NHL Betting Guide: Follow and Bet on the National Hockey League This Season
Written by: Eddie Griffin
Published: Tue Sep 29, 2026, 11:45 pm ET
Read Time: 10 minutes
The NHL provides betting opportunities throughout the fall, winter, and spring, with games scheduled on most nights during the regular season and plenty more to follow as the race for the Stanley Cup develops.
Bettors can find NHL odds at top online sportsbooks such as Lucky Rebel, BetOnline, and Everygame. From daily moneylines, puck lines, and totals to props and season-long futures, there are numerous ways to follow the league through the betting markets.
This NHL betting guide serves as a hub for that coverage. Use it to find NHL picks and odds, explore our growing collection of hockey betting guides, follow the current season and Stanley Cup race, and access other resources that can help with your NHL betting research.
Explore Our NHL Guides
NHL betting involves much more than choosing which team will win on a given night. Researching matchups, evaluating goaltenders and team performance, comparing betting markets, and following the season can all be part of the process.
Betting News already has several guides covering hockey-specific markets and events. Learn how puck line betting works, explore the NHL's unique Grand Salami market, or prepare for the postseason with our Stanley Cup betting guide. We also have a dedicated guide to betting on the Conn Smythe Trophy, which is awarded to the most valuable player of the NHL playoffs.
Our NHL-specific guides are only one part of the broader Betting News guide library. Many of the fundamentals that matter in hockey also apply across sports, so bettors can turn to those resources when they want to learn more about a particular market, strategy, or betting concept.
For example, our guides to prop betting and futures betting explain how those markets work before you apply those concepts to NHL players, teams, awards, and season-long outcomes.
The NHL-specific collection will continue to grow as well. Additional guides will cover how to handicap games, important statistics and metrics, betting resources, a repeatable NHL betting checklist, futures markets, and NHL props.
These more focused resources will allow us to explore individual subjects in greater depth while keeping this NHL betting guide centered on the current season and the information bettors may need throughout the year.
Get in on the Action at the Best NHL Betting Sites
NHL betting is widely available at sportsbooks that cater to U.S. players, so bettors have plenty of options throughout the season. The stronger books separate themselves through competitive odds, reliable NHL coverage, and a deeper selection of betting markets.
Lucky Rebel and BetOnline are among our top options for NHL betting. Both consistently post odds for daily games and futures while offering markets beyond the basics. Everygame is another option for bettors looking for steady NHL lines throughout the season.
The best NHL betting sites provide consistent coverage of core markets such as moneylines, puck lines, and totals. Their betting menus can extend much further, with props and live betting available throughout the season. Bettors can also find futures on the Stanley Cup, NHL awards, team point totals, and other season-long outcomes, including individual player performance markets.
NHL Betting Resources
Having reliable betting tools and resources at your disposal can make researching NHL bets much easier. Betting News provides NHL picks, odds, analysis, and other resources throughout the season, while numerous other websites and tools can help with matchup research, statistics, injuries, player news, and other information.
NHL Betting Picks
Seeing how trusted sources are approaching a matchup can provide another perspective alongside your own research.
Our NHL picks page features consensus moneyline, puck line, and total picks throughout the season. Those selections are aggregated from reputable sports betting industry sources and paired with current odds from Lucky Rebel, BetOnline, and other top sportsbooks.
Betting News also provides expert NHL picks and analysis. Brad "Gretzky Betzky" Blakemore and other NHL contributors cover selected matchups, Stanley Cup futures, props, and other betting opportunities throughout the season.
Consensus and expert picks can supplement your own research, but they should not replace it. The NHL schedule provides plenty of betting opportunities over the course of a season, so being selective and comparing available information can be just as important as finding a pick you like.
NHL Betting Odds
NHL odds can differ from one sportsbook to another, making price comparison worthwhile before placing a wager.
Our NHL odds page brings moneyline, puck line, and total prices together for games throughout the season. This makes it easier to compare sportsbooks and follow how prices change without having to visit several betting sites individually.
Sportsbooks such as Lucky Rebel, BetOnline, and Everygame also offer additional NHL markets, including props, period betting, live betting, futures, and Stanley Cup odds.
Comparing prices becomes especially useful over a long NHL season. Even small differences in moneyline prices, puck line odds, totals, props, and futures can add up when you wager regularly.
Other NHL Betting Resources
Picks and odds are only part of NHL betting research. News, statistics, injuries, starting goaltenders, line combinations, schedules, and other information can all provide useful context when evaluating teams and betting markets.
For NHL news and general league information, the NHL's official site, ESPN, CBS Sports, and TSN are useful places to follow developments throughout the season.
For statistical research, HockeyDB, Hockey Reference, and NHL.com Stats provide access to player, team, historical, and other hockey data. RotoWire and RotoGrinders can also be useful for keeping up with injuries, player news, lineup information, and research related to NHL props.
Bettors looking for additional analytical tools can also explore resources such as BetAlytics, Outlier.bet, and Rithmm.
Using a combination of odds, picks, statistics, news, and other research tools can help you build a more complete picture of an NHL matchup before deciding whether a bet is worth making.
Follow the Current NHL Season
The 2026-27 NHL season is underway, with all 32 teams beginning the chase for a place in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This season marks the return of an 84-game schedule, giving each team two additional divisional games compared with recent seasons.
An NHL season rarely follows a straight line. A contender can hit a rough patch, a hot goaltender can change the complexion of a division race, and one key injury can alter a team's lineup and outlook. Those swings show up in the betting markets as well, where Stanley Cup prices and award odds can look much different in January or March than they did early in the season.
Betting News will follow those changes throughout the year with NHL picks, odds, analysis, and other coverage while keeping an eye on the bigger storylines developing across the league.
One of those storylines will increasingly become the playoff race as the regular season moves along. Teams compete for the top three places in each division, while the remaining postseason spots in each conference are awarded through the wild-card race.
For bettors, playoff positioning can matter well before the postseason begins. Teams may be chasing a division title, fighting for a wild-card berth, or trying to improve their path through the playoff bracket.
As the postseason picture takes shape, Betting News will update this space with a closer look at division and wild-card races, clinching scenarios, and eventual first-round matchups.
Follow the Race for the Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is the ultimate prize in the NHL, and the futures market gives bettors a way to follow the championship race from the opening weeks of the season through the final game of the playoffs.
Stanley Cup odds will shift throughout the year as teams establish themselves as contenders, expectations change, and the postseason field eventually narrows from 16 teams to two. We will keep this section updated with the latest championship odds and follow how the market develops on the road to the Stanley Cup Final.
The table below offers a snapshot of the current leading Stanley Cup contenders. For the full odds board and a deeper look into betting the postseason, visit our Stanley Cup betting guide.
Odds to Win the 2027 Stanley Cup
Odds are from Lucky Rebel as of Tuesday, September 29, 2026.
| Team | Stanley Cup Odds | Implied Probability | True Probability |
| Florida Panthers | +650 | 13.33% | 10.81% |
| Carolina Hurricanes | +700 | 12.50% | 10.14% |
| Colorado Avalanche | +750 | 11.76% | 9.54% |
| Edmonton Oilers | +850 | 10.53% | 8.53% |
| Vegas Golden Knights | +1000 | 9.09% | 7.37% |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | +1200 | 7.69% | 6.24% |
| Minnesota Wild | +1300 | 7.14% | 5.79% |
| Dallas Stars | +1500 | 6.25% | 5.07% |
NHL Season Calendar
The NHL season stretches from the opening games of the regular season through the Stanley Cup Final, with several marquee events along the way. Here are some of the key dates to know during the 2026-27 season:
- September 29, 2026: NHL regular season begins
- October 25, 2026: NHL Heritage Classic in Winnipeg
- November 12 & 14, 2026: NHL Global Series games in Helsinki, Finland
- December 18 & 20, 2026: NHL Global Series games in Düsseldorf, Germany
- December 31, 2026: NHL Winter Classic in Salt Lake City
- February 5-6, 2027: NHL All-Star Weekend on Long Island
- February 20, 2027: NHL Stadium Series in Arlington, Texas
- April 10, 2027: End of the NHL regular season
- April-June 2027: Stanley Cup Playoffs
The postseason will carry the season through four best-of-seven rounds before one team lifts the Stanley Cup. We will update this calendar as additional playoff dates and other important NHL events are finalized.
Other Betting Information
In addition to this NHL betting guide, Betting News offers a growing collection of NHL-specific content along with broader sports betting resources that can help with researching and placing hockey bets.
Our NHL coverage is only one part of a larger library of sports betting guides. You can learn more about particular markets and strategies, explore guides for other sports and major events, or brush up on betting terminology and concepts.
Here are some of our guides for major leagues and competitions, along with resources covering betting concepts, strategy, and terminology:
- Beginner's Guide to Betting on Sports
- NFL Betting Guide
- NBA Betting Guide
- MLB Betting Guide
- College Football Betting Guide
- College Basketball Betting Guide
- WNBA Betting Guide
- Golf Betting Guide
- Tennis Betting Guide
- Formula 1 Betting Guide
- NASCAR Betting Guide
- UFC Betting Guide
- Line Shopping Explained
- Bad Beats: What They Are & How to Handle Them
And in addition to our Stanley Cup hub and Conn Smythe Trophy betting guide, we have many other hubs and guides connected to major events. That includes the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, FIFA World Cup, March Madness, all of the Triple Crown horse races (the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes), the College World Series, and the golf and tennis majors.
Follow Betting News on Social Media
We also cover the NHL in great depth through Betting News Network programming and on our social media channels.
Follow us on Twitch, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube for frequent NHL betting insight from our content team.
Learn About Where to Bet on Sports
At Betting News, we have in-depth reviews of many top online sportsbooks, including Lucky Rebel, BetOnline, and Everygame, as well as top Canadian sportsbooks, international sportsbooks, and VPN-friendly crypto sportsbooks for U.S. players.
Learn About Other Types of Gambling
We don't just cover sports betting, either. Prediction markets like Polymarket are on the rise, and we are ramping up our coverage of that sector.
Outside of sports and sports betting, we also have a slew of resources dedicated to casino gambling and online poker.
Do you love to play online slots, blackjack, roulette, and other popular online casino games? Check out our catalog of casino guides and learn all you need to know to play your favorite games at the best online casinos.
Do you like to play Texas Hold'em or Five Card Draw while competing for real money against other players around the world? Check out our online poker guides and explore our recommendations of top online poker sites.
Remember, betting on the NHL and any other sport or league should be for entertainment and enjoyment. Always bet responsibly and utilize good bankroll management.
But if you find yourself having trouble sticking to responsible gambling practices, take a step back and/or use resources such as the National Council on Problem Gambling to get the help you may need.