NHL Betting Odds

The Arizona Coyotes might not compete for a Stanley Cup in the near future, but they’ve given their fans plenty to cheer about thanks to a recent trip to the playoffs. Those same fans will be happy to know that NHL odds will be one of the main markets for legal online sportsbooks in Arizona.

Whether you’re a Coyotes fan or not, you can still get in on the NHL betting action daily in Arizona in several different ways. Below you’ll find a short guide and introduction to NHL odds, including today’s best NHL odds at top AZ sportsbooks.

Today’s NHL Odds – Moneyline, Puckline, Totals, Stanley Cup

For upcoming NHL games, you can keep track of updated odds right here. This live odds feed keeps track of up-to-date odds as posted at the top sportsbooks in the state. Click on any odds to go directly to the sportsbook, register a new betting account and claim your bonus bets or bonus money.

Division, conference and Coyotes odds

When it comes to NHL futures markets, you’ll want to keep tabs on the odds for division and conference champions, as well as the team that will hoist the coveted Stanley Cup. Other futures bets will include individual award winners, such as the Hart Memorial Trophy, for the league MVP, or the Vezina Trophy, which goes to the top goalie of the year.

Check the second tab above for all of the latest NHL futures odds. Get a full run down of the latest Arizona Coyotes odds here.

What do NHL betting lines mean?

Arizona online sportsbooks use “American odds.” This refers to the odds format that is prevalent here in the United States.

What you need to know with these sports betting odds is that when you see a negative number (such as -110) associated with a team or a particular outcome, that side is the favorite. A positive number (like +130) indicates an underdog in the eyes of the sportsbook.

To calculate potential winnings, look at whether the odds are negative or positive.

• For negative numbers, you would need to wager that amount in order to win $100.
• For positive numbers, you would stand to win the listed amount on a wager of $100.

As an example, let’s say you wager on the Coyotes to beat the Colorado Avalanche at odds of -110. You place a bet of $110 on that outcome. If it comes true, your payout would be $210, which is your initial $110 wager and a $100 profit.

The ratios work the same for dollar figures other than $100, as well. You don’t have to try to figure out all the math yourself, either. You can find plenty of betting calculators online. All you need to do is punch in the odds, how much you’re betting, and then you’ll get an answer.

Betting the NHL moneyline

The moneyline bet is the easiest for beginning bettors because of its simplicity: Pick the winning team. If you’re right, you’ll make a profit. Here’s an example you could find at Caesars Sportsbook in Arizona:

• Arizona Coyotes       -110
• San Jose Sharks       +120

This wager is the same as the example above. The Coyotes are slight favorites, as indicated by the negative number, and the Sharks are the underdog.

If you wagered $100 on the Sharks and they won, you’d get $220, including your initial $100 bet and $120 in profit. A $110 bet on the Coyotes would pay out the same as the example above if successful.

Betting an NHL puck line

This is basically the “point spread” bet for hockey. The idea is that the sportsbook awards points to the underdog in order to even the playing field for this particular type of bet. This gives lesser teams a better chance to be on the winning side of a bet. In real life, they might be more overmatched.

Like above, the underdog will have a positive number; this time, it is goals. The favorite has a negative number. Here’s an example of a puck line bet you might find at DraftKings app in Arizona:

• Arizona Coyotes       -1.5 (+165)
• Los Angeles Kings   +1.5 (-215)

Looking at this listing, you’ll see that the Coyotes are favored by 1.5 goals. Meaning they need to win by two or more. The underdog Kings, meanwhile, can win outright or lose by a single goal.

In hockey, games are usually pretty close, making it potentially difficult to win by two goals, especially if sportsbooks expect a tight game already. Even though Arizona is the favorite here, it gets the positive odds at +165.

If the Coyotes win by a score of 3-2, then bets on them would actually lose because they didn’t cover the puck line. If, however, they won 3-1, then bets on them would pay off. A wager of $100 would bring back a payout of $265 — the initial stake plus the $165 profit.

For the Kings, they can lose 2-1 and bets on them would win. If they just win outright, that would work too. They have -215 odds (a $215 bet stands to win you $100) because keeping the game within a single goal in professional hockey is fairly common and gives the Kings a much better chance at winning this bet.

Sportsbooks use a half-point in the puck line so there can’t be any ties, which would result in a push and the sportsbook returning all bets.

Betting on NHL totals

A totals bet is also commonly referred to as an over/under. Sportsbooks set a line for the number of expected goals in the game. The line is for total goals for both teams, so it doesn’t matter which team wins with this wager.

You then can wager if the actual total goals will be over or under the sportsbook’s number. In a fictional matchup between the Arizona Coyotes and the Anaheim Ducks, a totals bet might look like this at BetMGM in AZ:

• Over 5.5 (-110)
• Under 5.5 (-110)

Like above, the sportsbook uses a half-point to make sure there will always be winning and losing bets. If this game ends up 2-1, then wagers on the under will win. If it were something more like 4-2, then the over would get the winning bets. A winning wager of $110 on either side would pay out $210 — the initial stake plus $100 in winnings.

Why do NHL odds and lines change?

That answer is typically two-fold. Oddsmakers will shift lines to take into account new information, or because the public is betting heavily on one outcome over the other.

Oddsmakers use a variety of sources to gather the information they need to make their predictions on the outcome of NHL games. Once they’ve set their lines, however, more information may become available. News like injuries, acquisitions and even recent trends in how teams are playing can all cause sportsbooks to shift their lines to better reflect their expectations.

Sportsbooks also keep an eye on how the public is wagering. If bets start getting heavy on one outcome compared to the other, oddsmakers may adjust the lines to make the less-popular option more appealing. By offering those new odds, the sportsbooks are hoping to even out the wagering.

The reason for that maneuver is simple: Sportsbooks are in the business of making money. Having so many wagers on one outcome could unbalance the payouts versus income the sportsbook is expecting. By evening out the wagers, they reduce their liability and potential losses. 

Sportsbook house rules for NHL

When you first sign up for a sportsbook, you’ll have the opportunity to read the terms and conditions for creating an account. Within those you will find the sportsbook’s house rules. Sportsbooks will have their own despite many of them being similar.

These rules indicate how a book reacts to certain situations, such as when a game is complete or what stats it considers official or how and when it will void and refund bets.

For the NHL, here are some of the more common rules you could come across:

• Regular-season games must take place on the scheduled date and at the scheduled location to be valid for wagers.
• Unless otherwise stipulated in individual wager rules, results for hockey games are official after 55 minutes of play. For international hockey, the time is 60 minutes.
• Unless wagers specify “regular time,” overtime periods will be part of the final score.
• In the event of a shootout, the winning team of the shootout will receive a single goal, as will the overall game total, no matter how many shootout goals both teams scored.
• For wagers that depend on periods of play, all specified periods must take place in full or the sportsbook will refund any wagers.
• Third period wagers do not include overtime.
• Some wagers, such as “team to score first,” do not require the game to finish in order to be valid.

Those are just some of the many rules you might find in the terms and conditions of various sportsbooks. Always take the time to read up on them before making your wagers so you are aware of what each situation entails before putting your money at stake.