Few sports are as intense as hockey this time of year. After a hectic 82-game regular season, 16 teams are battling it out in the NHL Playoffs in a bid to lift the coveted Stanley Cup.
While the best sides in the Eastern and Western Conferences vie for the title, sportsbooks are also going head-to-head to draw in potential new customers.
With several series going to a game six or seven, there’s plenty of opportunities to maximize a particularly generous welcome offer and we’ve outlined some of our favorites here.
2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs betting promos
Find the betting promos and bonuses to use for this year’s NHL Playoffs below. You can find more info about each promo, and it’s offerings below the overview.
Fanduel – Bet $5 Get $200 in Bonus Bets if you win
FanDuel is one of the most popular sportsbooks in the US having originally started out in the world of fantasy sports. New members signing up throughout the NHL postseason can earn $200 in bonus bets if their first $5 wager wins!
While you don’t have to place that bet, or use the winnings, on hockey, there are few sports around offering such a closely-fought race for its ultimate prize.
The bonus credits will land in your account within 72 hours of your qualifying bet being settled. From then, you’ll have seven days to use them before they expire. They can’t be withdrawn, and any winning bets which use these credits won’t return the stake.
Caesars – Bet $1, Double your winnings your next 10 bets with code TALKSPORTDYW
Caesars needs little introduction given their name is up in lights on the Vegas strip, but they’re also one of the biggest brands when it comes to online sports betting.
Using our promo code – ‘TALKSPORTDYW’ – upon registering and after staking just $1 on any sports market, you’ll see your winnings double on the next 10 bets you place thereafter!
This is a great deal, especially when you consider that there are up to seven games in every playoff series!
The tokens are available for 14 days, meaning you can spread your bets across one or more of the matchups to come. Any wager up to $25, and with a potential payout of up to $2,500, is eligible to be doubled.
bet365 – bet $5, get $150 or a first bet safety net up to $1,000
bet365 moved across the pond from the UK in 2019, first launching in New Jersey before branching out into several more states. They’re currently offering new players their choice of two welcome bonuses.
You can either bet $5 and receive $100 back in free bets (win or lose) or opt for a risk-free first bet of up to $1,000.
With the former, you can spread the $100 bonus over as many bets as you like – meaning you can make it last right through to the Stanley Cup Final series itself and beyond if you wish!
When using either of these, the stake won’t be returned in any winning wagers.
BetMGM – bet $10, get $150 if you win or $1,500 2nd chance bonus bets
The self-proclaimed “King of Sportsbooks” is also offering two different welcome offers for those signing up during playoff season, depending on where you live.
Those in Arizona, Colorado, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia are eligible to receive $150 in bonus bets if their first $10 bet wins.
Those in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee or Wyoming will receive $1500 in bonus bets if their first bet loses.
The bonus funds with both of these offers are available for seven days and can be used on any sports betting market, as can the qualifying bet.
How the NHL Playoffs work
16 teams qualify for the NHL’s postseason every year, with the top three in each of the league’s four divisions gaining entry automatically.
The remaining four spots are filled by the teams with the next two strongest records in the Eastern Conference and the next two strongest in the West – regardless of which division they’re in.
This year saw the maximum of five teams make it from the Atlantic Division, and five from the Central Division. Therefore, the Metropolitan and Pacific divisions were represented by just three teams each.
The two sides of the bracket are regionalized, ensuring that the Stanley Cup is always an East vs West contest. For the first two rounds, the teams are separated further to try and guarantee an Atlantic vs Metropolitan and a Central vs Pacific Conference Final.
Given the disparity between the divisions this season, the Montreal Canadiens – who finished 5th in the Atlantic – were matched up with the Washington Capitals in round 1, who claimed top spot in the Metropolitan. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Wild – 4th in the Central – met the Las Vegas Golden Knights, who were the top team in the Pacific.
All playoff series are a best-of-seven, meaning that four wins are needed to progress. The higher seed also has home ice advantage, meaning that the majority of each given series will play out in their arena and in front of their fans. As for the Stanley Cup series itself, the team with the better record from the regular season will host the lion’s share.
A look at the current odds
TeamOddsSportsbookDallas Stars+470CaesarsCarolina Hurricanes+500bet365Florida Panthers+575CaesarsEdmonton Oilers+550FanduelToronto Maple Leafs+700FanduelVegas Golden Knights+750bet365Winnipeg Jets+1100bet365Washington Capitals+1100BetMGMHaving emerged from an epic back-and-forth series against the Colorado Avalanche in game seven, the Dallas Stars have been installed as the new bookies’ favorites, ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers.
All eight remaining teams, however, have been given odds of +1000 or shorter, meaning this year’s race for the crown is shaping up to be one of the closest and most unpredictable in years.
The defending champion Panthers defeated state rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning, in a dominant five-game series, which briefly saw them slated with the shortest odds. The Hurricanes also progressed in five games, eliminating the New Jersey Devils.
Despite finishing as the divisions’ four top seeds, the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vegas Golden Knights, Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets are currently seen as outsiders, but not by much.
The Maple Leafs will meet the Panthers next having also come out on top against near neighbours, however their 4-2 series victory over the Ottawa Senators wasn’t quite as convincing.
Bet-types
As with all sports, there are no shortage of ways you can wager on what happens during a hockey game, giving fans the opportunity to put their knowledge to the test, or simply to back their favorite team. Here are some of the most popular markets:
Moneyline
The easiest way to bet on an NHL game is, of course, to simply pick a winner. Sportsbooks will provide moneylines with a plus or minus value. Here, a plus indicates an underdog and the team with the minus is favored. The number itself shows your potential winnings for every dollar you wager. I.e. when backing a team slated as a -175 favorite, you would need to bet $1.75 to win $1 back. Whereas a +155 underdog would land $1.55 for every $1 you stake, if they were to win.
Puck line
The puck line is hockey’s equivalent of the point spread used in football or basketball betting. Given that – unlike in those two sports – goals are the only way teams can put points on the board, there are typically fewer blowouts. Much like spread betting, the sportsbook sets a margin of victory by which the favored team would need to win by for them to have “covered” the spread. If they don’t win by that margin, or if they lose outright, then the underdog has “covered”. It’s a great way for bettors to get more value from contests which the bookies deem to be lopsided.
The most common puck line is typically plus and minus 1.5, again the plusses and minuses are used to show favorites and underdogs. Here, the team with the minus value would need to win by two or more goals to win the bet, whereas the team with the plus simply needs to avoid losing by two or more. A one-goal defeat would pay out, just as an outright victory would!
Over/Under
Much like in other sports, you can wager on the combined total number of goals scored in a game. Oddsmakers will again set a value for each game and you choose the ‘over’ or ‘under’. If, for example, a game has been given an over/under of 5.5 goals, you would bet the under if you believe the final score will be something like a 3-2 or 4-1 to either team. You’d go for the ‘over’ if you’re backing a higher-scoring game.
Props
Hockey betting is by no means limited to the final outcome of the game. You can also pick players to score goals, provide assists, take shots, make saves, etc. These are, again, usually displayed as over/under values.
Parlays
NHL Parlays enable bettors to back multiple teams playing on the same day, or on the same weekend, for example, and combine them into one bet for a larger potential payout. Adding more selections to parlays increases the odds and the amount you could win, but obviously makes the bet more and more difficult to win – if one team lets you down, the entire bet loses.
Same-game parlays
This is essentially a parlay of props in a single game. You can pick multiple player props such as “Mikko Rantanen to score over 2.5 goals” and “Matt Duchene to provide over 1.5 assists” – both of which came to fruition in the Dallas Stars’ victory over the Avalanche in game seven of round 1 – and receive more in winnings for it than betting on either of these as individual props.
As with parlays, however, you would need every selection you make to come through or otherwise the bet would be settled as a loss. With same-game parlays, you can also throw in puck lines, moneylines and/or over/unders.
Where to watch the 2025 NHL Playoffs
What: 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Dates: April 19 – latest June 23 Locations: Various locations TV: ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, TNT & TBS, Streaming: Sling, fubo TV, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV & DIRECTV STREAMAbout the author
Nathan Hill
Nathan Hill is an experienced sports writer who obsessively follows football – both the round ball and American kind – as well as range of other sports including F1, basketball, darts and snooker.
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