NHL Betting in Colorado
From moneylines to puck lines, over/unders, futures, parlays and props, Colorado sportsbooks post all kinds of NHL betting odds. Colorado is also home to the two-time Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche, and the NHL is as popular in the Centennial State as any other.
From a look at the best Colorado sports betting apps, to NHL betting tips and the latest NHL odds direct from Colorado online sportsbooks, this page is a detailed look at how to bet on the NHL online in Colorado.
Live NHL Odds at Colorado Online Sportsbooks
As the 2023-24 NHL season concludes, check our real-time NHL odds feed from Colorado online sportsbooks below. Use the drop-down menus to switch between odds boards and see the second tab for current Stanley Cup odds, conference odds and MVP odds. Click on any odds to go directly to the chosen sportsbook, claim your bonus and lock in your NHL bets. See a more detailed breakdown of Colorado Avalanche odds.
How to bet on the NHL in Colorado
Lawful, Vegas-style single-game sports wagering is legal in Colorado. The state’s first online sports betting apps went live on May 1, 2020. Here’s a look at the best Colorado NHL betting apps you can use anywhere inside state lines, provided you have access to the internet.
NHL betting apps
As long as you’re 21 or older and inside state lines, you should be able to bet on the NHL with a mobile device or computer through legal Colorado online and mobile sportsbooks.
This is far and away the most convenient way to bet on the NHL. That’s because Colorado online sportsbook apps allow you to bet on NHL hockey anywhere you are inside the state with internet access.
Follow this simple three-step process, and you’ll be betting on the NHL in Colorado in minutes:
- Sign up for an account
- Make a deposit
- Fill out a bet slip
Is it legal to bet on the NHL in CO?
It is legal to bet on the NHL at licensed Colorado sportsbooks. That includes licensed retail sportsbooks and licensed CO sports betting apps.
The US Supreme Court allowed individual states to legalize sports betting when it struck down a law banning sports betting in May 2018. Colorado lawmakers started working on sports betting legislation in 2019, and in November of that year, Colorado voters passed a ballot measure allowing Colorado to legalize sports gambling.
The Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission and the Colorado Division of Gaming have authority over the regulation of the legalized sports betting market in Colorado.
The Division of Gaming is establishing various rules and licensing standards for sports betting in Colorado.
So far, it has decided the Colorado Division of Gaming will issue up to 33 sportsbook licenses to casinos in the towns of Black Hawk, Central City, and Cripple Creek. License holders will be able to operate retail sportsbooks in these towns and online sportsbooks that can be accessed from anywhere in the state.
The regulations include NHL betting regulations legalizing single-game wagering on the NHL.
That means you’re able to bet the moneyline, puck line, and totals on every single NHL game. Plus, you’ll can legally bet on multi-game NHL parlays and combine NHL games with other sports for multi-sport parlays.
You can also bet on a variety of specific NHL players and team props. Plus, sportsbooks offer NHL futures which allow you to wager on which team you think will win the Stanley Cup.
How to bet on hockey games
Hockey betting isn’t really much different from betting on other team sports. There are a few basic ways you can bet on the NHL at Colorado retail sportsbooks and online betting apps, including:
- Moneylines: The moneyline is the easiest way to bet on the NHL. Pick the winner of a game and book the bet at the currently posted odds. Favorites have a negative (-) moneyline figure indicating how much you’ll need to bet to win $100 plus your bet back. Underdogs have a positive (+) moneyline figure indicating how much you’ll earn for every $100 you bet. For example, if the Colorado Avalanche moneyline is at -120, you’ll need to bet $120 to win $100 plus your $120 bet back.
- Puck line: NHL puck line bets are like point spread bets in other sports. Pick the winner of a game with the puck line factored into the final score. Puck line bets are booked at moneyline odds that vary, but the puck line is almost always a goal and a half. For example, if the Avalanche puck line is at -1.5, they’ll need to win by at least two goals for puck line bets on them to pay. If the Avalanche puck line is at +1.5, they’ll need to win outright or lose by just one goal for puck line bets on them to win.
- Totals: Choose whether the total score of a game will be over or under a line set by oddsmakers. Over/under bets are also booked at moneyline odds and can be used for the grand salami.
- Props: Props are side wagers on things that may or may not happen during a game. They often revolve around players or teams achieving various statistical milestones. An example would be a bet on a specific player to score one or more goals in a game.
- Parlays: Parlays are all about combining two or more bets into a single wager. The hard part is that each bet must win for the parlay to pay. The reward is higher paying odds. Parlays are a popular way to bet on a slate of NHL games because of the potential for a big payday.
- Futures: NHL futures bets allow you to bet on a particular team to win the Stanley Cup, a conference or a division. NHL futures markets are active during the offseason, and the odds are adjusted as the regular season and playoffs continue.
- Live betting: Live or in-play betting allows you to bet on a game that’s already underway. The odds are adjusted with the action.
Preseason, regular season and playoffs
NHL preseason
The NHL holds a two-week preseason with each team playing anywhere from six to eight exhibition games prior to the start of the regular season. It’s usually held during the last two weeks of September and allows teams to evaluate younger talent to help fill out the roster. It’s considered practice time for established stars more focused on getting into playing shape than winning.
CO sportsbooks offer lines on the games, but be careful betting on these as teams aren’t playing to win and the best players don’t see a ton of ice time.
NHL regular season
There are 32 teams in the NHL, seven in Canada, and 25 in the US. For 2021-22, the teams have returned to their regular division alignments – Atlantic, Metropolitan, Central and Pacific – after a year in regional divisions.
Each team plays 82 regular-season games, 41 at home and 41 on the road. Teams get two points for a win even if it is in overtime or a shootout. They get one point for a loss in overtime or a shootout and no points for losing in regulation time.
These points determine the standings and playoff positioning. As a result, most NHL teams try to win every regular-season game they can. Exceptions include teams with a playoff spot locked up or teams tanking to move up in next year’s draft. CO sportsbooks set various lines on every regular-season NHL game.
NHL playoffs
The NHL playoffs, also known as the Stanley Cup playoffs, are a postseason tournament that ultimately determines the year’s NHL champion, otherwise known as the winner of the Stanley Cup. It consists of four rounds of best-of-seven series featuring the top 16 of 32 teams from the NHL regular season.
The top three teams from each of the league’s four divisions, plus two wild card teams with the next best records in each conference, will make the playoffs. The top seeds in each division play the bottom seeds, and the second and third seeds in each division face each other for the first round. After two rounds of divisional play, the four winning teams advance to conference finals. The winners of each conference will face off for the Stanley Cup.
You can bet on every aspect of the NHL playoffs, including each game, each series, and who will win the Stanley Cup.
How to watch the NHL in CO
The NHL’s current TV contract is with the Comcast-owned NBC and NBC SportsNet. However, it expires at the end of the 2021-22 season.
The ten-year agreement started in 2011. NBC and NBC SportsNet paid the NHL $2 billion, or $200 million each season, for the rights to nationally televise 109 regular-season games and 80+ Stanley Cup playoff matchups. Some early-round playoff games also air on other Comcast-owned networks including USA, CNBC, and Golf Channel.
Games are also broadcast on the NHL Network cable and satellite TV network, a joint venture between the NHL and NBCUniversal.
You can also stream every single NHL game on computers and mobile devices with an NHL.tv subscription, although local blackout rules apply.
NHL.tv features live games, highlights, and other NHL content on demand.
In addition, Colorado Avalanche games air locally in Denver and the surrounding area on Altitude TV KTVD Channel 20.
NHL betting tips
You can develop your own NHL betting strategy by focusing on real statistics and publicly available information.
Good data like this is what the best NHL betting strategies are based on. That means you have to do your homework if you’re going to bet on the NHL in Colorado successfully.
There’s no substitute for good research, and that means scouring the internet and reading all you can about the NHL is required.
The key is to make informed and educated picks, and you do this by following the NHL, reading about it and watching NHL games.
Line shopping
It’s also a good idea to go line shopping. That means looking for the best price on a line at every licensed Colorado sports betting operation that you can.
This is easy to do online with CO sports betting apps, and it’ll put money in your pocket over the length of an NHL season.
NHL betting facts
Betting on NHL games is easy, but picking winners can be hard.
That said, you can improve your picks immediately by focusing on these three undeniable NHL betting facts:
- There is a home-ice advantage: Home teams get the last line change and a whole lot more, including the boost of confidence only a home crowd can give a team. Most teams have a big edge at home. Pay attention to the home and road records of teams to see who has the advantage in any game.
- The average NHL game is decided by one goal: Most NHL games have five goals or fewer and only one goal separating the teams. That means there is real parity in the NHL, and the games are close. Look for lines that offer value by going against this trend.
- Goalies impact games: Think of the starting goalie like a starting pitcher in an MLB game. In other words, goalies have a huge influence on the outcome of a game. Bet on the best goalies in the NHL and bet against their teams when they get the odd night off. Plus, look for goalies on hot and cold streaks.
NHL betting in Colorado FAQ
Colorado sportsbooks offer similar bets on the NHL as they do other sports. This includes the following basic NHL bets:
- Moneylines: A bet on one NHL team to win a single game at odds posted by licensed sportsbooks.
- Puck line: A bet on an NHL team to win a game with a puck line, or spread, factored into the final score.
- Totals: A bet that the total combined score in an NHL game will be over or under a line set by oddsmakers.
- Parlays: A single bet combining two or more basic bets. Win every bet, or leg, that is a part of the parlay or win nothing at all.
- Futures: NHL futures markets allow you to bet on an NHL team to win its division, conference or the Stanley Cup. Futures can also include bets on teams or players to reach specific milestones. Futures odds are adjusted throughout the season.
- In-play or in-game: Bets in the middle of a live NHL game at odds that are adjusted throughout.
- Props: Bets on teams or players to reach specific statistical milestones over the course of a single game or specific period of time.
Yes it does, and yes you can.
The Colorado Avalanche are Denver’s NHL team. The Avalanche play home games at the Pepsi Center and compete in the Central Division.
The Avalanche were founded in 1972 as the Quebec Nordiques. They moved to Denver and were renamed the Colorado Avalanche after the COMSAT Entertainment Group bought the team following the 1994-1995 season.
The team won the Stanley Cup in its first season in Denver. The Avalanche matched that feat with a second Stanley Cup Final win in 2001.
Both Stanley Cup championship teams were led by captain Joe Sakic and former Montreal Canadiens goalie Patrick Roy, who was traded to the team in the middle of the 1995-1996 season. Sakic is now the team’s general manager. Roy was the Avalanche’s head coach from 2013 until he resigned in 2016.
Colorado sportsbooks will take your bets on the Avalanche and all other 31 NHL teams, provided you are not affiliated with the team or the NHL in any way.
When it comes to betting on the NHL, the puck line is like the point spread in other sports. Betting on the puck line means you must factor that line into the final score to determine a betting winner.
Most NHL puck lines are set at -1.5 for the favorite and +1.5 for the underdog. That’s because two goals or fewer decide the average NHL game. However, the odds, or the prices, vary, even when the puck line does not. That means shopping around for the best puck line price on a game you’re planning to bet on is always a good idea.
Betting against the spread in the NHL is a bet on the puck line underdog. NHL puck lines are almost always set at -1.5 for the favorite and +1.5 for the underdog. That means if you’re betting against the spread in the NHL you need to add a goal and a half to the underdog’s final score to see if you’re a winner.
NHL handicap betting is another way of referring to NHL puck line betting. The puck line is considered a handicap. Most Colorado sportsbooks will set standard NHL puck lines at -1.5 for the favorite and +1.5 for the underdog. Plus, they’ll offer alternative puck lines with an increased handicap at varying odds.
The total, or over/under, is the same in the NHL as it is in other sports. You bet on whether the total combined score between two teams will be over or under a line set by oddsmakers. If you’re going to bet the over/under in the NHL, shop around for the best line and the price, or odds, on the bet.
If the actual total score in an NHL game matches the line you bet on, all bets are returned. That’s why NHL totals lines are often set on the half point line.
There’s no exact science when it comes to betting over/unders in the NHL. Consider factors like offensive and defensive ability, hot scorers and traditionally weak defenses. Determine if the goaltenders in the game are playing well or struggling, and look at matchup histories to see who plays well against whom. Then, make an educated guess on if a game will be low-scoring or high-scoring and look for favorable lines.
Unless the sportsbook states something else for your specific bet on an NHL game, overtime counts.
Shootouts count when it comes to NHL moneyline betting where you pick the outright winner. For totals and puck line markets, the winning team gets the equivalent of one goal for winning in a shootout, and the betting winner can be determined from there.
Yes, you can bet on NHL periods. Colorado online and mobile sportsbooks offer in-play wagering where you can bet on the action as it is happening and during the period breaks in a game.
Colorado sportsbooks and third-party NHL oddsmakers set lines for the Colorado market based on a number of factors. This includes everything from scheduling, to location, historical matchup statistics and recent performance data.
Of course, oddsmakers also apply some basic NHL principles, including the fact most games are close, and fewer than five goals are scored in the average game.
Goalies are extremely important in the NHL. A hot goalie can lift a team to unexpected wins. Goalies should be given similar weight when making NHL picks as pitchers are when making MLB picks.
The NHL draft lottery is held annually in April. It decides which teams get the top three selections in the NHL draft.
The teams that miss the Stanley Cup playoffs participate in three handicapped drawings in favor of the teams with the worst records. Picks 4 to 15 are then awarded based on the standings.
The NHL draft is held annually in June. This is where the teams select the rights to available players meeting draft eligibility requirements.