The most important event of the NHL season is set to start. The Edmonton Oilers will face off against the reigning champion Florida Panthers in Game 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday. This series is a repeat of last year`s Final, where the Panthers initially led 3-0 but ultimately secured their first-ever championship in Game 7 with a 2-1 win, holding off a strong comeback effort from the Oilers.
This is the 11th time in NHL history that the same teams have met in the Stanley Cup Final in consecutive years, the fifth such instance in the expansion era, and the first since the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins did so in 2008 and 2009. Florida is appearing in the Final for the third straight year, having lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games in 2023. This marks the sixth consecutive postseason the Sunshine State has had a team in the championship series, following the Tampa Bay Lightning`s three-year run from 2020-2022.
The Oilers are making their ninth appearance in the Stanley Cup Final since joining the NHL from the World Hockey Association in 1979, and their third since winning their fifth title in 1990. Edmonton aims to prevent Florida from becoming the only other teams besides the 2016-17 Penguins and 2020-21 Lightning to win back-to-back championships since the salary cap era started in 2005-06.
Connor McDavid, the Oilers` superstar drafted first overall in 2015, has earned numerous individual accolades, including five Art Ross Trophies, three Hart Trophies, one Maurice Richard Trophy, and last year`s Conn Smythe Trophy. However, Lord Stanley`s Cup remains the one significant prize he hasn`t won. The 28-year-old hopes his second chance at the championship will be successful.
While fans of the Panthers and Oilers are deeply invested in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, casual hockey viewers might be less engaged. However, with the rise of sports betting, they can find ways to become more involved in the series.
Don`t worry if you`re not an experienced bettor. Wagering on sports can seem daunting to newcomers, but this guide explains the fundamental aspects of hockey betting to enhance your enjoyment of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final.
Hockey Betting Basics
New bettors looking to wager on the NHL, or any sport, should start by exploring different sportsbooks. These platforms often provide various sign-up incentives, such as deposit bonuses, `bet and get` promotions, or `no sweat bets`.
Another advantage of using multiple sportsbooks is the opportunity to compare lines and odds. For example, the total goals line for the Oilers vs. Panthers Game 1 might be 6 at one book and 6.5 at another. It`s always wise to seek the best possible number before placing a wager.
New users can leverage sports betting promotions to add bonus funds to their accounts, helping them get started with hockey betting.
After choosing a sportsbook, familiarize yourself with the different betting options. NHL sections typically display odds for upcoming Stanley Cup Final games using +/- pricing. Plus-money odds indicate the profit on a $100 bet (e.g., +110 means a $100 bet wins $110 profit). Minus-money odds show the amount needed to wager to win $100 profit (e.g., -130 means betting $130 wins $100 profit).
These odds apply to three primary bet types:
- Spread (or puck line): This is the goal margin the favorite needs to win by. In the NHL, it`s commonly -1.5. The favorite must win by at least two goals for the bet to win. Conversely, a +1.5 underdog bet wins if the team wins outright or loses by only one goal.
- Total (over/under): This is the predicted total number of goals scored by both teams combined in the game. For instance, with an Over/Under of 5.5, you`d need six or more total goals for the Over bet to win.
- Money line: A straightforward bet on which team will win the game outright. Since NHL playoff and regular-season games don`t end in ties, there are no “pushes” (refunds) on money line bets.
A variation of the money line is the three-way money line. For NHL games, this allows betting on either team to win specifically within regulation time, or on the game ending in a tie after regulation (e.g., Oilers win in regulation, Panthers win in regulation, or Game tied after regulation).
When betting on Over/Under in the NHL, remember that goals scored in overtime *do* count towards the total. In the regular season, the goal awarded to the shootout winner in the final score also counts. For instance, if the total is 5 and the game is 2-2 after regulation, finishing 3-2 after a shootout, sportsbooks typically grade the total goals as 5. This results in a push (refund) for a Total 5 bet, as the score wasn`t below 5 goals after three periods.
NHL Prop Betting
Prop bets (proposition bets) add excitement to NHL wagering. These bets can focus on teams, individual players, or specific events within the game.
Player props are very popular. While NHL player props don`t involve huge point or yardage numbers like NBA or NFL, there are many options. A common player prop is betting on an “anytime goal scorer” – similar to an “anytime touchdown scorer” in football. If your chosen player scores a goal at any point in the game, you win the bet.
Other player prop options include total points (e.g., Connor McDavid Under 1.5 points), shots on goal totals (e.g., Matthew Tkachuk Over 2.5 shots), save totals for goalies (e.g., Sergei Bobrovsky Under 28.5 saves), and more. Bets on assists and blocked shots are also frequently available.
Team prop bets are also offered. These can include wagering on which team scores first, the total number of goals a specific team will score, or the total shots on goal for a team.
Game prop bets cover events related to the overall game outcome or flow. You can bet on whether the game goes to overtime, the exact score after specific periods (e.g., Oilers 2, Panthers 1), or combine goal totals (e.g., both teams to score 3+ goals).
NHL Parlays
Like in other sports, parlays are a popular way to bet on NHL games. A parlay combines multiple individual bets into one wager. To win a parlay, every single selection within it must be correct.
Here is an example of a parlay involving multiple games, applicable during the regular season or playoffs when several games are played:
- Golden Knights money line (-115)
- Maple Leafs -1.5 (+154)
- Capitals vs. Hurricanes Over 5.5 (-110)
This example parlay has combined odds of +807. Since you must win all three components to cash the parlay, they are significantly harder to win than single bets.
Bettors can also create “same-game parlays” (SGPs), which involve combining multiple bets from just one specific game. For the Stanley Cup Final, where only one game is played per day, these are the primary type of parlay available. An example SGP for an Oilers vs. Panthers game could include:
- Panthers money line (+110)
- Oilers Over 3.5 goals (-127)
- Leon Draisaitl anytime goal-scorer (+130)
Note that the odds for same-game parlays can vary between sportsbooks, providing another reason to compare different betting apps.
On days with multiple games during the regular season or earlier playoff rounds, you can build parlays across different matchups, even combining various prop bets. For instance, picking an anytime goal scorer from every game on the schedule would be a parlay, albeit a challenging one to win.
NHL Futures Betting
Futures bets are another common type of wager, with sportsbooks offering many options for NHL teams and players. While most futures bets are placed *before* the final series, let`s look at some typical examples.
Futures bets are typically long-term wagers covering a whole season or postseason, paying out if a player or team achieves a specific milestone or wins an award. A popular team futures bet in the NHL is wagering on which team will win the Stanley Cup (e.g., Panthers at +550 odds). If your chosen team lifts the trophy at the end of the playoffs, you win.
Team futures options include betting on the Stanley Cup winner, conference winner, a team`s total points in the regular season (over/under), whether a team makes the playoffs, or which team wins a division. For individual players, futures bets might involve total points, total goals, or end-of-season awards.
Betting on the Conn Smythe Trophy winner (awarded to the playoff MVP) is an available futures bet during the postseason. This trophy is usually given to a player from the championship team, but last year, McDavid became only the sixth player ever to win it while playing for the losing team. Entering the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, he leads all players in scoring with 26 points and is considered the favorite to win the award again.
How to Bet on the Stanley Cup
Sportsbooks release odds for winning the Stanley Cup starting in the preseason. This is when you can place long-term bets on the eventual champion. These odds fluctuate during the season, allowing bettors to find potentially better value at different times.
Betting on the Stanley Cup Final or the playoffs is quite similar to betting on regular-season NHL games. Key differences include the availability of bets on individual series outcomes (e.g., Oilers to defeat the Panthers) and the Conn Smythe Trophy winner (playoff MVP).
When wagering on series winners, you can also wager on the exact series outcome, specifying the winning team and the number of games (e.g., Oilers to defeat the Panthers in six games). This bet only pays out if the series ends with that precise result.
Live Betting
Like many other sports, NHL games offer live betting, allowing wagers while the game is underway. Sportsbooks update odds for spread, money line, totals, and other markets in real-time during the game. Common live bets include money lines and totals.
Live betting can be useful if you prefer to observe how a game is unfolding before placing a bet. For example, if a team has recent key injuries or a coaching change, you might want to see their on-ice performance first before wagering.
Tips and Advice for Betting on the NHL
The NHL is known for its unpredictability, making simply betting on the -1.5 spread for every favorite generally a poor strategy. Here are some fundamental hockey betting tips:
- Verify Starting Goaltender: Identifying the starting goalie is vital, especially in the playoffs where the primary starter is usually playing unless injured or struggling. Always confirm who is in net before placing a bet and consider if the odds reflect that goalie`s recent performance.
- Check Injury Reports: Staying informed about player injuries is essential for hockey betting. This is particularly important for top scorers and players on the power play. Remember that hockey players often play through minor injuries, which might impact their performance in ways not fully accounted for in the odds.
- Consider Rest Advantages: Pay attention to the schedule and any significant rest advantage one team has over another. In the regular season, this could be a team playing a back-to-back against a rested opponent. In the playoffs, look at the time off between series for each team. Sportsbooks can sometimes overlook these factors initially.
