NHL Expert Picks

Free NHL Expert Picks Explained

If you place a bet on a sporting event, you are already confident. You have just put your money where your mouth is, after all. You’ve done your homework, and you’re expecting success. With Bookies.com, this is our business, so we’re even more confident. Our NHL hockey writers, with more than three decades of NHL experience, are always studying the game, paying close attention to past performance, recent trends, injuries, starting goalies and anything else that can help bettors make more informed decisions for their NHL expert picks. You can never have too much hockey information, and when that info comes from trusted sources dedicated to the game, it’s even more useful for NHL picks. We even have expert reviews for the top sportsbooks in Ontario and other provinces too.

Are the Best Odds Always Shown for NHL Picks?

Yes. There are different NHL odds given by different hockey bookmakers. Usually, they are very close, but not always, and even a small difference in the NHL odds can add up night after night of making NHL picks. The good news at Bookies.com is that you can compare real-time NHL odds from multiple sportsbooks that are all legal, licensed and regulated in the states they operate in to help you make the best NHL picks. You’ll always know where the best hockey values lie at any given moment, including the many NHL futures odds offered.

How Can I Do My Own Research For NHL Picks?

Doing your own hockey research is still important, and one of the best ways is to follow some NHL handicappers and NHL beat writers’ Twitter accounts for the latest on the teams you are most likely to be betting on. A personnel change at the last minute might go unnoticed by others, but usually a hockey beat writer will post it along with there favorite NHL expert picks. 

Study hockey sites where NHL goalies’ home and road record splits are posted. Maybe they’re a lock at home, but struggle on the road? Same with offensive skaters. Hockey data is king when it comes to betting NHL picks.

Best of all, stay on top of Bookies.com’s news articles. They are always tailored toward how specific information will affect the potential outcome of an NHL game’s puck line, moneyline or over-under.

How Do NHL Expert Picks Using The Puck Line Work?

In hockey, the puck line is another term for “against the spread.” And since most NHL games rarely exceed seven or eight goals total, the puck line is almost always a spread of -1.5 goals. If you’re going to “beat the spread” in NHL betting parlance, the team you bet on must win by two goals or more.

Payouts are always better on puck line wins when you bet -1.5. You don’t have to have a hockey game decided by two or more goals to win on the puck line, though. If you bet on a team to win on the “reverse puck line,” that means you are getting +1.5 goals. As long as that team either wins outright or loses by ONLY ONE GOAL, you win the NHL hockey bet. However, the NHL odds on reverse puck lines are not as good as moneyline or puck line bets. Our NHL expert picks will give out the best puck lines to play at your favorite sportsbooks.

Does Home-Ice Really Matter When Making NHL Picks?

Compared to, say, the NBA, playing at home in the NHL is not as much of an advantage to teams. Experienced NHL hockey bettors already know this, but why is this the case? 

A lot of reasons, but in general:

1. It’s just harder in hockey to score goals than put up points in basketball or football games. NHL teams rarely can race out to big leads and just pack it in the rest of the hockey game.
2. A hot goalie can always make for a tough night, even against the best NHL teams.
3. Coaches are so good today at devising strategies to slow opponents, especially on the road. Visiting teams generally play a more conservative style, which often makes for closer games that they can steal in overtime or a shootout.

Home teams do get the “last change,” meaning they can pair the players they want against the road team’s players, and that can and does often matter. But in general, you have a better chance of winning road underdog bets in the NHL than you do other sports.

Where To Make NHL Picks

You’ve made your decision after studying the hockey trends, including Bookies.com’s NHL consensus tool, looking at our free NHL expert picks, have checking for late developments, and evaluating the odds at Bookies.com. Your next step is to select the best hockey odds, click on that moneyline, puck line or over-under bet and head to the best sportsbooks to lock in your NHL picks. For our Canadian bettors, check out our review of the top Canadian online sportsbooks coming to you.

For first-time hockey bettors, remember that many sportsbooks provide NHL promo codes for bonus offers/bets that will give you a little extra money to throw around. We also recommend looking at our free NHL expert picks. After that, sit back, relax and cheer on your team.