Beyond single-game bets in the NHL, there are season-long bets available for enthusiasts. NHL futures odds, which include predictions on the over or under total points each team will score over a season, are typically released during the offseason and are a significant draw at online sportsbooks.
The other popular futures we cover are the Vegas Stanley Cup odds and every teams odds to make the NHL playoffs, but this guide will focus on point totals.
Understanding NHL Point Totals Betting
The way this works is that sportsbooks project the total points for each team during the regular season. Bettors can then place wagers on whether they believe a specific team will surpass and go over that line or fall short of these projections and go under.
What makes these point total over unders great is how much bang for your buck that you get. By placing a hockey wager before the season begins you get the excitement of watching every game of your team’s season and have a little action on it. This means that for the entertainment you get out of your bet size, win totals can be a real winner for recreational bettors.
Professional bettors don’t use futures as often though. You see, they like how fast they can compound their edges when betting game lines.
When you bet a future it ties your money up for almost a year since you get down before the season starts and won’t see how it plays out until the end of the regular season in the spring!
One thing you’ll notice about win totals is that most of them are on a half point. The sportsbooks hate pushes because they have to give bettors on all sides their money back. They prevent that with most season win totals by putting each one on a half point so there is a sure winner and loser. Thus, they are happy to balance the action and collect the vig off of their bettors.
NHL Regular Season Point Totals Odds
Team | Points | Over Price | Under Price |
---|---|---|---|
Carolina Hurricanes | 109.50 | −110 | −120 |
Edmonton Oilers | 106.50 | −115 | −115 |
Dallas Stars | 105.50 | −115 | −115 |
Colorado Avalanche | 105.50 | −115 | −115 |
New Jersey Devils | 105.50 | −115 | −115 |
Toronto Maple Leafs | 105.50 | −115 | −115 |
Vegas Golden Knights | 103.50 | −115 | −115 |
New York Rangers | 103.50 | −125 | −105 |
Boston Bruins | 101.50 | −105 | −125 |
Los Angeles Kings | 99.50 | −105 | −125 |
Florida Panthers | 99.50 | +100 | −130 |
Pittsburgh Penguins | 97.50 | −125 | −105 |
Minnesota Wild | 95.50 | −125 | −105 |
Calgary Flames | 95.50 | −115 | −115 |
Tampa Bay Lightning | 93.50 | −125 | +105 |
Seattle Kraken | 92.50 | −110 | −120 |
Ottawa Senators | 92.50 | −125 | −105 |
Winnipeg Jets | 92.50 | −125 | −105 |
New York Islanders | 92.50 | −115 | −115 |
Buffalo Sabres | 92.50 | −115 | −115 |
Vancouver Canucks | 90.50 | −115 | −115 |
Nashville Predators | 86.50 | −120 | −110 |
Detroit Red Wings | 85.50 | −125 | −105 |
St. Louis Blues | 83.50 | −110 | −120 |
Washington Capitals | 83.50 | −125 | −105 |
Arizona Coyotes | 79.50 | −110 | −120 |
Philadelphia Flyers | 75.50 | +100 | −130 |
Columbus Blue Jackets | 72.50 | −125 | −105 |
Chicago Blackhawks | 71.50 | −115 | −115 |
Anaheim Ducks | 70.50 | −115 | −115 |
Montreal Canadiens | 70.50 | −125 | −105 |
San Jose Sharks | 66.50 | −110 | −120 |
Where to Bet Hockey Point Total Futures
Almost every sportsbook puts out NHL point total futures for bettors. One thing I would suggest is to shop around for the best number.
Season win totals are an area that books don’t have one true market line. They don’t tend to copy each other and moves their numbers off air.
There isn’t a reliable screen like for the daily hockey betting lines where they can see each move instantly and quickly move before they get hit with the same sharp money.
If you want to learn how to bet on hockey then our beginner’s guide is a great place to start. We go over futures like season totals, but mostly the game odds that you see on puck lines, money lines, totals, and player props.
Strategies and Considerations for NHL Over Under Point Total Bets
When is the best time to bet on these hockey point totals? My recommendation is as soon as they go up.
When the odds are first posted it’s just the opinion of the bookmaker on the other side of the counter. It’s you versus him.
If you wait and let sharp bets come in, the odds makers take that information and start shading the numbers. This means that you aren’t just going against one man’s opinion but the wisdom of the crowd. It’s much more difficult to beat the sharper odds than the weak openers.
When deciding which team’s you like and don’t like it’s important to start with what happened last season, then factor in any additions and subtractions from each team. Head coaching changes, rookies, and free agent departures or signings all matter.
What teams had injury issues last year and looked worse than they are? Which teams were healthy all season and likely can’t maintain that good fortune? These are questions that you have to ask yourself to find profitable wagers.
There are a lot of projection sites out there that you can use to help you handicap these totals. Expert projections normally factor in things like player ages to see how the individual player will progress or regress from the previous season.
They will also look at the expected lineups and how the players should play together.