NHL Best Bets

NHL betting lets you wager on your favorite professional ice hockey teams and players. The league spans 4 separate divisions comprised of 8 teams apiece, with each side vying for a spot in the Stanley Cup Final at the end of the year.

If you’re in any way acquainted with other popular US sports, the NHL’s format should feel very familiar. The campaign begins with pre-season, followed by the regular season, which then leads to April’s Playoffs. In June, the two remaining sides at the end of the Playoffs battle it out for Stanley Cup glory.

Our FlashPicks experts have you covered across the entire NHL season – with a flurry of the best NHL bets today listed throughout this page. Every pick is backed up by data, so numbers are always on your side when you take an NHL wager here.

The best NHL bets are statistics-led wagers recommended by our FlashPicks experts. Every pick is carefully selected to offer the best value for money and deliver worthwhile returns – so you never need to guess whether or not the punt is up to standard.

Our range of NHL best bets covers a wide breadth of popular markets, including:

• Point Spreads: A bet on the projected scoring margin between two NHL sides.
• Moneylines: A wager on the outright winning team for one game.
• Totals: Choose whether a specific statistic will be over or under the stated figure.

The above markets are among the simplest NHL betting options available today – but that doesn’t mean they’re not rewarding. We seek to publish high-quality bets throughout the season, and the most efficient way to do so is by carrying out diligent research.

Here’s a look at a handful of factors our experienced experts consider when creating a new list of the best NHL bets today.

Team Form:

Purple patches and dips in form are pertinent to picking the right outcome. We examine every team’s form before uploading a fresh catalog of NHL wagers – with home advantage, away results, and scoring habits all accounted for.

Injuries:

The NHL is an intensely physical and competitive league. Injuries can plague even the best of sides, while teams that maintain a healthy roster are more likely to take advantage of the opponent’s weaknesses. For example, the Oilers benefitted from one of the most impressive injury records in 2023-24 – allowing them to progress to the Stanley Cup Final.

Matchups:

Between going head-to-head with fierce rivals, meeting “bogey” teams during crucial points in the season, and running into lesser-quality teams in excellent form – several variables come into play before every NHL matchup. We keep an eye out for key points of interest across all 82 games per side.

Trends:

Patterns are just as important a data point as any, particularly when they are repeated for an extended period. For instance, our team looks for consistent scorers, recent Playoff form, team-centric season-to-season statistics, and players who regularly sit near the top of the stats charts in their respective positions. Some sides perform better during certain pressure situations and environments – so we account for those circumstances in our NHL best bets, too.

The foundations for the best NHL bets today are built upon deep research and an expert eye for great value. By keeping on top of trends, injury news, current form, and upcoming matchups, our team can quickly ascertain the most valuable punts of the day.

View a detailed breakdown of the markets most commonly associated with the best bets NHL offers, below.

Moneyline

The simplest and most accessible betting option around; moneyline wagers require you to pick which team will win the game. These bets focus on one game at a time but you are free to develop parlays comprised of multiple moneyline picks.

Let’s run through a couple of quick examples of NHL moneyline bets:

• Florida Panthers to beat Toronto Maple Leafs @ -150.
• Toronto Maple Leafs to beat Florida Panthers @ +120.

The ‘-150’ tied to a Panthers victory represents that they are the favorites and you’d need to wager $150 to make a $100 return. On the other side of the coin, the ‘+120’ next to the Maple Leafs selection tells us that they’re underdogs and the amount you’d win from a $100 bet.

Totals

Also known as ‘Over/Under’, Totals involve bets on the number of goals scored in a game. Essentially, you are betting on whether there will be more or less goals than the figure attached to the wager – with an example outlined below.

• Over 5.5 Goals @ -120.
• Under 5.5. Goals @ +100.

If 6 or more goals are scored during the game, ‘Over’ bets win. Should the matchup see 5 or fewer goals, wagers on ‘Under’ will pay out. Considering the volatility of the NHL, this can be a lucrative market when used correctly.

Point Spread

Point spreads – commonly known as Puck Lines in NHL betting – look more complex on paper than they are in reality. Here’s the gist: you bet on the deficit by which the underdog loses or the margin of victory the favorites will win by.

See a quick breakdown of an NHL point spread, here.

• New Jersey Devils (-1.5) to beat Buffalo Sabres @ +150.
• Buffalo Sabres (+1.5) to beat New Jersey Devils @ -180.

The Sabres are favorites ahead of this matchup, as marked by the ‘-180’. If they win by 2 or more clear goals, bets on that selection win. On the flip side, the Devils must not lose by 2 or more goals for picks on the New Jersey outfit to come good.

Point spread betting evens the playing field – a handy feature when two mismatched teams face off.

Packed with expert insights and top-rated sportsbook odds – you’ll catch the most sought-after selections every day of the NHL campaign on our NHL Picks page. So, get the lowdown on all of our data-motivated NHL picks by heading over to the FlashPicks NHL Picks page here.

The best NHL bets come to fruition by following a specific set of criteria developed by our in-house FlashPicks experts. As is the case with all 82 games, no two wagers are the same – and that’s why we take time to reflect on each pick before publishing our recommendations.

Further details on our pre-bet analysis can be found here:

Team Performance:

We analyze the performances of all 32 NHL teams across recent seasons and fixtures. To attain more accurate representations of their quality, we consider relevant statistics to see who wins while playing well and who loses due to underperformance.

Player Statistics:

Successful ice hockey franchises stand on the shoulders of individuals who perform to a high standard week-in, week-out. Goals, assists, points per game, goalie save percentages, and much more enter the fray in our pre-bet decision-making.

Absentees:

Match disqualifications and injuries serve as prevailing reasons behind player absences – and both can derail a season. We account for sides whose stars rarely and regularly miss games.

Consistency:

Form, overall performance, results, scoring, and shutout records are all important factors ahead of a new palette of the best NHL bets tonight, tomorrow, and thereafter.

On top of dishing out the best possible NHL odds, we endeavor to provide direct links to the finest sportsbooks nationwide. We test every NHL betting site recommended on our platform – so you can be sure that each sportsbook meets the high standard we expect from modern operators.

Indulge in NHL odds comparisons across renowned sports betting sites right here with our SmartPicks tool. SmartPicks collects odds from the best sportsbooks in the industry, allowing you to see where to notch top-drawer prices.

Plus, you are eligible for exclusive NHL sportsbook offers just for being a FlashPicks reader. Simply click on any links listed on this page to snag your unique deal instantly.

Few sports match the vigor, passion, skill level, and adrenaline-fuelled excitement seen in NHL year after year. New storylines come into play virtually every week – and you can get behind your favorite drama by snatching the best NHL bets tonight.

To get started, just choose a wager you like from this page. A refreshed collection of bets will appear all season long, so there’s no need to make a hasty decision.

Claim the best NHL bets today by clicking on the selection best suited to you here. Once you’ve placed an opening wager, come back to this page for regularly updated picks.