NHL EXPERT PICKS, ODDS AND PREDICTIONS

NHL EXPERT PICKS

Of all the major U.S. leagues, the NHL is the one on which the fewest bets are placed. This can be a real opportunity for you to make profitable bets. When less money is bet in a sports betting market, the lines and odds are adjusted slowly. With NBA and NFL picks, the lines adjust so quickly sometimes that you hardly have time to react. While this can still happen in the NHL, it occurs far less frequently than in the NBA or NFL. For this reason, you may improve your bankroll with our NHL expert picks.

HOW DOES THE SEASON 2021-22 WORK?

After the shortened Corona season in 2020-21, the NHL is returning to its old familiar mode. Each team will again play 82 games in the regular season, which ends April 29. The opening games of the new season will be the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning against the Pittsburgh Penguins and the league newcomer Seattle Kraken at the Vegas Golden Knights. The corona-induced divisioning, including a Canadian-only division, will revert to the old familiar pre-pandemic system with Pacific, Central, Atlantic and Metropolitan divisions.

Due to the league's newcomer Seattle Kraken, there are now 32nd teams in the world's best hockey league starting in the 2021-22 season. The Kraken will play in the Pacific Division, while the Arizona Coyotes will move to the Central Division.

There are also outdoor games again - there are three in the season:

• Winter Classic: Minnesota Wild vs. St. Louis on Jan. 1, 2022, at Target Field in Minneapolis
• Stadium Series: Nashville Predators vs. Tampa Bay Lightning on Feb. 26, 2022, at Nissan Stadium in Tennessee
• Heritage Classic: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Buffalo on March 13, 2022, at Tim Hortons Field in Ontario

The top eight teams in each of the Eastern and Western Conferences qualify for the playoffs, which begin May 4, 2022. From the Round of 16 to the Stanley Cup Final, the game will be played according to the "best of seven" mode (four wins are required). In the event of a tie after 60 minutes, game will continue in 20-minute periods until a goal is scored ("sudden death"). In contrast to the preliminary round, the game will be played in a five-on-five format.

WHICH TEAM WILL PLAY IN WHICH DIVISION IN THE 2021/22 SEASON?

As of the 2021-22 season, there is a 32nd team in the NHL, the Seattle Kraken. We welcome you! After the Corona-related adjustment of the divisions in the 2020-21 season, the old mode with 82 games per team was re-established in the well-known Pacific, Central, Atlantic and Metropolitan Division.

Eastern Conference

Western Conference

HOW TO BET ON NHL TODAY

You landed on this page to get free NHL tips today. We publish our free NHL expert picks every day at around 4 p.m. ET. If there are no NHL predictions online, check out the best bets today. These free nhl picks are carefully selected by our experts and must meet various criteria, including (but not limited to):

• the current form of both teams
• last games against each other
• injured players
• value of the odds

Become a free premium member

And get access to all of today's NBA, NFL, NHL and soccer picks. Our experts analyze and cover picks for the regular season, playoffs all the way to the finals.

Name

Email

Go Premium

WHICH NHL PICKS DO WE COVER?

Our NHL expert picks are all about over/under betting, puckline and moneyline betting. Unlike NBA picks and NFL picks, we do not list NHL player props. This is because the squad of a hockey team is simply too large, which makes it difficult to consistently find valuable betting tips. For each NHL prediction, we analyze the current form, whether there are injured players and many other factors. For this reason, we are able to publish only the best NHL picks.

NHL PREDICTIONS MONEYLINE

When you place a bet on the moneyline, you bet on which team will win the game. In American football, hockey and basketball, a moneyline always includes overtime and a possible shootout. 

Many bookmakers also offer a 3-way moneyline. With this type of bet, you must remember that the game will be settled after the regular playing time. Here are two examples to better explain the difference between a classic moneyline and a 3-way moneyline:

Moneyline

You bet on the moneyline for a win of the Boston Bruins against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The odds are -165 (1.61), which means that for a bet of $165 you can make a profit of $100. Your bet will win if the Bruins win the game by:

• regulation time
• overtime
• shootout

3-way moneyline

If you choose the 3-way moneyline bet on a Boston Bruins win, you will find higher odds. For example, you may find +120 (2.20), which means you can make a profit of $120 on a bet of $100. In a 3-way moneyline bet, you can win only if the Bruins win the game by:

• regulation time

As you can see, the chances of winning with the classic moneyline bet are much higher. On the other hand, the betting odds and the possible profit are smaller.

NHL PICKS AGAINST THE SPREAD / PUCKLINE

NHL picks against the spread are often called puckline in hockey, which is usually a 1.5 goal spread. Some bookmakers offer a 2.5 or even 3.5 goal spread, but a 1.5 goal spread is a normal puckline. Betting against the spread can be very lucrative in hockey betting. If a team is down by one or two goals, the coach always decides to take the goalie off the ice to substitute a sixth player. Without a goalie, the team in the lead often scores the decisive goal and wins the game by a two-goal margin. A hockey team can only win a possible overtime or penalty shootout with a maximum of one goal difference, so this type of betting refers only to the regular playing time. If you want to place bets including the overtime and shootout, you must use the moneyline.

NHL OVER/UNDER PREDICTIONS

In over/under bets, also known as NHL total bets, it does not matter which team leaves the ice as the winner. This is the reason why these bets are popular amongst many bettors. As a rule, the bookmaker always offers a line of over/under 5.5 goals on hockey bets. If two teams with a good offense and a bad defense meet, the line is sometimes increased to 6.5 goals. If you bet on over 5.5 goals, at least six total goals must be scored in the match for you to win your bet. 

For example, some bookmakers offer a line of 6.0 goals. At this line, seven goals or more must be scored for your bet to win. If exactly six goals are scored, your bet will be completely refunded. If five or fewer goals are scored, your bet has lost. Look at how many goals one team gets and the opposing team scores. Sometimes the head coach of a team will also change the goaltender. It is best to take a look at the statistics of the respective goaltender. An interesting statistic is the goaltender's Goals Against Average (GAA) value.

NHL PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

As soon as the regular NHL season is over, the hot playoff phase begins. We cover NHL playoff predictions as well. Our experts will publish the NHL playoff picks on this page as soon as the playoffs have begun. 

WHERE CAN I BET ON HOCKEY?

If you live in a U.S. state where sports betting is legal, you have a few options to place NHL bets.

The best U.S. bookies for NHL picks:

• 

  100% up to $600

  Bet now
• 

  Bet $1 and Get $200

  Bet now

The best Canadian bookies for NHL picks:

• 

  100% up to $300

  Bet now
• 

  100% up to $200

  Bet now
• 

  100% up to $250

  Bet now

If you are interested in more good alternative bookmakers, check out all the best U.S. bookies (with a filter by state) and the best Canadian bookies that are tried and trusted.

MORE THAN JUST NHL EXPERT PICKS

Since sports betting became legal in the U.S.A. and Canada, more and more people have been betting on the major American leagues. In addition to our NHL predictions, we also offer you the following betting tips every day:

• NFL expert picks against the spread
• NBA picks
• Soccer Picks

Check them out! We also publish the popular NBA Player Props and NFL Player Props.