Best NHL Betting Sites in Massachusetts

Boston Bruins betting partnerships

The Boston Bruins officially partnered with Fanduel Sportsbook as the team's sole sports betting and casino partner. This multi-year deal allows FanDuel to use the Bruins markings and place advertisements on the boards in TD Garden.

These two will also partner in making social media content on the FanDuel and Bruins social accounts and include Bruins homepage takeovers on the FanDuel Sportsbook app.

Tips for those new to NHL betting

Much like other team sports the NHL allows you to bet on the side, the total and a spread, which is known as the “puck line” in hockey betting. The two most common types of bets are moneylines and totals (also known as over/unders). The spread does not change as much as you would see in the NFL and NBA and often comes down to late-game empty net goals when the losing team pulls their goalie.

Here are some tips if you are new to betting on the NHL.

Follow goaltender matchups: NHL Teams have never been more cautious of overplaying their goaltenders. Outside of a select few, most teams rely on a tandem of goalies. For a lot of teams this means that odds can vary greatly depending on which goaltender is in the net.
Follow schedules and keep track of long road trips: The NHL season is long and full of gruelling road trips. Teams will also tend to get worn out when having to play games on back-to-back nights or in other tough scheduling spots such as three games in four days. With hockey on every night, it is important to find advantageous scheduling spots and not force bets just to have action every night.
Track line movement: With the NHL being a moneyline sport, it is important to try and stay ahead of the line move. The odds typically move for two primary reasons. The first is goaltender confirmation, and the second is injuries. If you see the odds moving it is best to check these two things first, because if neither was announced then the cause may be that the sportsbook was seeing a lopsided number of bets come in on one side of the action.

Reading NHL odds

There are a ton of different NHL markets one can bet on, but it is important to be able to understand the game lines before diving into any other markets.

Let's start with the moneyline, in this market the favorite will have minus odds and the underdog will have plus odds. An example of this would look like:

Bruins -230
Blues +190

In this example, the Bruins are heavy favorites, to win $100 a bettor would have to place a bet of $230. Whereas, someone looking to back the Blues could place a bet of $100 and win $190 if the Blues were to win the game.

Next are totals, game totals typically range between 5.5 and 7.5 and the sportsbook gives you the option to bet over or under. Here is an example:

5.5 (Over -122 / Under +100)

In this example, the over bettor would need six goals or more to be scored for their bet to cash and the under bettor would need five or fewer goals to be scored to to cash their bet.

Last is the spread, unlike the NFL and NBA, the spread in hockey is almost always 1.5 goals and the sportsbook moves the odds rather than the spread. Let’s look at one last example:

Bruins -1.5 (+112)
Blues +1.5 (-134)

Here the Bruins would need to win by two or more goals to cover the puck line and cash the -1.5 tickets. Often these bets can come down to the dying minutes of the game and in hockey, the losing team will always try to pull their goalie to get an extra skater on the ice quite often allowing the winning team to get an extra goal to cover the puck line. This can make it difficult to bet on the underdog to cover +1.5.

Calculating your payouts

Now that sports betting is legal in Massachusetts, the sportsbooks will calculate this for you. However, it is always good to know how to do these calculations independently. Let’s bring back the example from above to illustrate:

Bruins -230
Blues +190

Bruins (Negative Odds): In this case, you would need to risk $145 on the Bruins to win $100 if they were to win this interconference matchup. This is how you would calculate negative odds if you wanted to win $100.

Bet Amount / (Odds/100) = Potential Profit

Looking back at the example, to calculate a $100 profit for the Bruins it would look like this:

230/(230/100), which then comes to 230/2.3 = 100

Blues (Positive Odds): Plus odds are much easier to calculate when using the American odds system. The plus odds show you how much a bettor would win if they placed a $100 bet. Looking at the example above, a $100 bet on the Blues would pay $190. But not everyone is betting $100 a game, here is the calculation:

Bet Amount * (Odds/100) = Potential Profit

Here is the calculation from the example above:

100 * (190/100) which comes to 100*1.90=190.

Massachusetts NHL betting markets

There are plenty of different NHL markets to bet on, it starts with money line, total and puck line bets. But there are plenty of different player prop markets to bet on such as goals, assists, points and shots on goal.

There are also plenty of other fun game props to bet on such as team goal totals, goals in the first 10 minutes and moneylines, totals and spreads broken down by period.

Here is a breakdown of the more common types of NHL bets:

Moneylines

A moneyline is a bet where you are simply betting on a team to win the game. The favorite will have negative odds and the underdog will have plus odds. Looking at the example from above, to win $100 backing the Bruins a bettor would have to put down $230 while a Blues bettor would profit $190 on a $100 bet if they were to win.

In hockey, there are a lot of heavy favorites and not many people like laying -230. One way to cut that price is to bet the 60-minute or regulation moneyline. This is an alternative market that eliminates the overtime and the shootout and gives bettors a better price on the favorite to win in regulation. An example of this looks like:

Bruins (-150)
Tie (+380)
Blues (+270)

In this market, you get a better price on the favorite, but the downside is the bet loses as soon as the game goes to overtime. But more often than not NHL games finish in regulation time. This market can be a great way to back top-tier teams against very weak opponents.

Over/Under

There are plenty of different nuances to betting NHL goal totals. A good sport to compare the totals to would be the NBA. While NBA totals are much higher and the totals can vary more from game to game, they are similar in the fact that the last two minutes of the game can drastically affect the outcome of the total.

In the NBA, losing teams will intentionally foul the opposing team, giving them free throws to add to the point total. The idea behind fouling while losing is to try to stop the clock and get extra possessions to score more points. In doing this, they are also giving the other team more points.

Hockey is similar in that teams will take a big risk in the last few minutes of the game by pulling their goaltender to get another skater on the ice. In theory, this allows the team with the empty net to create sustained puck control in the offensive end allowing the losing team to create more scoring chances which gives them a better chance to make a comeback.

The kicker is that if they give up possession of the puck, the opposing team can take a shot at the wide-open net from any place on the ice, which often results in one or more goals being scored in the last few minutes of the game.

This can make underbets nerve-racking and stressful. But with that being said, betting over is not more profitable than betting the under, the sportsbooks factor these empty net goals into their lines and typically wind up having around 50% overs and 50% under across NHL games at the end of the year.

Puck Line (Spread)

The puck line might be the most difficult hockey market to bet. In the NHL you will typically see a spread of 1.5. This means the favorite (-1.5) has to win the game by two goals and the underdog (+1.5) has to lose by two or fewer goals to cover the spread. Much like the totals, this market can be massively influenced by teams pulling their goalie late in the game.

Although this market can be difficult to bet and be quite volatile. This is not the best market to bet on if you are just getting into and learning how to bet on hockey. But it is best utilized in specific situations where a team is in a tough scheduling spot or one is starting a struggling backup goalie.

Parlays

A parlay is when a bettor combines two or more bets to improve the odds of a bet. A parlay requires all bets inside of it to win for the bet to payout. In limited use, two and three-leg parlays can work in certain situations and hockey tends to have a lot of heavy favorites and expensive player props.

However, Parlays should not be your primary method of betting. Parlays allow you to bet a little to win a lot, but for every leg added to a parlay, the sportsbook’s edge becomes greater.

Futures

A future is typically a long-term bet that plays out throughout the NHL regular season or through the playoffs. Here are examples of some of the markets you can bet on.

Stanley Cup Winner
Stanley Cup Exact Matchup
Conference & Division Winners
Regular Season Team Points Over/Unders
NHL Awards (Rocket Richard, Norris Trophy, Vezina Trophy, Jack Adams)
Season-Long Player Props (Over / Under Goals & Points)

You can bet on these markets before the season starts or during the season. The odds fluctuate throughout the year based on team performance. Although these markets can have enticing odds, these outcomes are extremely hard to predict for a bettor and a sportsbook. Which typically means these markets come with a higher edge for the bookmaker.

Props

There are plenty of different props you can bet on in the NHL, these props can be broken down into two different categories, game props and player props.

Game Props: Game props are a type of bet that usually pertains to a specific part of the game that is not directly related to the outcome or the final score of the game. Some examples are:

Team Over/Under Goals
Race To 3 Goals / Race to 4 Goals
Yes/No Go In The First 10 Minutes
First Period Result: Moneyline, Spread, Total

Player Props: Player props are typically based on a specific player's performance that can be measured in the box score at the end of the game. This includes:

Over/Under Goals, Assists or Points.
First / Last Goal Scorer
Over/Under Shots On Goal
Over/Under Hits
Over/Under Blocked Shots

Over/Under Saves
Over/Under Goals Allowed

Just like every other betting market, these player prop lines will move based on the oddsmaker's projections of a player's performance in a specific game. Unlike the NBA and the NFL where the sportsbook will change the total of the player prop based on the player's projection, in the NHL you will more than likely see players having the same total on each night with the odds varying more often than not.

These markets are a great way to bet on your favorite players or back a player in the middle of a hot streak.

NHL playoff betting

NHL playoff betting is extremely exciting and has only gotten more exciting with the widespread legalization of sports betting. There are more markets than ever to bet on.

The NHL playoffs consist of 16 teams, eight teams from the Eastern Conference and eight from the Western Conference. In each conference, there will be at least three teams from each division and two wild card teams make it to the playoffs. Once that is decided these 16 teams play a seven-game series until there is one team left standing.

You can still bet on all of the playoff future markets listed above but once the playoffs start you can also bet on markets such as:

Series Handicap (Bruins -1.5 vs Florida)
Series Exact Result (Winner and amount of games)
Series Over/Under Total Games (Bruins-Panthers O/U 5.5 Games)

The playoffs are a great time to bet on specific matchups given that you will see the same two teams play each other multiple times over a short period. This will give you a good idea of how teams and players match up against one another and may allow you to find interesting betting angles.

However, the sportsbooks also have that same luxury and have a full season's worth of data to help make their odds. The betting lines are razor-sharp in the playoffs, which means you have to be extremely selective with the bets you place.

Stanley Cup betting

Although the Stanley Cup does not have as many fun novelty props as the NFL’s Super Bowl, there are a couple of unique markets the sportsbooks have for this series.

They allow you to bet on the Conn Smythe Trophy Winner (MVP) and certain sportsbooks will also allow you to bet on series-long player props such as over/under total goals or over/under total points.

You can also still bet on all of the other Stanley Cup Markets mentioned previously, but again these odds are always subject to change based on new information and team performance.

NHL live betting

Live or in-game betting is done once a game has already started. In-game betting markets include markets such as:

Live Moneylines, Totals & Spreads
Live Player Props
Team To Score The Next Goal

Betting in-game allows you to get a feel for how teams are playing before having to place a bet or allows you to double down if your confidence in your bet is growing. There are also slightly more advanced strategies for live betting such as hedging your bet or middling a total, but to use these properly you need to understand how the odds and lines move during the game.

You will notice that the in-game lines are quite volatile and will move a lot based on what is happening in the game. At times, oddsmakers will be over aggressive moving lines which can create a lot of value to bet in-game.

There are plenty of professional bettors that only bet in-game to take advantage of these markets which are inefficient at times. The best way to learn and understand live betting is to simply watch games while looking at the way the odds move throughout the game.

Massachusetts NHL TV & Radio coverage

How to watch NHL in Massachusetts

The way to watch the Bruins will depend on if the game is being televised locally or nationally. This year 69 of the 82 Bruins games could be found locally on the New England Sports Network (NESN). Looking nationally, the Bruins can be found on:

FuboTV
TNT
ESPN+
ABC

How to listen to the NHL in Massachusetts

All Boston Bruins games can be found locally on the radio at 98.5 The Sports Hub, Boston’s Home For Sports.

Massachusetts NHL players

Forwards

David Pastrnak - Right Wing

The Boston Bruins drafted David Pastrnak in the first round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Since then he has worked his way into the top 10 in all-time points by a Bruin. Over the last five years, Pastrnak has been one of the best goal scorers in the NHL ranking third in most goals scored over that stretch.

At 27 years old, Pastrnak is going to be the cornerstone of this franchise for a long time. He is currently signed with the Bruins through the 2030-31 season.

Defence

Charlie McAvoy

Charlie McAvoy is another guy who has spent his entire career with the Bruins. The Bruins drafted him in the first round in 2016 and since then he has emerged as one of the best two-way defensemen in hockey.

Since 2021 McAvoy ranks inside the top 10 in points by a defenseman. At only 26 years old he has a bright future and is signed with the Bruins through the 2029-2030 season.

Goalie

Jeremy Swayman

Since his first full season with the Bruins, Jeremy Swayman is 68-27-15 in games he has started.

Swayman was a fourth-round pick of the Bruins in 2017, this past year his rookie contract expired and he was re-signed by the Bruins on a one-year deal. At the end of this year, the Bruins will retain Swayman’s rights as he is set to become a restricted free agent.

With Swayman being one of the best goalies in the NHL over the last two years, it would be shocking to see the Bruins and Swayman not work out a deal to keep him in Boston long-term.

Greatest Massachusetts NHL players of all time

With the Bruins being an original six franchise, they have a long history of having all-time great players on their roster. Here is a look at some of the best players to ever wear a Bruins uniform:

Ray Bourque - Defense (1979-2000)
Johnny Bucyk - Left Wing (1957-1978)
Bobby Orr - Defense (1966-1976)
Patrice Bergeron- Center (2003-2023)
Phil Esposito - Center (1968-1976)
Zdeno Chara - Defense (2006-2020)
Tuukka Rask - Goaltender (2007-2022)

Best NHL Betting Sites in Massachusetts

By Jason Schandl | Aug 24, 2024

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