NHL betting occupies a distinctive space in the North American sports betting market. The sport's low-scoring nature — most games land between 4 and 6 total goals — creates a compressed odds environment where moneyline favorites rarely balloon past -250 outside of extreme mismatches. This makes the moneyline a more accessible bet compared to sports like baseball or basketball, where heavy favorites are common. Puck lines (the NHL's version of a point spread, fixed at 1.5 goals) add another strategic layer, often offering plus-money on favorites and creating value opportunities that sharper bettors exploit regularly. The three-way moneyline market, which includes regulation-time draws, adds further depth for those willing to engage with European-style pricing.
Vig on NHL markets tends to sit in a middle tier — tighter than niche sports but generally wider than NFL spreads, where sportsbook competition is fiercest. Standard moneyline juice often runs in the 4–5% range at less competitive books, but can dip below 3% at shops that prioritize hockey volume. Totals and puck lines typically carry slightly higher margins because the market is thinner and books face more modeling uncertainty. Comparing vig across sportsbooks matters more in hockey than bettors often realize: the difference between -110/-110 and -115/-105 on a puck line compounds significantly over a full 82-game regular season.
The NHL regular season runs from October through mid-April, followed by playoffs stretching into late June. Odds tend to be most competitive during the regular season's middle months — December through February — when books have substantial data to sharpen their models and betting volume is steady. Early-season lines, particularly in October, can carry wider margins as oddsmakers account for roster turnover, new coaching systems, and limited sample sizes. Key factors that move NHL odds include goaltender availability (a starter-to-backup switch can shift a line by 30 cents or more), back-to-back scheduling, travel distance, and power play efficiency. Home ice advantage exists but is less pronounced than in the NBA, typically worth around 15–20 cents on the moneyline, making road underdogs a historically productive angle for value-oriented bettors.
Analysis updated October 11, 2026. Odds data above refreshes hourly.
New Jersey Devils @ Vegas Golden Knights
Best moneyline price: Vegas Golden Knights -110 at 888sport; New Jersey Devils +101 at Pinnacle.
| Side | Market | Best Line | Worst |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vegas Golden Knights | Moneyline | 888sport: -110 | -120 |
| New Jersey Devils | Moneyline | Pinnacle: +101 | -110 |
| Vegas Golden Knights -1.5 | Spread | Pinnacle: +217 | +177 |
| New Jersey Devils +1.5 | Spread | LowVig.ag: -245 | -300 |
| Over 6.5 | Total | theScore Bet (ESPN Bet): +115 | +105 |
| Under 6.5 | Total | DraftKings: -130 | -138 |
| Over 6 | Total | Pinnacle: -111 | -120 |
| Under 6 | Total | LowVig.ag: +101 | -109 |
Winnipeg Jets @ Florida Panthers
Best moneyline price: Florida Panthers -205 at BetUS; Winnipeg Jets +200 at Bally Bet.
| Side | Market | Best Line | Worst |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Panthers | Moneyline | BetUS: -205 | -245 |
| Winnipeg Jets | Moneyline | Bally Bet: +200 | +175 |
| Florida Panthers -1.5 | Spread | theScore Bet (ESPN Bet): +115 | +104 |
| Winnipeg Jets +1.5 | Spread | FanDuel: -128 | -138 |
| Over 6.5 | Total | DraftKings: +114 | +100 |
| Under 6.5 | Total | 888sport: -125 | -136 |
| Over 6 | Total | BetOnline.ag: -108 | -127 |
| Under 6 | Total | MyBookie.ag: +100 | -110 |
Seattle Kraken @ Calgary Flames
Best moneyline price: Calgary Flames +100 at Caesars; Seattle Kraken -110 at 888sport.
| Side | Market | Best Line | Worst |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calgary Flames | Moneyline | Caesars: +100 | -110 |
| Seattle Kraken | Moneyline | 888sport: -110 | -120 |
| Calgary Flames +1.5 | Spread | FanDuel: -245 | -286 |
| Seattle Kraken -1.5 | Spread | Bovada: +220 | +175 |
| Over 6.5 | Total | DraftKings: +102 | -104 |
| Under 6.5 | Total | Pinnacle: -115 | -127 |
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 every hour, on the hour (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 average vig: A+ (under 2%) is exchange-level pricing, A (2–3%) very competitive, B+ (3–4%) above average, B (4–5%) the industry standard, C+ (5–6%) slightly below average, C (6–7%) below average, D (7–8%) high vig, D− (8–10%) very high, F (10%+) predatory.
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, BetAnything). 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 every hour, on the hour (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 exchange-level pricing. A (2–3%) is very competitive. B+ (3–4%) is above average. B (4–5%) is the industry standard — a -110/-110 line is 4.76%. C+ (5–6%) is slightly below average. C (6–7%) is below average. D (7–8%) is high vig. D− (8–10%) is very high vig. F (10%+) is predatory pricing. See the full Vig Index Methodology for formulas, worked examples, and known limitations.
- 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.