Best NHL Betting Sites in Canada

The NHL is a massive league that is covered by just about every bookmaker. Picking the right one can be tough, so we’ve compiled several of the top NHL betting sites to help find the one that’s best for you.

The National Hockey League (NHL) was founded in 1917 with 6 different franchises! Since its inception, the league has seen several remodels with their league, including the expansion into the United States. As the league continued to grow, hockey would become a popular market across both nations. In 1967, the league expanded, adding teams in California, Pennsylvania, Missouri and Minnesota. 1967 was a monumental year for the league as it was their biggest set of additions to the league. Since then, the NHL would add teams across the United States and Canada. Most recently, the NHL added their 32nd franchise, the Seattle Kraken.

With 32 teams, the action is split between two conferences. 16 teams are represented in the Eastern Conference, with another 16 teams making up the Western Conference. Inside the respective conferences, there are two divisions (four in total). The Atlantic and Metropolitan Division make up the Eastern Conference, while the Pacific and Central Division make up the Western Conference.

Each team currently plays 82 games in the regular season – split evenly between home and away games. After the conclusion of 82 games, the NHL playoffs begin. The top three teams from each division make the playoffs. From there, the two best teams with the highest point total (regardless of division) also enter the playoffs, known as wild cards. 8 teams from each conference reach the NHL playoffs, totaling 16 teams. 

Every NHL playoff series is a best-of-seven. NHL action tends to see a lot of upsets, so there is no guarantee that a top seed will reach the NHL Stanley Cup Final. In history, the Montreal Canadiens have the most NHL championships, totaling 24 Stanley Cups. The Detroit Red Wings (11) and Toronto Maple Leafs (13) are the only other NHL teams with more than 10 Stanley Cups.

Some of the league’s most exciting players include Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers), Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche), Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs), Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche), Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitals), Adam Fox (New York Rangers) and Igor Shesterkin (New York Rangers). 

Since its launch in 1917, the NHL has seen a ton of action over the years. The fast-paced sport has become one of Canada’s most wagered sports and it continues to be a hot topic for NHL betting sites.

There are a ton of betting sites but we’ve cut out the fat to help you make a better decision when wagering on the NHL.

Listed are some of the best sites to bet on NHL action. These sites have great markets, betting options, promotions, and even welcome bonuses for new users! As well, they are legal in Canada, which means you don’t need to worry about safety when playing on these NHL betting sites.

• Sports Interaction: An in-depth and enjoyable NHL experience from a great Canadian operator
• Betway: An operator that has thrived in Canada, due in part to their enjoyable NHL betting experience
• PointsBet: This sportsbook and casino provides bettors with many different kinds of bets to pick from
• Bwin: A popular operator that has massive amounts of markets for big NHL events
• 888Sport: A well-known gambling operator with a great app and unique promotions for NHL bettors
• Royal Panda: Countless NHL player props to pair with other unique features
• BetMGM: One of Canada’s most trusted betting sites with high-quality live betting
• LeoVegas: A recently launched sportsbook with great NHL game prop offerings
• PowerPlay: An NHL betting site with easy banking and great customer support
• Unibet: Worldwide operator with many markets for NHL events

If you're interested in betting on NHL games, there are several key aspects you'll need to understand to enhance your betting experience. Let's explore some of the main factors you should know.

NHL Odds

As an NHL bettor, you’ll need to understand how to read odds. Honestly, it’s quite simple! In every match-up, there are favourites and underdogs. As expected, the favourites are favourited to win, while the underdogs are expected to lose. The quickest way to understand which team is favourited is to look for certain symbols. If you see this symbol (-), that means the team is the favourite. If you see this symbol (+), that means they are the underdog. For example, the Ottawa Senators (-125) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (+115) indicates that the Senators are the favourites in this scenario. 

The number beside the team indicates how much money you need to wager to win $100 for the favourite. For the underdog, the number indicates how much money you would win if you wagered $100. In our example above, teams backing the Senators straight up (Moneyline) would need to wager $125 to win $100. For teams backing the Maple Leafs, a $100 wager would earn $115. This also includes your stake, so Sens backers would net $225 and Maple Leafs winners would receive $215. 

We used American Odds to explain this scenario, but other (albeit less common) odds can also be displayed in Fractional and Decimal.

NHL Markets

There is a bit of NHL betting jargon to become familiar with before wagering! While these bets are usually universal, some NHL markets use different terms to describe their betting markets. We broke down typical betting markets for hockey and how to understand them.

• Moneyline: Seen as the most common bet, the Moneyline wager is a bet in which you choose the winner straight up. Choose the correct team to win and you win your bet!
• Puck Line: The Puck Line is hockey’s version of the spread. The line (which is usually 1.5) are goals taken away from the favourite and given to the underdog. The underdog must win straight up or lose by less than the promoted line, while the favourite needs to win by more than the betting line.
• Totals: Totals betting (over/under) looks at the number of goals scored in the game. If the line is listed at 5.5, you are wagering if there will be more (over) or fewer (under) total goals scored in the game. Of course, the line is adjusted based on the two teams playing!
• Futures: Futures wagers are bets that happen down the line. Typically, these bets are placed before the season begins. Some notable futures bets include who will win the Stanley Cup and over/under total points for individual teams
• Props: Prop bets are wagers not directly tied to the outcome of the game. Most NHL prop bets include a stat, such as total goals by a specific player or number of shots in a game. Depending on the bookmaker, you can find some interesting prop bets, like national anthem length and number of shifts taken by Auston Matthews in the third period!

NHL Strategies & Tips

Betting on the NHL isn’t easy. We made a list of what you can do to be prepared when wagering on NHL action!

• Know who is in net: Goaltending is an important factor when betting on the NHL. Researching the starting goalie for each team and their trends in the crease can help you make an educated wager. Some teams opt to use their backup against weaker teams, which could open the door for an underdog victory. There are different factors to consider when betting and goaltending should be a high concern.
• Be aware of the teams’ schedule: With an 82-game season, there are going to be tired hockey players! Be wary of the schedule when you are betting. Teams can play on back-to-back nights and that could impact performance. Travel, away games and other variables could also impact how a team performs on the ice. Ensure you are researching schedules when placing NHL bets!
• Look at recent performances: This could factor into betting trends but looking at recent performances for both players and teams is another great strategy. Sometimes, you need to ride the hot hand and you’ll only know of them by researching recent performances. Streaks are prominent in hockey and we want to focus on recent performances before placing bets.
• Research Trends When Betting the PuckLine: Unless otherwise stated, the usual Puck Line is 1.5. With the most common NHL score being 3-2, hammering the Puck Line could be challenging if you are taking the favourite. When placing bets on the Puck Line, look at other factors such as goaltending and betting trends as this is typically a hard bet to cash.

Accessing the best promotions and bonuses for betting hockey will make your experience so much better! There are varying promotions from site to site which you can take advantage of. Some popular NHL promos and bonuses include free bets, boosted odds, same-game parlays, reduced juice, tournaments, and more! NHL betting sees a ton of action and the offered bonuses/promotions reflect that.

Before wagering on NHL action, there are important rules to understand. Every operator is different, and the fine print should be read. But this is a general rule of thumb that can be applied to many bookmakers.

• If the game is canceled or delayed, money is returned to the bettor
• If the game doesn’t go 55 minutes/is canceled before running 55 minutes, the Moneyline and Puck Line will not count either way, and money will be returned without winnings
• If a period isn’t fully played out, then bets placed on that period don’t count
• Overtime and Shootouts are both counted towards Moneyline wager, totals, player props, and game props. A shootout win counts as one goal for a team, and shootout goals aren’t counted as goals for player props
• The overtime period is counted on third-period prop bets if a game goes into extra time
• Player props only count if the player plays. If a player does play, then gets injured, the bet still counts. If a player is scratched, or the goalie bet on doesn’t start, the bet doesn’t count
• Teams must play at least 80 games for Futures bets to count
• All awards Futures bets are based on NHL.com’s official awards

If you've never used a mobile betting app before, you may not be familiar. Keep in mind this is a relatively recent technology that has skyrocketed in popularity mostly within the past decade. But most sportsbooks know that the easier it is for a bettor to place bets on their application, the more likely it is that users will engage with their app. So it is typically quite easy.

If you have never used hockey betting apps before, we are here to help walk you through it. Below, we've provided a step-by-step breakdown of using NHL betting apps.

1. Step One: Find the Right App for You. This process is dependent on your individual preferences. Browsing our list should give you a start, but there are dozens of great apps to choose from.
2. Step Two: Download the App.This is a process that should take a matter of minutes. You can visit either the Google Play store for Android users or the Apple App Store for iPhone users and download the app there. Simply search the app name in the search bar, and it should appear.
3. Step Three: Register and Deposit.To start betting on a hockey betting sportsbook, you’re going to need to register and deposit. This is a process that is necessary on all sportsbooks. You’ll need to input personal information like your name, address, and contact details to create an account. To deposit, you’ll have to input your payment details.
4. Step Four: Start Betting.Once you have created an account and funded it, you are now free to start betting. As long as you have money in your account you can wager on NHL action.

Betting on the NHL is similar to betting on different sports. However, there are some uncommon hurdles you may face when placing NHL bets. These are frequently asked questions about betting on the NHL that don’t usually apply to other sports.