Hockey
Hockey is the Canadian bettor’s home league, which is exactly why it is hard to beat. Prices are efficient, the public is informed, and a single deflection decides most games.
Moneyline is the straight pick of who wins, including overtime and the shootout at most books. Because hockey games are close, favourites are priced far shorter than the win probability feels, and underdogs pay better here than in basketball.
The puck line is hockey’s spread, and it is almost always set at 1.5 goals. Backing a favourite at minus 1.5 means they need a two-goal win. This is where empty-net goals matter: a late empty-netter turns a one-goal win into a two-goal cover, and it happens often enough to move the price.
Totals sit around 6 or 6.5 goals in most games. Live totals move fast, because one goal is a large fraction of the number.
Goalie confirmation is the biggest single factor. Lines are posted before starters are announced, and a backup start can move a moneyline by 20 to 30 cents. If you bet early, you are betting without that information.
Back-to-backs and travel matter more in hockey than in football because of the schedule density. Teams playing a second night in two, especially after a flight across time zones, underperform their season numbers.
Special teams matter, but they are already priced. Power play and penalty kill percentages are public and stable, so they are baked into the number long before you see it.
Every book in this review set covers the NHL. The real difference is whether you can watch. bet365 and Betway both confirm live streaming, which is worth something if you are betting in-play. PlayNow is the only legal option in BC, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, and it covers the NHL fully.
Based on each operator’s own published sports listing. A book missing from this list may still take the odd market, but it does not advertise the league.
At most Canadian books, yes. A moneyline bet is graded on the final result including overtime and the shootout. Three-way markets that separate regulation time are offered separately, and they pay more precisely because a tie is a live outcome.
The hockey version of a point spread, almost always set at 1.5 goals. The favourite at minus 1.5 must win by two or more. The underdog at plus 1.5 covers if they win or lose by exactly one.
bet365 for the combination of deep markets and live streaming, or PlayNow if you live in British Columbia, Manitoba or Saskatchewan, where it is the only legal option.
Set a deposit limit the day you open an account, not the day you need one. Every regulated Canadian sportsbook has limit and self-exclusion tools built in, and the provincial help lines on our responsible gambling page are free and confidential.