NHL betting occupies a distinctive space in North American sports wagering. The league's low-scoring nature — most games land between 4 and 7 total goals — creates a compressed moneyline market where underdogs win at a notably high rate compared to other major sports. On any given night, a bottom-tier team can steal a game from a contender thanks to a hot goaltender or a fortunate bounce. This parity makes the NHL attractive for bettors who do their homework, but it also means the moneyline, puck line (standard -1.5 spread), and totals markets each require different analytical approaches. The over/under market, typically set around 5.5 or 6 goals, is particularly sensitive to goaltender matchups and team pace, while the puck line introduces significant juice shifts depending on how evenly matched the teams are.
Vig in NHL markets tends to be tighter than in sports like the NFL, largely because handle sizes are smaller and books compete aggressively for action from a dedicated but comparatively niche betting audience. Standard moneyline margins typically fall in the 3–5% range at competitive sportsbooks, though puck line and totals can see slightly wider margins. Books that specialize in hockey or cater to sharp bettors often post the leanest lines, and shopping across platforms for even 5–10 cents of line value on a moneyline adds up meaningfully over an 82-game regular season per team.
The NHL regular season runs from October through mid-April, followed by playoffs extending into late June. Early-season lines can be softer as oddsmakers calibrate rosters after offseason turnover, creating potential value for bettors who track preseason depth charts and training camp battles closely. Goaltender availability is the single most impactful variable on NHL odds — a confirmed starter versus a backup can swing a moneyline by 20 cents or more. Back-to-back games, travel schedules, and home/away splits also matter considerably; teams on the second night of a back-to-back historically underperform, and certain arenas carry pronounced home-ice advantages. During the playoffs, when rotations tighten and star goaltenders play nearly every game, the markets sharpen significantly, often producing the tightest vig of the entire season.
San Jose Sharks @ Ottawa Senators
| Side | Market | Best Line | Worst |
|---|---|---|---|
| home | h2h | BetMGM: +110 | -105 |
| away | h2h | Caesars: -125 | -140 |
| home | spreads | Fanatics: -240 (+1.5) | -333 |
| away | spreads | theScore Bet: +220 (-1.5) | +175 |
| over | totals | BetMGM: +105 (+7.5) | -113 |
| under | totals | FanDuel: -115 (+7.5) | -140 |
| home | spreads | betPARX: +295 (-1.5) | +285 |
| away | spreads | betPARX: -420 (+1.5) | -455 |
Anaheim Ducks @ Montréal Canadiens
| Side | Market | Best Line | Worst |
|---|---|---|---|
| home | h2h | Bovada: +133 | +120 |
| away | h2h | Caesars: -145 | -157 |
| home | spreads | theScore Bet: -180 (+1.5) | -210 |
| away | spreads | DraftKings: +164 (-1.5) | +137 |
| over | totals | LowVig.ag: -128 (+6.5) | -145 |
| under | totals | Bovada: +117 (+6.5) | +105 |
Toronto Maple Leafs @ Minnesota Wild
| Side | Market | Best Line | Worst |
|---|---|---|---|
| home | h2h | LowVig.ag: -246 | -278 |
| away | h2h | Caesars: +222 | +200 |
| home | spreads | DraftKings: +100 (-1.5) | -110 |
| away | spreads | Fanatics: -110 (+1.5) | -124 |
| over | totals | LowVig.ag: +102 (+6.5) | -106 |
| under | totals | Caesars: -115 (+6.5) | -122 |
Nashville Predators @ Edmonton Oilers
| Side | Market | Best Line | Worst |
|---|---|---|---|
| home | h2h | LowVig.ag: -173 | -195 |
| away | h2h | Caesars: +158 | +143 |
| home | spreads | DraftKings: +140 (-1.5) | +119 |
| away | spreads | Caesars: -155 (+1.5) | -170 |
| over | totals | LowVig.ag: -138 (+6.5) | -155 |
| under | totals | Caesars: +130 (+6.5) | +110 |
| over | totals | Bovada: +115 (+7) | +104 |
| under | totals | BetMGM: -125 (+7) | -139 |
Florida Panthers @ Seattle Kraken
| Side | Market | Best Line | Worst |
|---|---|---|---|
| home | h2h | betPARX: -125 | -135 |
| away | h2h | BetUS: +115 | +105 |
| home | spreads | BetUS: +200 (-1.5) | +167 |
| away | spreads | Caesars: -225 (+1.5) | -256 |
| over | totals | Fanatics: -130 (+5.5) | -135 |
| under | totals | theScore Bet: +115 (+5.5) | +105 |
| over | totals | LowVig.ag: -101 (+6) | -110 |
| under | totals | Caesars: -110 (+6) | -118 |
Boston Bruins @ New Jersey Devils
| Side | Market | Best Line | Worst |
|---|---|---|---|
| home | h2h | BetOnline.ag: +101 | -108 |
| away | h2h | betPARX: -112 | -130 |
| home | spreads | Fanatics: -250 (+1.5) | -286 |
| away | spreads | betPARX: +215 (-1.5) | +174 |
| over | totals | BetOnline.ag: +100 (+6) | -105 |
| under | totals | BetUS: -115 (+6) | -122 |
| over | totals | Fanatics: -125 (+5.5) | -140 |
| under | totals | theScore Bet: +110 (+5.5) | +103 |
Calgary Flames @ Detroit Red Wings
| Side | Market | Best Line | Worst |
|---|---|---|---|
| home | h2h | betPARX: +160 | +141 |
| away | h2h | BetUS: -175 | -199 |
| home | spreads | Fanatics: -160 (+1.5) | -172 |
| away | spreads | BetUS: +140 (-1.5) | +123 |
| over | totals | BetMGM: +100 (+6) | -106 |
| under | totals | betPARX: -120 (+6) | -121 |
| over | totals | BetOnline.ag: -120 (+5.5) | -132 |
| under | totals | DraftKings: +105 (+5.5) | -101 |
Los Angeles Kings @ New York Rangers
| Side | Market | Best Line | Worst |
|---|---|---|---|
| home | h2h | betPARX: -118 | -131 |
| away | h2h | BetOnline.ag: +106 | -105 |
| home | spreads | BetUS: +220 (-1.5) | +174 |
| away | spreads | BetMGM: -235 (+1.5) | -278 |
| over | totals | DraftKings: -118 (+5.5) | -132 |
| under | totals | BetOnline.ag: +109 (+5.5) | -102 |
Utah Mammoth @ Dallas Stars
| Side | Market | Best Line | Worst |
|---|---|---|---|
| home | h2h | FanDuel: -156 | -178 |
| away | h2h | betPARX: +143 | +127 |
| home | spreads | BetUS: +164 (-1.5) | +136 |
| away | spreads | Fanatics: -180 (+1.5) | -205 |
| over | totals | BetOnline.ag: +101 (+6) | -105 |
| under | totals | BetUS: -115 (+6) | -124 |
| over | totals | Hard Rock Bet: -120 (+5.5) | -130 |
| under | totals | Fanatics: +105 (+5.5) | -102 |
Pittsburgh Penguins @ Colorado Avalanche
| Side | Market | Best Line | Worst |
|---|---|---|---|
| home | h2h | BetOnline.ag: -220 | -265 |
| away | h2h | betPARX: +210 | +180 |
| home | spreads | FanDuel: +112 (-1.5) | -106 |
| away | spreads | theScore Bet: -120 (+1.5) | -140 |
| over | totals | betPARX: -118 (+6.5) | -125 |
| under | totals | Caesars: +105 (+6.5) | -107 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best NHL lines today?
The table below shows which sportsbook has the best available price on each side of every upcoming NHL event. Line shopping across multiple books can save you 1–3% per bet compared to sticking with a single sportsbook.
How does NHL vig compare to other major sports?
NHL vig sits between NFL and niche sports. Hockey attracts decent volume, especially during playoffs, but less than football or basketball. Expect NHL vig to be 1–3% higher than NFL on average, with puck lines (spreads) typically carrying more vig than moneylines.
When is NHL season?
The NHL regular season runs from October through mid-April, with the Stanley Cup Playoffs extending through June. The season offers consistent daily games from October to April, making it a steady option for bettors during football's off-season.
Why are NHL puck line vig margins wider?
The puck line (±1.5 goals) is harder for books to price efficiently because hockey is low-scoring. A single goal swings the market dramatically. This uncertainty leads to wider margins. Moneyline bets in NHL tend to offer better vig for that reason.
What is vig (vigorish) in sports betting?
Vig — short for vigorish, also called juice or overround — is the margin a sportsbook builds into its odds. It's the difference between the true probability of an outcome and what the odds imply. Lower vig means you keep more of your winnings on every bet. For example, a standard -110/-110 line has about 4.76% vig.
How often is this data updated?
We pull fresh odds from The Odds API three times per day — at 6:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 10:00 PM UTC. Each snapshot captures the latest lines from every sportsbook that has posted odds. The timestamp at the top of the page shows the most recent refresh.
How is the vig grade calculated?
Each sportsbook is graded on a letter scale based on average vig: A+ (under 2%) is exceptional, A (2–3%) is excellent, B+ (3–4%) is above average, B (4–5%) is the industry standard, C (5–6%) is below average, and D (above 6%) indicates high-juice markets.
Why does lower vig matter for bettors?
Lower vig directly impacts your long-term returns. A bettor placing $1,000 per week at a book with 4% vig loses roughly $40/week to the house edge. At 2% vig, that drops to $20/week — a $1,040 difference over a year. For serious bettors, shopping for lower vig is one of the most reliable ways to improve profitability.
What sportsbooks do you track?
We track both regulated US sportsbooks (DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars) and offshore books (Bovada, BetOnline, MyBookie, BetUS, LowVig.ag, BetAnySports). Data comes from The Odds API, which aggregates real-time lines from licensed sources.
How We Calculate These Numbers
- Data Source
- All odds on this page come from The Odds API, which aggregates real-time lines from licensed US and offshore sportsbooks. We track moneyline, spread, and totals markets across every sport with active betting lines.
- Update Frequency
- We pull a fresh snapshot of every tracked market three times per day — at 6:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 10:00 PM UTC. Each snapshot captures the latest lines from every sportsbook that has posted odds for a given event. The timestamp at the top of each page tells you exactly when the data was last refreshed.
- Vig Calculation
- Vig (short for vigorish, also called juice or overround) measures the margin a sportsbook builds into its odds. We calculate it by converting the odds on each side of a market to implied probabilities, summing those probabilities, and subtracting 100%. For example, a market priced at -110/-110 implies 52.38% on each side — a total of 104.76%, meaning a vig of 4.76%. Lower vig means better value for bettors because you keep more of your winnings.
- Per-Market Breakdown
- We compute vig separately for each market type: moneyline (h2h), point spreads, and totals (over/under). The "average vig" shown for each sportsbook is the mean across all market types weighted by the number of events sampled in each market.
- Grading Scale
- Every sportsbook receives a letter grade based on its average vig: A+ (under 2%) is exceptional and rare — these are typically sharp-friendly books. A (2–3%) is excellent. B+ (3–4%) is above average. B (4–5%) is the industry standard for most recreational sportsbooks. C (5–6%) is below average. D (above 6%) indicates high-juice markets where bettors face a steep cost per wager.
- Trend Tracking
- We store daily snapshots for 30 days, allowing us to show 24-hour and 7-day vig trends. A downward trend (improving) means sportsbooks are tightening their lines — often in response to increased competition or higher betting volume as a season heats up.