The pinnacle of the NHL season is upon us: the 2025 Stanley Cup Final. The defending champion Florida Panthers are set to clash with the Edmonton Oilers, starting with Game 1 this Wednesday. This series marks a repeat of last year`s Final, where the Panthers initially took a commanding 3-0 series lead but ultimately required a tense 2-1 victory in Game 7 to claim their franchise`s first championship against a formidable Oilers comeback attempt.
This back-to-back Stanley Cup Final rematch is the 11th in NHL history across consecutive postseasons, the fifth in the expansion era, and the first since the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins vied for the coveted trophy in 2008 and 2009. Florida is making its third straight appearance in the Final, having lost to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games in 2023. This also means a team from the Sunshine State features in the championship series for the sixth consecutive postseason, following the Tampa Bay Lightning`s three-year run from 2020-2022.
The Oilers are participating in their ninth Stanley Cup Final since joining the NHL from the World Hockey Association in 1979, and their third since winning their fifth championship in 1990. Edmonton aims to prevent Florida from joining the 2016-17 Penguins and 2020-21 Lightning as the only teams to secure back-to-back Cups in the salary cap era, which began in 2005-06.
Oilers superstar Connor McDavid has amassed numerous individual accolades since being the first overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, including five Art Ross Trophies, three Hart Trophies, one Maurice Richard Trophy, and the Conn Smythe Trophy last year. One significant trophy has eluded him, and the 28-year-old is hoping his second attempt at capturing Lord Stanley`s Cup will be successful.
While fans of the Panthers and Oilers are deeply invested in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, casual hockey observers might have less interest. However, thanks to the recent surge in sports betting, they too can become more engaged in the series.
If you`re new to betting, don`t be intimidated. Wagering on sports can seem daunting to novices and casuals, but this betting guide will help you understand the fundamentals of hockey betting and make watching the 2025 Stanley Cup Final even more exciting.
Hockey Betting Fundamentals
One of the first steps for new bettors looking to wager on the NHL, or any sport, is to explore various sportsbooks. They often provide different sign-up bonuses like deposit matches or “bet and get” offers.
Another advantage of using multiple sportsbooks is the ability to compare lines and odds. For instance, one sportsbook might set the total for the Oilers vs. Panthers series opener at 6, while another offers it at 6.5. Shopping around for the most favorable number is always a wise strategy when placing a bet.
Taking advantage of sports betting promotions is a good way for new users to add bonus funds to their account and get started with hockey betting.
Once you`ve chosen a sportsbook, you need to understand the different wager types. Most NHL betting pages will prominently feature the next upcoming game of the Stanley Cup Final with +/- pricing for bets. Plus-money odds (+110) indicate the profit on a $100 bet (a $100 bet wins $110 profit). Minus-money odds (-130) show how much you need to wager to profit $100 (a $130 bet wins $100 profit).
These prices are linked to three primary types of bets:
- Spread (or puck line): This is the margin by which the favorite must win to cover the spread. In the NHL, it`s typically -1.5, with occasional exceptions. The favorite must win by two or more goals for the bet to win. Conversely, a +1.5 underdog bet wins if that team wins the game outright or loses by only one goal.
- Total (over/under): This refers to the combined number of goals scored by both teams in the game. For example, if the Over/Under is 5.5, six or more total goals are needed for the `Over` bet to win.
- Money line: This is a straightforward bet on which team will win the game. Since there are no ties in the NHL playoffs (or regular season), there are no `pushes` (refunds) on standard money line bets.
A variation is the three-way money line bet. Here, a bettor can wager on one of the two teams to win in regulation time, or they can bet on the game being tied at the end of regulation (e.g., Oilers to win in regulation +105, Panthers to win in regulation +185, Game tied after regulation +310).
For over/under betting in the NHL, remember that goals scored in overtime count towards the total. In the regular season, the goal credited in the final score for a shootout winner also counts. For instance, if the total is 5 and the game is tied 2-2 after regulation, ending 3-2 after a shootout, the total goals according to sportsbooks is 5. This results in a push, and the bet is refunded; it is not an `Under 5` result just because the score was 2-2 after three periods.
NHL Prop Betting
Prop bets add another layer of excitement to wagering on the NHL. You can find proposition bets on teams, individual players, and specific game events.
Player props are quite popular. While NHL player stats aren`t as high-scoring as NBA points or NFL yardage, there are still many options. A common player prop is betting on an anytime goal scorer, similar to an anytime touchdown scorer in football. If the selected player scores a goal at any point in the game, the bet wins.
Other options include point totals (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.
There are also prop bets focused on individual teams, such as which team will score first, specific goal totals for each team, and shot totals.
Game prop bets offer some unique options. Bettors can wager on whether the game will go to overtime, predict the exact score at the end of each period (e.g., Oilers 2, Panthers 1), or bet on combined goal totals for both teams (e.g., both teams to score 3+ goals).
NHL Parlays
Parlays are a popular betting method in the NHL, as in many other sports. A parlay involves combining multiple individual bets into a single wager. For the parlay to win, every single bet within it must be successful.
Here is an example of a parlay bet when there are multiple games on the schedule:
- Golden Knights money line (-115)
- Maple Leafs -1.5 (+154)
- Capitals vs. Hurricanes Over 5.5 (-110)
This example parlay might have combined odds of +807. Because you must win all three individual bets, parlays are significantly harder to win than single wagers.
Bettors can also create same-game parlays, combining multiple bets from a single game. For the Stanley Cup Final, with only one game at a time, these are the only parlays available. For example, a same-game parlay on Oilers vs. Panthers could include:
- Panthers money line (+110)
- Oilers Over 3.5 goals (-127)
- Leon Draisaitl anytime goal-scorer (+130)
Note that each sportsbook calculates same-game parlay odds differently, which is another reason to check various betting apps.
When multiple games are scheduled, bettors can create cross-game parlays involving various bets, including props. Betting on an anytime goal scorer from every game on the schedule, for instance, would be a very challenging parlay to win.
NHL Futures Betting
Futures bets are another widely used type of wager, with sportsbooks offering a broad selection for NHL teams and players. While fewer apply directly to the upcoming 2025 Stanley Cup Final, here are some common examples:
Futures bets are typically wagers placed on outcomes that will be decided later in the season or postseason, such as a player hitting a specific benchmark or a team winning an award. A very common team futures bet is predicting the Stanley Cup winner (e.g., Panthers at +550). If that team goes on to win the Stanley Cup Final, the wager is successful.
Other team futures include winning the conference, over/under on total regular season points, making the playoffs, and winning the division. For individual players, options include betting on their total points, total goals, or end-of-season awards.
Betting on the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy (Playoff MVP) is currently available. This award is usually given to a player from the winning team, but last postseason, McDavid became the sixth player in NHL history to receive it while on the losing team. He enters the 2025 Stanley Cup Final leading all players in scoring with 26 points and is the favorite to win the Conn Smythe again.
Strategies for Betting on the Stanley Cup
Sportsbooks start posting Stanley Cup odds even before the preseason, allowing users to place bets on the eventual champion early on. These odds fluctuate throughout the season, providing opportunities to find favorable numbers at different times.
Betting on the NHL Stanley Cup Final or the playoffs is similar to betting on regular-season games. Key differences include the ability to bet on the outcome of each individual series (e.g., Oilers to defeat the Panthers) or the Conn Smythe Trophy winner.
When wagering on series winners, you can also bet on the exact outcome (e.g., Oilers to defeat the Panthers in six games). This bet only wins if the specified team wins the series in precisely that number of games.
Live Betting
Just like many other sports, NHL games are available for live betting, meaning you can place wagers while the game is in progress. Throughout the game, sportsbooks update live odds for the spread, money line, and totals, among other options. Live money line and total bets are quite common.
Live betting can be beneficial if you prefer to observe the game`s dynamics before placing a bet. For example, if a team has key injuries or recently changed coaches, waiting to see how they perform on the ice live can inform your wager.
Tips and Advice for Betting on the NHL
The NHL can be highly unpredictable, so simply betting on the favorite to cover the -1.5 spread in every game is generally not a successful strategy. Here are a few basic tips for hockey betting:
- Verify the starting goaltender: This is easier in the playoffs, where the top goalies usually start. However, injuries or poor performance in previous games can lead to a backup starting, so always check before placing a bet. Compare the odds for the game against the starting goalie`s typical performance metrics.
- Check injury reports for key players: Staying informed about player injuries is critical for any hockey bet. This is especially true for top goal scorers and players on the main power-play units. Following beat reporters on social media can provide valuable context about injuries. Hockey players are incredibly tough and often play through pain. Knowing if key players aren`t 100% healthy can offer insights potentially not fully reflected in the odds.
- Rest advantages: Pay attention to the schedule to identify situations where one team has significantly more rest than its opponent. In the regular season, one team might be playing the second game of a back-to-back while the other was off the previous day. One team could be playing its fourth game of the week while the other is only playing its second. In the playoffs, compare the amount of time each team has had off between series.
It`s challenging for sportsbooks to constantly track all these factors, like injuries and lineup changes, especially during the busy regular season. Often, early wagers from informed bettors (“sharp money”) signal to sportsbooks that they may not have fully accounted for something like a rest advantage, leading to line adjustments.
