am

    Analysis

    Nick Suzuki might be one of the league's most underappreciated players, and the value he adds to this Canadiens roster can't be overstated. He's expected to miss some time with an upper body injury and for a roster already thin up top this is a big blow. Montreal also isn't getting the goaltending they need now from playoff standout Jakob Dobes so there are other issues brewing up north as well. Chicago isn't elite but they're a team that's much better going forward with their captain in the mix and with extra rest here I'll take the home dog at a price I made closer to +112 when making injury adjustments
  • expert headshot
    Matt Severance
    +475.5
    (67%)
    16-8 in Last 24 NHL Picks
    MON @ CHI
    CHI +1.5
    -200
    Spread
    LOSS
    Picked: Oct 23 @ 2:05am

    Analysis

    New thing like to do to bring a hockey price down a bit is "no goal in first five minutes" -- thank you Gipperpicks on Discord as you kinda alerted me to that -- or even none in first 10 when attached to a regular number. I like the Hawks here at +1.5 in this Original Six matchup as the Habs have some injury issues -- namely Nick Suzuki (12 points) and top blueliner Mike Matheson. If you wanted to play Hawks ML I have no problem with that. But I don't think that way in hockey on a home dog. Because if I did that and lost in OT, it would wreck my night -- and have my Jason Voorhees costume ready to rock.

Latest News

The NHL is gaining momentum as a popular sport for betting as access to sportsbooks expands across the country. Sportsbooks will often offer promotions such as same-game parlays and profit boosts to entice potential bettors to use their apps when betting on the NHL. Puck lines, money lines and totals are the standard markets for NHL betting discussion, while player props offer another avenue for betting on hockey during the season and the Stanley Cup playoffs. Bettors can also take positions on who will win the title or awards such as the Conn Smythe Trophy in futures markets.

NHL Sports Betting Terms:

  • With regular action most days from the start of the season in the fall until the Stanley Cup final in June, NHL betting provides the opportunity to make predictions on the outcomes of hockey games for a majority of the year. Here are terms you should know to familiarize yourself with NHL betting:

  • Lines

    The term “lines” refers to odds for bettable outcomes in NHL games, including money lines, puck lines (which are known as spreads in other sports) and totals. When making money line bets, the only aspect of the outcome that decides whether the bet is successful is who wins the game, no matter the final score. The favored team returns less potential profit in the event of a win than the underdog, with the odds determined by the sportsbook based upon the likelihood of each team winning. A negative number for a money line represents the size of the wager needed to win $100, while a positive number represents profit potential on a $100 bet. For example, a -150 favorite would require a $150 bet to have the opportunity to win $100, while a +150 underdog would pay $150 in profit on a successful $100 wager. Puck lines are based on scoring margin, with the favored team typically being -1.5 and the underdog +1.5. Betting on the favored team means they would need to win the game by at least two goals, while a bet on the underdog pays out if they win the game by any margin or lose by one goal. With one goal being the most common scoring differential in the NHL, the payouts tend to be higher when betting on the favorite with a -1.5 puck line, offering bettors the opportunity to pursue higher profit potential than the money line while backing a favorite.

  • Totals

    Wagering on totals involves taking a position on the number of goals scored in a game or a portion of the game, such as the first period. When betting the total, bettors must decide whether the total amount of goals scored by both teams for the game or segment of the game will be over (more) or under (less) than the line listed by sportsbooks. The payouts related to each side will also be listed with the total. For example, a total of 6.5 goals with -120 on the Over and +100 on the Under would return $100 in profit for a $120 bet on Over 6.5 if there are seven or more goals scored in the game by both teams combined. If there are six or fewer goals scored, a $100 bet would return $100 in profit.

  • Props

    Bettors can wager on other more specific outcomes in NHL games besides the standard markets above. These proposition bets (also known as props) can include player props, such as the number of goals or assists a certain player accumulates; team props, such as whether one team will go over its own goal total set by the sportsbook; or game props, such as whether a game will go into overtime. Player props are a popular way to bet on NHL games and are a core part of same-game parlay bets. Players have lines generated by sportsbooks that are tied to statistical outcomes in their control, and bettors can take positions on whether a player goes over or under those totals. This could involve points, assists, saves and shots on goal, for example. Bettors can also wager on players to score a goal at any time in the game or to lead the game in a category like points. Team props include team totals, which isolates each team for totals betting rather than combining them for the standard totals market. Bettors will only be invested in, for example, whether the home team in a matchup scores more or fewer than 3.5 goals rather than whether both teams combine for more or fewer than 6.5 goals. Team props include betting on team totals, which in effect splits the game total into a unique number for each team correlated with the spread and allows bettors to take positions on only one team. Some markets can also involve both teams or neither team scoring above a certain points threshold. Game props involve other outcomes outside of specific players, such as which team scores first or whether one team will come from behind to win the game. Bettors can also try to predict the exact final score of the game for higher potential profit than betting on the puck line or total.

  • Live Betting

    Bettors can also get involved in certain betting markets after an NHL game starts via live betting, where sportsbooks will adjust the odds for standard and select prop markets to reflect the course of the game in real time. Interested bettors are able to assess the flow of the game and account for key injuries or other factors when deciding whether to live bet against the sportsbooks’ real-time odds. Hedging is also a key strategy for some live bettors, which allows the opportunity to make a second bet opposite a position taken before the game started at a better number. For example, if a pregame underdog bet at +1.5 takes an early lead and becomes the -1.5 favorite on the puck line, taking the other team at +1.5 would guarantee that one of the two bets would hit while providing the opportunity to win both if either team loses by just one goal.

  • Futures Betting

    Futures betting involves betting into markets based around outcomes that resolve further in the future than a single game. Examples include betting on who will win the Stanley Cup, the Hart Trophy for regular season MVP or other events involving more than a single game. Another component of futures betting is win totals, where each team will have a total number of wins listed by the sportsbooks and bettors can take positions on those teams to win more (Over) or fewer (Under) games. A win total of 50.5 would pay to the Under if the team wins 50 or fewer games and to the Over if the team wins 51 or more games. League awards are also considered futures betting, with bettors able to predict the winners of the Hart, Norris and Vezina Trophies as well as other awards. These awards may only be available in certain markets where allowed by state regulations. Another way to back particular players is to bet on them to lead the league in a particular category such as goals scored.