How to bet on hockey

While you’re watching the action heat up on the ice, PlayNow Sports is your home to bet on your favorite NHL teams.

Sports betting may seem intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be.

The PlayNow Sports guide to betting on hockey is here to help make sense of the numbers and the jargon. Feel confident in placing a bet and enjoy the excitement of wagering on one of Canada’s favorite sports.

In this guide, we will teach you everything you need to know about:

✔ Where to bet on hockey

✔ How to wager on hockey

✔ What makes betting on the Stanley Cup playoffs so exciting

✔ How to bet on the Money Line, Puck Line and Total Goals

✔ Popular bets including player props, futures bets, and NHL Same Game Parlays

✔ How to get started at PlayNow Sports

Learn the basics of betting on hockey in two minutes

Betting on hockey doesn’t have to be intimidating. If you’re a beginner, or need a refresher course, PlayNow Sports is here to help.

Where can I bet on hockey?

If you’re looking to add some extra excitement to the game and start betting on hockey, you may be asking where you should bet. PlayNow Sports is your safe, secure, and regulated betting site to wager on hockey and all sports.

Plus, when you sign up and place your bets at PlayNow Sports, the revenue generated from online gambling stays right here in the province supporting many provincial and community organizations, including education and health care.

Three reasons to bet on hockey

Wager on the Games

PlayNow Sports offers a wide variety of bets for National Hockey League games. Getting ready to watch the game with your friends, and want to add more excitement? At PlayNow Sports, you can wager on the outcome of the game, simply by taking a team to win. Or you can wager on your favourite player to score a goal with our Player Props selections.

Check out the latest odds for the Jets and all NHL Games

Know the stats, standings, and trends

Knowing the latest trends and stats is important information to have when looking to make a wager on the game. For example, an injury to a player can have an impact on the odds for a game. You can also see how teams have performed against a variety of sports betting markets, such as the Money Line, Puck Line and Total Goals. View the latest stats, trends, injury reports and NHL standings to help inform your bets at PlayNow Sports.

Bet on which team will win a championship

Teams with long shot odds can certainly take a run at the Stanley Cup, but will the next champions be an early-season contender or an unlikely underdog?

A bet on the pre-season contenders may not have the same lofty payout as a bet on a long shot, but there’s lots of value on contenders too. Last year, the Panthers began the season with odds of 18.00. A $10 bet on the Panthers to win it all at those odds would have a total potential payout of $180.

Odds on a team to win the Stanley Cup can change often throughout the season, depending on how a team is performing.

Check out Hockey Futures odds

*Odds to win the Stanley Cup are subject to change during the NHL season

What makes betting on hockey so exciting

Hockey is a fast-paced, physically demanding game that requires elite talent at its highest level – the National Hockey League. But what makes betting on hockey so exciting?

It’s the thrill of cheering for your favourite team with the added excitement of potentially winning some money if they win.

It is the sheer intensity brought on by the Stanley Cup playoffs. Every goal. Every hit. Every save. Every near miss. Towels waving in the stands. Marathon overtime games. Every minute of every playoff game, from the first round to end of the Stanley Cup Final, is a test of skill and human will at remarkable speed that you can argue is unmatched by most other sports.

Ways to bet on hockey

There are more ways to bet on hockey at PlayNow Sports than ever before. Wager on the action before, during and after the game!

Check out where you can bet on NHL Games

Money Line: Pick a team to win the game

The money line is the easiest way to bet on a game – and one of the most popular hockey wagers at PlayNow Sports . It’s simple: A Money Line wager is a bet on the team you think will win the game in any fashion.

Check out the Money Line odds for NHL Games

Reading the Money Line

For most NHL games, there are underdogs and favourites, represented with different odds.
The underdog is the team less likely to win the game. Their odds will have a higher value than their opponent. With a higher value in odds, a $10 wager on the underdog could have a higher potential total payout compared to the same wager amount on the favourite.
The favourite is the team that is expected to win. Their odds will have a lower value. Betting on the favourite may seem like the better option – they are expected to win, after all – but would have a lower potential total payout depending on the wager amount.
On rare occasions, both teams will have the same odds to win the game. This is called a Pick ‘Em – when the two teams are so evenly matched that oddsmakers assign each team the same odds to win.
For a Money Line bet to pay out, your team must win the game in any fashion – regulation, overtime, or shootout.
To calculate your total potential payout, multiply your wager amount by the decimal odds. A $10 bet on a team at odds of 1.75 would pay $7.50 in winnings plus your original wager for a total potential payout of $17.50.

*Teams and odds mentioned are for illustration only

Puck Line: Hockey’s version of the Point Spread

Another popular wager on hockey is the Puck Line. This is hockey’s version of a point spread and is another way to see which team is favoured and which team is the underdog.

Check out Puck Line odds

Reading the Puck Line

The favourite is indicated by the minus (-) sign and the underdog is indicated by a plus (+) sign.
In hockey, the main Puck Line is set at 1.5 goals. This is because hockey is a lower-scoring sport compared to football and basketball.
Odds are attached to the Puck Line to show how much you can potentially win on your wager.
If you are betting on the Puck Line favourite at -1.5, that team needs to win the game by two goals or more for your bet to hit.
If you bet on the puck line underdog at +1.5, your bet wins if that team either wins the game or loses by one goal.
Let’s say you see a team at -1.5 on the Puck Line at odds of 2.60. A $10 wager on the Puck Line has a potential total payout of $26.00 and will count as a winning bet if that team wins by two goals or more.

Team cities and odds mentioned are for illustration only.

Total Goals: Betting on how many goals will be scored

You’ve heard your friends joking about the Over / Under on something – “The number of hockey sticks Dave will break during Sunday hockey is 1.5!” For betting on hockey, the technical term for the Over / Under is Total Goals. This is simply a projection of the total number of goals scored in a game. Or in Dave’s case, the number of hockey sticks his buddies think he’ll break in one game.

Check out the Total Goals for NHL Games

Reading the Total or Over / Under

In this example, the total is set at 6.5 goals. If there are seven or more total goals scored in the game, the Over 6.5 will win.
If six or fewer goals are scored in a game, the Under 6.5 will win.
When betting on hockey, goals scored in overtime, or the goal awarded after a shootout will count towards the total number of goals scored in a game.
In this example, decimal odds of 1.90 have been applied to both the Over 6.5 and Under 6.5. This means that a $10 wager on the Over will have a total potential payout of $19.00.
Total Goals are also available for betting on individual periods. When betting on Total Goals in a single period, it’s important to note that only goals scored in that period will count towards the Total.
For example, if the First Period Total Goals is set at 1.5, and two goals are scored in the opening period, the Over 1.5 is the winner! Only goals scored during that period count towards the total. Goals aren’t carried over from previous periods.
If you see the Second Period Total Goals set at 1.5, and only one goal is scored in the second period, the Under 1.5 is the winner.
You’ll also sometimes see Total Goals for a game set at 6.0 or 7.0. If a game has a 6.0 Total Goals Line, your bet is a push/void if there are exactly 6 Total Goals scored.

*Team cities and odds mentioned are for illustration only

Other Ways to Bet

60-Minute Line

A 60-Minute Line is similar to the Money Line for hockey, however, the biggest difference is that these markets are settled based on the results in regulation time and exclude overtime and the shootout. You will see three outcomes for this type of bet. You can wager on the Home Team, a Tie, or the Away Team. If you took the Tie, and the score at the end of three periods is 3-3, your bet would be a winner.

Parlays

A parlay bet allows you to wager on the outcome of multiple NHL Games. If you feel two teams will both win their respective games, you can parlay both money line selections into one bet. When making a parlay, the individual money line odds for each selection are multiplied together. This can potentially mean a higher total potential payout – if both selections win. If one selection loses, then your 2-way parlay (Double) would also lose as both picks must be correct to win.

Same Game Parlays (SGP)

Same Game Parlays allow you to wager on multiple outcomes within the same NHL game. Just look for the ‘SGP’ icon in the betting page and click there to make your Same Game Parlay wager. If you think a team will win the game, the Over 6.5 Total Goals will hit, and that team’s star player will score a goal, you can combine all three selections into one wager with NHL Same Game Parlays. The odds for each selection will multiply like a standard parlay. Once you’ve made all your selections, add them to your bet slip as one bet and choose your wager amount.

Player Props

Player Props are a fun way to wager on the performance of your favourite players within the game. Let’s say you think a team’s star player will score a goal in a game. You can select that player to score 1+ Goals as part of our Player Props. If they score in regulation or overtime of that game, your bet would be a winner! Other popular player props include Total Shots on Goal, Total Points and Total Saves. These player props work similarly to the Total Goals – you’re betting the Over or Under for these selections.

More ways to bet on hockey than ever before

Live Betting

Live betting (aka in-play betting) is offered on all NHL games and gives you the opportunity to place bets even after the puck drops. A variety of bets are available for live betting, including a Live Money Line, Total Goals and Puck Line. But be sure to keep an eye on the odds and availability of the bets available. They can change quickly and suspend temporarily depending on the action on the ice.

Futures Bet

You can also wager on an outcome to happen at a future date – simply known as a Futures bet. A popular Futures bet on PlayNow Sports is wagering on a team to win the Stanley Cup. It’s a bet you can make before and during the regular season and through the Stanley Cup playoffs, and on more than just one team. Other popular Futures bets include betting on which player will lead the league in scoring, and all other NHL Trophy and Award winners.

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