The National Sport of Canada, and loved in the US and across a host of European countries, Ice Hockey is an aggressive contact sport that’s about as fast-paced as team games get. The National Hockey League (NHL) – ice hockey’s premier league competition – showcases the sport at its very best. The NHL features 25 teams from the US and seven from Canada competing each year for the prestigious Stanley Cup.
With its rapid action, fast reversals in play, frequent upsets and variety of betting markets, ice hockey is an ideal sport to bet on. With a wealth of data and news and expert opinions to analyse and consider, you can delve deep into the sport and make properly informed ice hockey bets.
Read this quick guide to ice hockey betting to get yourself set up for success with this exciting sport. We’ll explain how to bet on ice hockey, how ice hockey odds work, and we’ll give you our top tips for placing the right ice hockey bets.
How Do I Bet on Ice Hockey with BoyleSports?
You’ll find ice hockey betting markets at BoyleSports for all NHL games, plus other top ice hockey leagues and cups from around the world. With a range of different bets, you have plenty of options for balancing your odds and potential payouts. Our most popular ice hockey bets include:
● Match Winner: Bet on the home or away team to win a specific match.
● Period Winner: Bet on the home or away team to win the current period being played.
● Match Total Points Over/under: Bet on whether the total points scored in a game will be over or under a certain amount. An example is whether the combined points scored in a match between the Jets and the Rangers will be either under or over 5.5 points.
● Team Total Points Over/under: Will the points scored by a team in a match be over or under a certain amount?
● Handicaps Bets: Will a team beat another with a certain points handicap applied, such as will the Stars beat the Blues with a -2.5 points reduction handicap?
● Outright Bets: Place bets on which teams will win overall competitions, such as whether the Florida Panthers will win the 2025 Stanley Cup.
To make an ice hockey bet with us, set-up your BoyleSports account, then find a bet you want to make right here on this page.
A big part of betting productively on ice hockey is making sure you gamble responsibly. To ensure your betting is safe and responsible, always:
● Understand the ice hockey game you’re betting on and the bets you’re making.
● Set yourself a betting limit (bankroll), and stop betting when you reach that limit.
● Never gamble with money you can’t afford to lose.
● Never gamble when you’re intoxicated or otherwise not thinking clearly, such as if you’re overly angry or excited.
● Treat gambling as entertainment and not as a way to try and consistently make money.
● Seek help if you think your gambling is becoming a problem.
How Do Odds Work in Ice Hockey?
Just as with our other sports betting markets, you’ll see all our ice hockey odds written as fractional odds. An example of this is 5/1 – these odds mean you’d make five times your stake if your bet is successful. If you bet £1 on the Sabres to beat the Penguins at 5/1, and the Sabres win, you’d get £5 back. Plus your £1 stake will be returned to you for a total of £6.
Fractional odds can often look more complex – such as odds of 5/6 – but they always work in the same way. Take 5/6 odds for example. If you made a successful £6 bet, you’d win £5 back plus your original £6 stake, for a total of £11. If you made a successful £1 bet at 5/6, you’d get £0.83 back plus your original £1 stake, for a total of £1.83.
The below table includes some more examples of fractional odds to help make them clear:
• For a stake of £1 at odds of 20/1, the winnings are £20. With the stake returned, the total winnings are £21.
• For a stake of £1 at odds of 10/3, the winnings are £3.33. With the stake returned, the total winnings are £4.33.
• For a stake of £1 at odds of 5/2, the winnings are £2.50. With the stake returned, the total winnings are £3.50.
• For a stake of £1 at odds of 33/20, the winnings are £1.65. With the stake returned, the total winnings are £2.65.
• For a stake of £1 at odds of 7/9, the winnings are £0.78. With the stake returned, the total winnings are £1.78.
The ice hockey odds you’ll see for a bet are the bookmaker’s estimation of how likely that bet is to happen, such as how likely is it for the Panthers to beat the Predators. Odds are calculated taking a range of factors into account. This includes the current form of a team and their top players, league position, previous matchups between teams, home advantage, and more.
Bet on Major Ice Hockey Events with BoyleSports
With a BoyleSports account, you’ll have access to ice hockey betting markets for the most popular national and international ice hockey leagues and competitions, including:
NHL Betting
The National Hockey League (NHL) is the top ice hockey league in the world. The NHL is a North American competition with 25 teams from the US and seven from Canada.
The season is split into a preseason (September to early October), a regular season (early October to mid-April) and then postseason Stanley Cup playoffs, usually running into June. The top two teams meet each year in the Stanley Cup Finals where they compete for the oldest professional sports trophy in North America, the Stanley Cup.
Other notable ice hockey competitions include:
● American Hockey League (AHL): The primary development league for the NHL, featuring plenty of emerging talent.
● NCAA Ice Hockey Championship: The annual US college ice hockey tournament.
● IIHF World Championship: An annual men’s international competition featuring the best national teams from around the world.
● Winter Olympics Ice Hockey: The most prestigious global tournament, held once every four years.
● Swedish Hockey League (SHL): Sweden's top professional ice hockey league.
● SM – Liiga: Finland's premier ice hockey league, also known as the Finnish Elite League.
Our Top Tips for Ice Hockey Betting
Follow these top tips to make sure you give yourself the best chances of winning with your ice hockey bets:
● Understand the bets you make: Make sure you know what bets you’re placing and how you win them.
● Research teams before betting: Review recent form, head-to-head results, the form of key players, and underlying stats.
● Study a team’s style of play: Different play styles may favour different bets. For example fast, offensive teams may result in high-scoring games and may be more likely to beat points spreads.
● Analyse home vs. away form: Some teams perform better at home, but others are strong road teams.
● Keep an eye on schedule fatigue: Teams playing back-to-back games and/or with long travel distances can become fatigued, impacting their performance.
● Pay attention to news and expert opinion: As well as analysing stats, regularly read ice hockey news and expert analysis.
● Start small: Place smaller bets at first until you’re more familiar and confident with ice hockey betting.
● Manage your bankroll: Set yourself a clear budget to bet with and stick to it. Avoid emotional or impulse betting.
Bet on Ice Hockey and the NHL with BoyleSports
Add to the excitement of watching ice hockey and following your favourite teams with our ice hockey betting markets and our ice hockey odds. Join BoyleSports today to place your first ice hockey bets.
