NHL Picks

To be successful at sports gambling, you need to be well-researched and knowledgeable about the sports you are betting on. Along with our NHL expert picks, you need to know the types of bets you can make and how the odds work. By the end of this page, you’ll have an understanding of everything betting – from reading odds to props bets – you need to know to make your NHL picks and parlays today.

American Odds

American odds might seem challenging to understand on the surface, but they’re relatively easy to understand. You will be familiar with American odds as they are prominent on sports broadcasts. However, it’s best to understand exactly what you are reading when reading a betting line in American odds.

All betting lines are listed with a probable favored team (the favorite) to win, indicated by a minus symbol (-), and an underdog, indicated by a plus symbol (+). American odds are based on $100 as a central figure and the probability of an outcome. All betting lines will account for all probable outcomes.

American odds center around a $100 figure. For example, if you pick the Colorado Avalanche at -160 odds (60.6% win probability), you need to wager $160 to win $100. Conversely, if you pick the Pittsburgh Penguins at +155 (39.4% win probability), you will win $155 on a $100 wager.

Types of Betting Lines

There are three main types of betting lines on NHL games you’ll need to know before consulting our insider’s expert analysis: moneyline, puck line spread, and total goals.

Moneyline

Whether or not you know of it, you’ve likely made a moneyline wager in your life. A moneyline wager is simply a bet on the outcome of a game. If the team you pick wins, you win.

Puck Line Spread

The puck line spread, or points spread, is betting on the score differential at the end of the game. The moneyline favorite will be listed with minus goals (i.e., -1.5) and positive odds (i.e., +190). This means that if you take the Avalanche at -1.5 goals, Colorado needs to win the game by at least two goals for your bet to win.

If you take the Penguins at +1.5 goals, Pittsburgh can lose the game by one goal or win the game outright for your bet to win.

Totals

The totals line is betting on the goals scored in an NHL game. It doesn’t matter who wins the game in a totals bet; only the total points scored matter. Totals bets are also known as over/under wages because those are your betting options: you pick whether the combined goals in a game will go over the listed total or under. 

Parlays, Props, and Futures

You can make a few other types of wagers where our expert analysis and picks can make a very big difference: parlays, props, and futures bets.

Parlay

A parlay is combining any number of wagers into one larger wager. Parlay’s increase the potential reward from a successful wager but come with significant risk. It doesn’t matter how many picks you combine in a parlay; every pick you combine has to be correct for the parlay to win.

Props

Prop bet popularity has increased alongside the accessibility and popularity of online sports betting. Props are wagers on in-game action like a player scoring a goal, a team scoring a powerplay goal, or a goalie making a certain number of saves, among many other available prop bet lines.

Futures

A futures bet is betting on something to happen in the future. Futures bets include betting on the Colorado Avalanche to win the Stanley Cup, Connor McDavid to lead the league in scoring, or Igor Shesterkin to win the Vezina trophy; there are many futures betting lines to explore.