Do you need a hockey game happening tonight to bet on hockey? No, you don’t. There is pretty much always NHL sports betting, either now or in the short-term future. very regular-season game has odds to bet either the moneyline, puck line and/or over/under. Prop bets are also available with certain bookmakers. This is where you can get all the odds and NHL best bets you need.

Before an NHL season even starts, there are futures odds regarding the playoffs and the Stanley Cup winner. You can bet on the two conference winners, and the Stanley Cup betting odds are in play all through the regular season and playoffs. When the playoffs start, you can bet on both individual games and series winners, along with prop bets.

A couple tips on playoff betting: first, the games tend to be lower-scoring than in the regular season, because the defensive intensity ramps up and referees tend to whistle fewer penalties, so opportunities on the power play aren’t as frequent.

Second, having the game at home doesn’t typically matter as much as in other sports. But it matters in a Game 7. Entering the 2019 NHL playoffs, there have been 171 Game 7s in the NHL postseason since 1939. Home teams are 100-71 in those games.

Want to bet on who the most valuable player in the NHL will be? The name of the trophy for that award is the Hart, and yes you can do that. At Bookies.com, for instance, you’ll find futures odds to bet on all the top NHL awards, which are handed out in June at a special show in Las Vegas.

Other prominent awards to bet on include Rocket Richard Trophy winner (most goals), best defenseman (Norris Trophy), Calder Trophy (top rookie) and Vezina winner (top goalie).

Here are a few tips on futures betting regarding NHL awards:

The top point producer often wins the Hart Trophy.

The top-scoring defenseman often wins the Norris, even though it’s supposed to go to the best “all-around defenseman.”

With more credentialed media in Eastern cities than the West, players from Eastern cities tend to win more awards.

Coaches of “surprise” teams tend to win the Jack Adams Award more often than, say, the veteran, consistently good long-term coaches.

Forwards tend to win the Calder Trophy, because when it comes to individual awards, offense is sexier than defense. The good, stay-at-home rookie defenseman, for instance, isn’t going to win the Calder over a flashy, high-scoring forward - even though that D-man might be the more valuable player to a team.