What is the best hockey league for Favourite Backers?
In comparison to the other US sports, Basketball is top of the pile for winning favourites, then it's the NFL with Baseball bottom of the pile.
So where does the NHL fit into the list? It would be about on par with Baseball at the bottom of the list in terms of favourites not being as successful as they are in the other sports.
Below we will compare twelve of the best hockey leagues from around the world and look at which leagues have the better records for winning favourites.
| League | Home Fav % | Away Fav % | Overall Fav % |
|---|---|---|---|
| France (Ligue Magnus) | 70.38% | 68.45% | 69.64% |
| UK (Elite League) | 66.67% | 63.26% | 65.45% |
| Denmark (Metal Ligaen) | 66.71% | 60.97% | 64.72% |
| Russia (KHL) | 63.98% | 62.82% | 63.55% |
| Austria (EHL) | 63.52% | 63.47% | 63.50% |
| Slovakia (Extraliga) | 63.56% | 60.61% | 62.61% |
Looking at the top six leagues for winning favourites, it is the French Ligue Magnus which comes out on top with 69.64% of favourites winning overall, which is a high return and over 4% more than any of the other leagues we have looked at.
The figures are pretty even between home and on the road, with 70.38% of favourites winning at home and 68.45% winning on the road, which again is a high number for winning favourites on the road.
| League | Home Fav % | Away Fav % | Overall Fav % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland (NLA) | 63.59% | 59.17% | 62.44% |
| Czechia (Extraliga) | 63.39% | 60.00% | 62.40% |
| USA (NHL) | 62.91% | 60.34% | 61.93% |
| Germany (DEL) | 63.48% | 57.28% | 61.49% |
| Finland (SM Liiga) | 62.38% | 59.13% | 61.29% |
| Sweden (SHL) | 60.64% | 54.03% | 59.04% |
As you can see, the NHL comes well down the list; it is only 9th of 12 for winning favourites with a 61.93% win rate, which shows just how competitive that league is. The SHL (Swedish Hockey League) is arguably the second most popular hockey league in the world, and that one comes out at the bottom of the pile with just 59.04% of favourites winning.
It is not a surprise to see those two leagues down the list, they are both popular because they attract the best players in the world which makes them competitive, hence why favourites struggle somewhat in both leagues.
Top Five Teams to Back as Favourites
Considering the French league is the best of backing winning favourites, it is no surprise to see the top three teams here all come from France.
- Grenoble [France] (172-47 78.54%)
- Angers [France] (133-43 75.57%)
- Rouen [France] (146-48 75.26%)
- Zilina [Slovakia] (20-7 74.07%)
- Sheffield [UK] (158-57 73.49%)
Top Five Teams to Avoid as Favourites
It is surprising to see a UK team top this list, which is purely because the UK is second in the list for winning favourites.
- Fife [UK] (9-17 34.62%)
- Djurgarden [Sweden] (11-19 36.67%)
- Lada [Russia] (14-17 45.16%)
- Malmö [Sweden] (31-36 46.27%)
- Iserlohn Roosters [Germany] (24-27 47.06%)
Which hockey leagues produce the most goals?
Now we will compare the same twelve leagues and look at which ones are most productive when it comes to scoring goals over the last five completed seasons for each league.
Like the favourites, it is the French Ligue Magnus which comes out towards the top, this time for the average number of goals per game with 6.33; however, it is the UK Elite League which tops the list with an average of 6.42 goals per game.
Only four teams surpass the average of 6 goals per game, as well as those two mentioned, the Danish Metal Ligaen averages 6.23 and the NHL averages 6.18; the other eight leagues all average under 6 goals per game.
| League | Over 5.5 | Over 6.5 | Game Average | Correct Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK (Elite League) | 60.97% | 47.15% | 6.42 | 3-2 (6%) |
| France (Ligue Magnus) | 58.27% | 46.32% | 6.33 | 3-2 (6%) |
| Denmark (Metal Ligaen) | 56.37% | 45.08% | 6.23 | 2-3 (7%) |
| USA (NHL) | 56.34% | 44.92% | 6.18 | 3-2 (7%) |
| Slovakia (Extraliga) | 49.91% | 38.46% | 5.88 | 3-2 (9%) |
| Austria (EHL) | 50.35% | 39.86% | 5.87 | 2-3 (8%) |
The Russian KHL comes out bottom of the twelve leagues with just an average of 5.28 goals. The league only recorded 39.52% of games seeing over 5.5 goals and is the only league below 30% for over 6.5 goals, with just 29.13% of games seeing 7 or more goals.
The Finnish SM Liiga is the only other of the twelve leagues to have a strike rate of under 41% for games going over 5.5 goals; that league averages just 5.33 goals per game, and only 40.52% of games saw six goals or more.
| League | Over 5.5 | Over 6.5 | Game Average | Correct Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany (DEL) | 50.72% | 39.25% | 5.87 | 3-2 (8%) |
| Switzerland (NLA) | 45.00% | 34.70% | 5.63 | 2-3 (8%) |
| Czechia (Extraliga) | 41.16% | 31.48% | 5.41 | 3-2 (9%) |
| Sweden (SHL) | 41.94% | 32.12% | 5.41 | 3-2 (8%) |
| Finland (SM Liiga) | 40.52% | 31.11% | 5.33 | 3-2 (8%) |
| Russia (KHL) | 39.52% | 29.13% | 5.28 | 3-2 (9%) |
When it comes to the most popular correct score then ninw leagues have it as a 3-2 win for the home team whilst the other three leagues have it as a 3-2 win for the road team, so it is safe to say a 3-2 scoreline either way is popular in hockey.
Top Five Teams to Back for Over 5.5 Goals
The games involving the French side Grenoble see plenty of goals; 77.33% of their games resulted in six or more goals, and they are the only team to surpass the 77% mark.
- Grenoble [France] (116-34 77.33%)
- Rouen [France] (117-36 76.47%)
- Sheffield [UK] (105-40 72.41%)
- Belfast [UK] (97-40 70.80%)
- SKA St. Petersburg [Russia] (113-47 70.63%)
Top Five Teams to Avoid for Over 5.5 Goals
In Germany, Krefeld Pinguine is at the other end of the spectrum; they are the worst team when it comes to games involving six or more goals, only 19.23% of their games have gone over, which very much makes them a team to consider for the under bet.
- Krefeld Pinguine [Germany] (10-42 19.23%)
- Briancon [France] (26-95 21.49%)
- Rodovre Mighty Bulls [Denmark] (32-116 21.62%)
- Zlin [Czechia] (9-32 21.95%)
- DVTK [Slovakia] (5-17 22.73%)
Which Ice Hockey leagues and events do you cover tips for?
We have Ice Hockey betting tips for the NHL of course including all the major matches across the USA and Canada, culminating in the Stanley Cup.
You will find NHL picks on here throughout the whole season, including playoffs for you to place NHL wagers on.
We also provide other ice hockey betting tips for the top leagues in Europe so when looking for bets you might also be interested in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) and the British Elite League (EIHL).
When will you have Ice Hockey Betting tips?
The National Hockey League runs from October to June so during this period this page will be packed with the most popular NHL betting tips.
Both the British Elite League and Swedish Hockey Leagues run from September through to April.
This means that for eleven of the twelve months of the year, there will be ice hockey betting predictions for you to wager on!
We cover the regular season as well as all of the playoff matches in all of the mentioned leagues as well as outright betting tips.
Who are the best Ice Hockey tipsters?
If you are looking for the answer to Who will win the Stanley Cup? Then we have a lot of great Ice Hockey tipsters at OLBG.
Some of our tipsters do specialise in NHL betting tips, others specialise in the other leagues whilst some do make predictions on all ice hockey.
To see which are the best, check out the individual tips whereby each tip you will see the tipster record.
You will notice that some have very profitable records. The profit figure looks at the last 6 months of ice hockey picks for that tipster.
Their consistency can also be seen by looking at the last 6 months in which tips have been placed.
A tipster who has been profitable for 4, 5 or 6 of those months will have shown great consistency and you may well want to follow all their Ice Hockey tips.
To do so, install the OLBG app, and then you can select a team of tipsters to follow by adding them to MyTipsters. You will then get alerts when they place their ice hockey bets.
Because all our top ice hockey tipsters add comments on each of their tips, this provides you with a huge amount of information before placing your bets.
They do all the research for you to make your betting easier. Read comments from different tipsters who have different views on the game and see which are the most convincing to you.
Also, consider heading over to the Best Ice Hockey Tipsters page which highlights the best of the best hockey tipsters.
Free NHL Money Line Predictions
This market is a simple bet on whether the designated home or away team will be successful and because this is a 2-way market it will include any overtime and penalties (check bookmakers T&Cs when it comes to European matches).
What you will see are the odds for either team, for example, Pittsburgh Penguins may be 4/7 to beat the New York Rangers, meaning if you staked £10 and it was successful, your return would be £15.71, a profit of £5.71.
On the other hand, if you fancy the New York Rangers to win then you would bet on them, say their money line odds were 6/4 and you staked £10 then you could win as much as £25 (£15 profit) if successful.
You might want to add the NHL money line picks into an accumulator, this is a way of building up the odds for a better return but you need them all to win to get that return.
NHL Accumulator
- PIT Penguins to win 4/7 (1.57)
- FLA Panthers to win 4/6 (1.67)
- CAL Flames to win 8/13 (1.62)
- COL Avalanche to win 2/5 (1.40)
Converting the fraction to decimal odds is the easiest way to work out an estimated return, you multiply the odds together (1.57*1.67*1.62*1.40) and that will give you an estimate of your returns which in this case works out as 5.95.
That means your NHL Accumulator if all four bets are successful, for a £10 stake would return roughly £59.50 which would be a £49.50 profit.
NHL Puck Line Predictions
As well as the money line market, you will also find expert tips on two other markets right here for today's NHL predictions. First of all, we have spread betting which is better known as Puck Line for the NHL.
In terms of comparison, this market is the same as Asian Handicapping in football or the run line in baseball, the favourite is given a handicap to overcome whilst the underdog is given a headstart to defend.
In the NHL this line is usually set at 1.5 so the favourite in the game will be given a handicap of -1.5 whilst the dog will get a handicap of +1.5, the line can on occasion be different such as 0.5 or 2.5 depending on how strong the favourite is.
To work out if the bets are successful or not, if the team with the -1.5 handicap wins by 2+ goals then that line is successful, anything else the +1.5 line is successful.
NHL Totals Predictions
The other market available is NHL Totals betting, in this market, you are betting on how many goals will be scored during the game.
Please check your bookmaker for details but nearly all NHL games will include goals scored in overtime and penalties whilst for some European leagues those may not be included.
You will get an under and over option for this market, it's the same as when wagering on the totals in the NBA, the runs in MLB, or the points in the NFL.
You will be given a line and when it comes to NHL totals, this line can differ from game to game, the most common line is usually 5.5.
This means that your bet will be on whether there will be under 5.5 goals (5 or fewer) or whether there will be over 5.5 goals (6 or more).
Sometimes you will get a line without a .5, something like 6.0 which means that the 'Push' option comes into play, if the game finishes with exactly 6 goals then your stake is refunded.
Andy Powell, the driving force behind OLBG's ice hockey content, brings his passion and expertise to craft an immersive experience for enthusiasts. Andy's dedication to the sport offers a comprehensive view of ice hockey. He delivers engaging analysis, betting insights, and comprehensive coverage of global competitions.
**Favourite and Goal statistics used above include the last five completed seasons of each league.
Andy Powell
Content Editor
Ice Hockey Blogs
Here are the previews of ice hockey tournaments that we have looked at in blogs: