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Betting Guide
So you’re looking to bet on the NHL Playoffs.
In this article I’m going to cover the best places to bet on the NHL playoffs.
It may seem like an easy thing to do – pick any sportsbook and boom, you can place bets on the NHL Playoffs and who will win. However if you just go with any random sportsbook, you’ll be missing out on a wide array of bets.
Some sportsbooks will offer up different playoff bets while others offer up better bonuses for betting during the playoffs.
Either way, I’ve got you covered with this article covering NHL Playoff Bets.
Where To Bet the NHL Playoffs:
America: Probably the best choice for Americans is Bovada. They really have the biggest variety when it comes to the playoffs. Along with various props such as handicap betting, they offer the ability to do futures matchups like the Stanley Cup matchup or the East/West conference matchups. These are bets you can place throughout the NHL season too.
Canada: Sports Interaction are always a great choice. They’re exclusively Canadian so if you’re betting AGAINST Canadian teams, this is the place to be. The odds will usually be great. So where the Capitals may be 1.25 against the Leafs they could be 1.35 or even 1.40 here simply due to all the Leafs fans betting. They have a variety of great NHL props and my favourite is they offer player props. If you bet the Capitals to beat the Leafs in the playoff series, you may not want to bet on a team to win during each individual game. However you can bet over/unders on goals scored or various player props to add excitement and interest to each game.
Everywhere Else: I personally recommend Bet365 Sportsbook. I personally trust them to be around when it comes to futures. They offer future betting on the Stanley Cup winners, Conference winners and division winners. During the playoffs, they have various props such as “Game the series ends” and “Will the winner of a playoff series come from behind” as well as handicap betting.
What are NHL Playoff Bets?
There is a lot of good variety when it comes to NHL playoff bets.
The first one is the most obvious and is available at all online sportsbooks – who will win a playoff matchup in a round? You place a bet on who to progress to the next round of the playoffs. Simple enough.
The problem with that bet is the odds are usually very poor – especially when there is a heavy favourite.
For example let’s take the Leafs vs Capitals series in 2016/2017. Remember that one? A really tight series with lots of overtimes and close games that the Capitals scraped through 4-2.
For all that pressure and sweat, if you had bet $100 on the Capitals to win you would have profited just $25.
Think about that. Risking $100 to win $25. And what if Holtby or Ovechkin had got injured in Game 1? That’s why when you’re looking to bet on the NHL playoffs, you want online sportsbooks that offer variety on the NHL playoff bets available.
Don’t just pick any old sportsbook – pick a sportsbook with that variety. Then you’ll be able to bet various props. For example in Capitals vs Leafs you might think Capitals win but it’s a closer series. So you could bet the series goes at least 6 games.
Or maybe you think Caps win the series by at least 2 games(which they did) so you want a sportsbook which will allow you to bet Capitals -1 in games meaning they have to win by 2. Back that one, and that $25 you win would become $80.
Furthermore maybe you want to make future bets based on the playoffs. For example you may want to bet on who will make the playoffs, or who will make the playoffs by winning their division or conference. If you’re making them months in advance, you’re looking for a reliable sportsbook who you can trust will still be around come the playoffs. Or even one that offers a cash out feature so you can cash the bet out in March for a profit if you’re wary.
So don’t take the first online sportsbook you see – look at the playoff markets, decide exactly what you want to bet, THEN go with the sportsbook that best accomodates your needs.
Common NHL Playoff Bet Questions:
Where should I bet the NHL Playoffs?:
See our list below for the best online sportsbooks to bet the NHL Playoffs.
How to Bet NHL Playoffs:
Bovada: If you want to bet on playoff games as they happen just under the Hockey section click “NHL”. From here you should see all that you need. To bet on playoff series find both “NHL Props” and “Futures”.
Sports Interaction: Under the “Hockey” section – click on that and then “NHL Futures” and it will display all futures which will offer up playoff series betting.
Bet365 Sportsbook: Click the “Hockey” section on the sidebar then scroll to the bottom for their futures section which lists all potential playoff bets you can make.
NHL Playoffs Betting Strategy:
The first thing I suggest is you mentally keep your futures bet separate from your individual game bets.
Let’s say you bet the Capitals to beat the Leafs – then you’re watching the series and seeing the Leafs stepping up their game to the point you like the Leafs. Don’t factor in your playoff bet on the Capitals – keep that one separate. It’ll affect how you look at games and really mess up the betting mentality.
Basically as soon as you make a futures bet forget about it. Don’t try and factor it into your betting strategy each game. The only time to do that is when one team is up by 3 games – then you need to factor it in. Make a decision on whether you want to double up on a team or hedge the bet etc.
The other strategy is to really pay attention to injuries. Look at how healthy a team is going into it. So many playoff bets have been lost simply due to a player being injured early on. It can be a big factor that many don’t often consider. If a star player isn’t looking too healthy – skip em.
Finally I recommend looking for goalies you can rely on. If there’s a goalie who when he is hot, stops everything, then they are someone you want to back. Because even if the team have a bad outing, the goalie can keep them in it and give them that confidence going into the next game.
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