NHL Odds & Betting

As is the case with many sporting organisations and competitions around the globe, the NHL, or National Hockey League, is based in North America after being founded in Quebec, Canada, in 1917. Headquartered in New York, USA, the NHL is the most respected ice hockey league on the planet. It is currently made up of thirty-two active teams, with twenty-six from the US and seven from Canada. The thirty-third team, Arizona, remain inactive. 

Winning the Stanley Cup is very much the be-all and end-all when it comes to being successful in the NHL. The NHL itself is first divided into the Eastern Conference and Western Conference, and said conferences are broken down further into the Eastern Conference’s Atlantic and Metropolitan divisions and the Central and Pacific divisions of the Western Conference. Sixteen teams qualify for the playoffs after the regular season has concluded, eight from each Conference. The two respective winners will then face off to win the legendary Stanley Cup, writing their names into the history books. 

As the leading ice hockey organisation in the world and one of the most popular sporting competitions, especially in North America, the NHL is popular when it comes to betting. 

Stanley Cup Winner Betting 

Every team competing in the NHL, all thirty-two of them, set out with the dream of winning the Stanley Cup every season. Of course, there are other accolades and titles to win along the way, but lifting the Stanley Cup is iconic, and placing bets on who will be Stanley Cup champions is hugely popular. Last year’s winner was the Vegas Golden Knights, who triumphed over the Florida Panthers, but it’s the latter who are favourites to win it this time around. 

Eastern Conference Winner Betting 

There are two Conferences in the NHL, Eastern and Western, and winning either is important and an achievement in itself. Teams are essentially aiming to be the dominant force in their respective Conferences, and Eastern Conference winner betting is placing wagers on the team that will win the Eastern Conference. The Florida Panthers are seen as the outfit to beat in this respect and, therefore, favourites when exploring this betting market in particular. 

Western Conference Winner Betting 

As you will expect, if the Eastern Conference betting market is popular, the Western Conference is equally so. The Western Conference is a conference that is made up of teams that have gone on to win the Stanley Cup, which makes it a must-watch for many. Placing a bet on the Western Conference winner means choosing the overall Western Conference champion, which the Vegas Golden Knights won in 2023, before going on to achieve Stanley Cup success. The Dallas Stars remain the favourites to win the Western Conference this season. 

At the time of writing, there are a handful of teams that are deemed to be in the mix to win the Stanley Cup. They are the Dallas Stars, the Florida Panthers, the New York Rangers, the Edmonton Oilers and the Vancouver Cannucks. The Dallas Stars are the short-priced favourite to win the Stanley Cup at present. What transpired in the latest regular season and beyond will then determine who the favourites will be in the next campaign, such as for the Eastern Conference and Western Conference titles. And, of course, for the next Stanley Cup. 

Because of the popularity of the NHL, primarily in North America, hockey odds are some of the most popular on the BetVictor platform. All NHL markets are covered, with everything from Eastern and Western Conference odds to Stanley Cup odds available to access on demand, again, online and on mobile. In-play betting is also popular and available to explore throughout the NHL campaign.