Ice hockey has never quite had the same foothold in the UK as sports like the NFL and NBA. That said, the NHL's reach here is growing steadily, helped on by wider streaming access and a handful of UK-born and UK-based players making waves in the league, as well as a general interest in the sport domestically, as evidenced by the record-breaking spectator numbers logged at recent top-level games.
If you're thinking about getting into NHL betting or just want a clearer picture of how it all works, this guide covers what you need.
How ice hockey works & what NHL betting is
Ice hockey is played between two teams of six skaters (five outfield players and a goaltender) on an ice rink, with the objective of scoring more goals than the opposition by shooting the puck into the opposing net.
A game is split into three periods of 20 minutes each, for 60 minutes of regulation play. If the scores are level after that, the game moves to a five-minute, three-on-three sudden-death overtime in the regular season (extended to full five-on-five, 20-minute periods in the playoffs).
If it's still tied after regular-season overtime, the game is decided by a shootout, where players from each team take alternating one-on-one attempts against the opposing goaltender until a winner emerges. As in the NBA, there are no draws. Every NHL game produces a winner.
The NHL is the premier professional ice hockey league in the world, made up of 32 teams split across two conferences (Eastern and Western), each containing two divisions.
The regular season runs from late September to April, with each team playing 84 games. The top teams from each conference then qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, a series of best-of-seven rounds culminating in the Stanley Cup Final, typically played in June.
NHL betting is placing a wager on what you think will happen in a game or across the season, from picking a winner to predicting how a specific player will perform. Markets are available before each game and in-play throughout.
Why the NHL is so popular
The league's packed schedule helps. With games most nights of the week from late September through to April, there's rarely a night without NHL action, in the same way the NBA offers a near-constant stream of fixtures rather than following a once-a-week rhythm.
The pace of the sport is another factor. Ice hockey is genuinely fast – play rarely stops for long, substitutions happen on the fly rather than during breaks and the puck can travel from end to end in seconds. That translates well to in-play betting, where markets can move rapidly within a single shift (defined below).
Its physicality and unpredictability only add to that excitement. Body checking is a legal and central part of the game, penalties can affect momentum instantly through a power play and because goals are relatively rare events compared to basketball's constant scoring, a single moment – be that a deflection, a rebound, or a goaltender error - can change a game that looked settled only minutes earlier.
For bettors, that means totals and puck lines stay live deep into the third period in a way that a blown-out basketball score rarely does.
A look at the 2026/27 NHL season
The 2026-27 NHL season - the league's 110th - starts on 29 September, with teams playing an 84-game regular season for the first time since 1993-94 (previously they'd play 82 games). The season runs through to the Stanley Cup Final, which will take place sometime in June 2027.
Key dates to be aware of:
29 September - Opening night
25 October - Heritage Classic (one of three outdoor games), held in Winnipeg, Canada
9 November - Hockey Hall of Fame induction
12-14 November - Two regular season games (between Seattle Kraken and Carolina Hurricanes) to take place in Helsinki, Finland
18-20 December - Two regular season games (between Chicago Blackhawks and Ottawa Senators) to take place in Düsseldorf, Germany
31 December - Winter Classic (second outdoor game), held in Salt Lake City, Utah
5-6 February - All-Star Weekend
20 February - Stadium Series (third outdoor game), held in Arlington, Texas
1 March - Trade deadline
10 April - End of regular season, all 32 teams in action
All dates subject to change.
Key NHL & ice hockey terms to know
Face-off – The way play starts and restarts. Two opposing players contest a dropped puck at a designated spot on the ice. Used at the start of each period and after every stoppage.
Shift – A single spell of ice time for a player before a substitution. Unlike basketball, hockey substitutions happen on the fly during live play - not just at stoppages - and shifts typically last under a minute due to the physical intensity of the sport.
Power play / Penalty kill – When a team has a numerical advantage after an opponent is sent to the penalty box for a rule infringement, they're on the power play; the short-handed team is on the penalty kill. Power play goals are a significant share of all NHL scoring and a key market driver.
Penalty – A rule violation resulting in a player serving time in the penalty box (commonly two minutes for a minor penalty, four for a double minor, five for a major), during which their team plays a man short. Multiple stacked penalties can leave a team two players down.
Save percentage – A goaltender's rate of stopping shots on goal, expressed as a decimal (e.g. .915). One of the most closely watched individual stats in the sport and a major factor of game outcomes and markets.
Shot on goal – Any shot attempt that would have gone in the net had it not been stopped by the goaltender or blocked. A common player prop market and a useful indicator of pressure and pace within a game.
Empty net – When a trailing team pulls its goaltender late in the third period for an extra attacker, leaving their own net empty. It creates some of the most volatile in-play moments in the sport, since it opens up scoring at both ends.
Points – NHL teams earn two points for any win (in regulation, overtime or a shootout), one point for a loss in overtime or a shootout and zero for a loss in regulation.
Back-to-back – Two games on consecutive nights, common in the NHL's dense schedule. Teams on the second night, especially after travel, are more likely to rest their starting goaltender, which is relevant context for betting on those specific games.
Main NHL betting markets explained
Moneyline
Back one team to win the game outright. The market settles on the final result including overtime and the shootout, not just the score after 60 minutes of regulation.
Puck line
The NHL's version of a point spread, applied in goals rather than points, and almost always set at ±1.5 since NHL games are typically low-scoring and tight.
Puck line bets also settle on the final score including overtime and the shootout, with the shootout winner credited one additional goal for betting purposes only.
Totals (over/under)
Back whether the combined goals scored by both teams goes over or under a set line. As with the puck line, any overtime or shootout goal counts toward the total.
Player props
Markets on individual performance - goals, assists, points (goals plus assists combined) and shots on goal are the most common.
How to place a bet on an NHL game with Bally Bet
Log in or create an account, head to the Sports section and find the NHL hub.
Select the game you want to bet on, browse the available markets and select the odds to add your bet. Enter your stake, check its potential payout and confirm.
Game markets open several days in advance and remain live until the final horn.
If you’re on the go, you can grab our app from either the App Store or Google Play store, and you’ll find the same markets as on you would on desktop, updating in real time to match what’s happening on the rink.
NHL odds in a UK context
At Bally Bet, NHL odds are presented in the fractional format you'll be used to across the rest of the sportsbook, with decimal available as an alternative, even though NHL coverage in its home market runs on American moneyline odds by default.
A fractional moneyline example might look like 'Boston Bruins 4/6', meaning a successful £6 wager returns £4 in profit, plus your stake back.
For puck line betting, you might see something like 'Toronto Maple Leafs -1.5 (2/1)'. As favourites here, the Maple Leafs need to win by two or more goals for the bet to land, with the longer odds reflecting the size of that ask in a low-scoring sport.
Totals work the same way. 'Over 6.5 (10/11)' means you're backing the combined goals total to exceed six, at close to even money on both sides.
American moneyline odds are worth a quick mention since you'll likely encounter them in US coverage of the sport. Negative figures (e.g. -150) show how much you'd need to stake to win £100 profit; positive figures (e.g. +130) show how much you'd win from a £100 stake. At Bally Bet, fractional is the default, but the logic translates directly once you know the conversion.
How to approach NHL betting
If you're new to betting on the NHL or ice hockey in general, a sensible starting point is the moneyline or puck line on a game you're already interested in, rather than diving straight into props or outrights.
Check the confirmed starting goaltender before you bet - goaltending tends to affect NHL odds than most other individual factors - and keep an eye on back-to-back games, where a rested backup goaltender or tired legs on the second night can shift odds significantly.
A little NHL history
The NHL was founded in 1917 in Montreal, making it one of the oldest of the major North American sports leagues still operating today. It began with just four teams and has expanded steadily to 32 across the US and Canada.
The Stanley Cup itself predates the league by over two decades, first awarded in 1893 as a challenge trophy for Canada's top amateur hockey club, long before the NHL existed to claim it as its own championship.
It's the oldest trophy competed for by professional athletes in North America - older than the World Series and the Super Bowl by some distance - which is part of why its outright markets carry a bit more weight than a typical league trophy: teams have been chasing this exact piece of silver for well over a century.
The sport's post-war decades were dominated by the "Original Six" era – Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs - before a wave of 1960s and 70s expansion pushed the league into new US markets and eventually across into a genuinely continent-wide competition.
Wayne Gretzky's move from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings in 1988 is often credited with accelerating the NHL's growth in previously hockey-light US markets, part of a longer trend that's continued with the league's more recent expansion into the American South and West.
NHL betting FAQs
What is a point in the NHL?
For an individual, it refers to their combined goals and assists. For teams, it refers to the league standings: teams get two points for any win, one point for an overtime or shootout loss and zero for a regulation loss.
Do NHL puck line bets include overtime?
Yes. In games that are even at the end of regulation time (60 minutes), puck line bets settle on the final score that includes overtime and, if needed, the shootout.
Is the NHL popular in the UK?
It's a more modest following than the NBA or NFL, but it's growing, helped by wider coverage and a small but increasing number of British-affiliated players in the league.
Whatever sport it is you're following, the guides and explainers at the Bally Bet blog help make sure you're game-day ready. More of a casino fan? Perfect. You'll find all our latest tips and advice for online casino games there too.
All offers mentioned correct at the time of writing but may be subject to change.
