Horse Racing stats man, Andy has contributed to OLBG for 18 years - An Ipswich fan and F1 fanatic, he also contributes EFL football and Motor Sport opinion.
Betting On The NHL
Betting on Ice Hockey and specifically, the NHL has increased by a huge amount over the last few years.
When different US states lifted gambling restrictions this enabled sports bettors to place bets on the NHL.
There are now a raft NHL betting markets and types of bet on offer including:
- Point Spread
- Total Goals
- Draw No Bet
- Winner
- Double Chance
- Winning Margin
- Correct Score
- Period Betting
- Goalscorers
- Asian Handicap
You can read about all sporting bet types via the comprehensive betting school article.
All the major online bookmakers offer NHL betting, a quick check on a game showed 60 betting options, we are really are spoilt for choice on the NHL betting front.
The NHL League Structure
32 teams are split into two Conferences, East & West.
Within each conference, there are two Divisions.
In the Eastern Conference, we have the Atlantic and Metropolitan.
In the Western Conference, it is the Central and Pacific.
Atlantic Division - Eastern Conference
| Team | State and Country |
|---|---|
| Boston Bruins | Boston, Massachusetts, USA |
| Buffalo Sabres | Buffalo, New York, USA |
| Detroit Red Wings | Detroit, Michigan, USA |
| Florida Panthers | Sunrise, Florida, USA |
| Montreal Canadians | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Ottawa Senators | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | Tampa Bay, Florida, USA |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
Metropolitan Division - Eastern Conference
| Team | State and Country |
|---|---|
| Carolina Hurricanes | Raleigh, North Carolina, USA |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | Columbus, Ohio, USA |
| New Jersey Devils | Newark, New Jersey, USA |
| New York Islanders | New York, New York State, USA |
| New York Rangers | New York, New York State USA |
| Philadelphia Flyers | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Washington Capitals | Washington DC, USA |
Central Division - Western Conference
| Team | State and Country |
|---|---|
| Chicago Blackhawks | Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Colorado Avalanche | Denver, Colorado, USA |
| Dallas Stars | Dallas, Texas, USA |
| Minnesota Wild | St Paul, Minnesota, USA |
| Nashville Predators | Nashville, Tennessee, USA |
| St Louis Blues | St Louis, Missouri, USA |
| Winnipeg Jets | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
Pacific Division - Western Conference
| Team | State and Country |
|---|---|
| Anaheim Ducks | Anaheim, California, USA |
| Arizona Coyotes | Glendale, Arizona, USA |
| Calgary Flames | Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Edmonton Oilers | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
| Los Angeles Kings | Los Angeles, California, USA |
| San Jose Sharks | San Jose, California, USA |
| Seattle Kraken | Seattle, Washington, USA. |
| Vancouver Canucks | Vancouver, Canada |
| Vegas Golden Knights | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. |
NHL Season
The season is broken down into four categories
- Pre Season
- Regular Season
- Stanley Cup Playoffs
- Stanley Cup Final
The regular season takes place between October and April.
During the regular season, each team plays 41 games at home and 41 games away.
These games are a mix of multiple games against teams in their division, they also play games against teams in their conference but not their division, finally they play against teams, not in their conference.
The top 3 teams from each division go into the Playoffs. (12)
The remaining top two teams in each conference are wild cards. (4)
This leaves 16 teams for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
These teams play in Divisional SemiFinals and a Divisional Final to determine which two teams will compete in the Stanley Cup Final.
There will be one finalist from the Western Conference and one finalist from the Eastern Conference.
Points Structure
If a team wins a game they get 2 points.
If a team loses a game in overtime or by shootout they get 1 point.
Stanley Cup Final
This is a best of seven series to determine the winner.
Stanley Cup Champions and Finalists
| Year | Stanley Cup Winners | Final Score | Runners Up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 4-2 | Dallas Stars |
| 2019 | St Louis Blues | 4-3 | Boston Bruins |
| 2018 | Washington Capitals | 4-1 | Vegas Golden Knights |
| 2017 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4-2 | Nashville Predators |
| 2016 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4-2 | San Jose Sharks |
| 2015 | Chicago Blackhawks | 4-2 | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| 2014 | Los Angelas Kings | 4-1 | New York Rangers |
| 2013 | Chicago Blackhawks | 4-2 | Boston Bruins |
| 2012 | Los Angelas Kings | 4-2 | New Jersey Devils |
| 2011 | Boston Bruins | 4-3 | Vancouver Canucks |
| 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks | 4-2 | Philadelphia Flyers |
Further reading is available at NHL.COM
To place a tip or bet on an NHL game please visit the Ice Hockey Tipping Pages.
