Question: Which is the best sportsbook for NHL betting?
Answer: As a general rule, Pinnacle sportsbook.
Pinnacle (www.Pinnacle.com) is a great sportsbook to use for any sport, to be honest. It has a rock-solid history, processes withdrawals faster than any other sportsbook, accepts a wide variety of deposit options and has razor-thin margins that allows it to offer the best odds in the industry.
This is particularly true when it comes to NHL hockey betting.
On average, Pinnacle Sports holds a margin of approximately 2% on hockey bets, meaning it pays out approximately 98% of the money it takes in on every game. By comparison, other sportsbooks generally average margins of 4.5% on NHL hockey betting.
Look at the difference in ‘juice’
Let’s compare odds for the Maple Leafs/Senators game on the opening night of the 2016-17 NHL season. Pinnacle’s odds are pictured in the screenshot directly below, with Sports Interaction’s odds in the screenshot below the Pinnacle odds.
As you can see, the Maple Leafs pay +135 at both Pinnacle and Sports Interaction. However, Pinnacle lists the Senators as -149 favourites while Sports Interaction is offering the Senators at -160. That’s a difference of $11 on a bet to win $100, which works out to approximately 10% difference in payout on the favourite.
You can also see a big difference in the puck line (+1.5/-1.5) and Over/Under odds.
There is 23 “cents” difference in Pinnacle’s puck lines (-219 and +196), while there is 40 “cents” difference between Sports Interaction’s (-220 and +180). That’s more than 15% difference in payout.
On the Over/Under, the sportsbooks offer nearly identical odds on the Under (-114 and -115), but Pinnacle is paying +103 on the Over while Sports Interaction is paying -105. That’s another 8 cents difference, which is approximately 8% difference in payout.
Recreational books can also offer value
The reason we say Pinnacle is just a general rule as the best sportsbook for NHL betting is because on occasion, you will find better odds on games at opinionated sportsbooks like Bodog and Sports Interaction.
These two sportsbooks, in particular, cater to recreational bettors and often shade the lines on bets they know most people want to make — typically on popular teams, favourites and the over.
In a different game on NHL opening night, Pinnacle was offering +116 odds on the Flames to beat the Oilers while Sports Interaction listed the Flames at +120.
That’s because Sports Interaction made the Oilers a bigger favourite than they were at Pinnacle (-140 at Sports Interaction, -128 at Pinnacle), knowing that many people wanted to bet on Connor McDavid and the young Oilers in their first game at their new rink.
Wise to have multiple accounts
So, to summarize, if you were only going to use one sportsbook for NHL betting, Pinnacle is the one to use.
But it’s always to your advantage to have accounts at several different sportsbooks so you can always get the best odds on your bet.
In that case, Bodog and Sports Interaction are also great NHL betting sites to use because of their opinionated lines.