The NHL stands for the National Hockey League, and is North America’s premier professional league. Considered as one of the top hockey league’s in the world and one of the top four sporting league’s in the United States and Canada, the NHL remains one of the most popular sports to bet on for Australian punters.
The NHL was founded in Montreal in 1917 following the suspension of the National Hockey Association which had been founded eight years earlier. The NHL immediately took over as North America’s number one hockey league, beginning with four teams, all of which were in Canada. As time went on, the league then expanded to the United States in 1924 with the addition of the Boston Bruins, followed by the Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and the New York Rangers.
These four teams, plus the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens, make up what is known as “The Original Six”. The NHL then added another six teams in 1967, followed by several additions as the years went on. By 2017, the NHL added its 31st team, the Vegas Golden Knights.
Each year all 31 teams compete for The Stanley Cup trophy, the oldest championship in North American sports history. The historic Cup has been won by some of the games greats, such as Wayne Gretzky, Sidney Crosby, Gordie Howe and Bobby Orr.
WEEKLY 2017/18 NHL BETTING
NHL TEAMS
- Anaheim Ducks: Founded in 1993.
- Arizona Coyotes: Founded in 1972.
- Boston Bruins: Founded in 1924.
- Buffalo Sabres: Founded in 1970.
- Calgary Flames: Founded in 1972.
- Carolina Hurricanes: Founded in 1972.
- Chicago Blackhawks: Founded in 1926.
- Colorado Avalanche: Founded in 1972.
- Columbus Blue Jackets: Founded in 2000.
- Dallas Stars: Founded in 1967.
- Detroit Redwings: Founded in 1926.
- Edmonton Oilers: Founded in 1972.
- Florida Panthers: Founded in 1993.
- Los Angeles Kings: Founded in 1967.
- Minnesota Wild: Founded in 2000.
- Montreal Canadiens: Founded in 1909.
- Nashville Predators: Founded in 1998.
- New Jersey Devils: Founded in 1974.
- New York Islanders: Founded in 1972.
- New York Rangers: Founded in 1926.
- Ottawa Senators: Founded in 1992.
- Philadelphia Flyers: Founded in 1967.
- Pittsburgh Penguins: Founded in 1967.
- San Jose Sharks: Founded in 1991.
- St. Louis Blues: Founded in 1967.
- Tampa Bay Lightning: Founded in 1992.
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Founded in 1917.
- Vancouver Canucks: Founded in 1945.
- Vegas Golden Knights: Founded in 2017.
- Washington Capitals: Founded in 1974.
- Winnipeg Jets: Founded in 1999.
NHL STANDINGS
The NHL standings are divided into two conferences, the Eastern and Western. Within those two conferences stand two divisions; the Metropolitan and Atlantic divisions in the Eastern conference, and the Central and Pacific divisions in the Western conference.
The race to the playoffs is decided by wins, losses, points and overtime points through the regular season, running during the months of October through to April and consisting of 82 games. Each team is awarded two points for a win, one point for losing in overtime or a shootout, and zero points for a loss in regulation time.
At the end of each season, the team atop their respective division with the most points is crowned the division champion, while the league’s overall leader is awarded the Presidents’ Trophy.
STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS
The NHL Playoffs are an elimination format consisting of four best-of-seven series. The Stanley Cup Playoffs begin at the end of April with a Wild Card Round, finishing with the Stanley Cup Final between the two conference champions in May/June. The home/away ice schedule in the playoffs is determined by conference seeding and follows a 2-2-1-1-1 format.
STANLEY CUP
The Stanley Cup is the NHL’s championship series, consisting of up to seven games. It is played out between the two conference champions.
NHL SEASON RECORDS
- Most Stanley Cup Titles: Montreal Canadiens
- Oldest Franchise Without a Stanley Cup: St. Louis Blues
- Longest Stanley Cup Final Drought: Toronto Maple Leafs
- Longest Winning Streak: Pittsburgh Penguins (17) 1992-93
- Longest Home Winning Streak: Detroit Redwings (23) 2011-12
- Longest Losing Streak: Washington Capitals (17) 1974-75, San Jose Sharks (17) 1992-93
NHL BETTING
There are a wide range of betting markets available on each and every NHL game. Given the daily nature of the sport, this provides enormous value to punters. See below for some of the most common NHL bet types and hockey betting markets open throughout the season.
Head-To-Head NHL Odds
The head-to-head betting market is open on all NHL matches including those played during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Like in any other head-to-head market, a price is offered for either of the two teams to win. The team with the shorter odds is known as the ‘favourite’, while the team with longer odds is known as the underdog. The odds are normally determined by a team/s record and placing in the standings.
NHL Line Betting
Also known as “the spread” in America, the Ladbrokes line markets are listed right alongside the head-to-head odds. In a nutshell, line betting effectively handicaps the favourites by setting a margin determined by the bookmaker. A number of goals is assigned that the favourite NHL team “takes” from the final match score and the underdog “gives”. For example if the line read:
- Washington Capitals -1.5
The Celtics would have 1.5 goals subtracted from their final score and then compared to their opponent. If they still won the game after the subtracted Line then the bet pays off at better NBA odds than the standard head-to-head markets.
Over/Under Goals Market
The Total Goals market is another betting option that provides tremendous value. There are two options in this market, either pick the over/under amount of goals scored as a total in the match, or choose the amount of goals a specific team scores in a game.
Margin Markets
Similar to the NBA and all football codes, NHL markets also offer the option to choose which winning goal margin you think a team might win by. There are normally several options to choose from, starting from one goal all the way up to six plus.