NHL Odds in Iowa
They love hockey in Minnesota, but the ice is great in Iowa as well. That makes NHL hockey and Iowa sportsbooks a perfect fit. There’s no NHL team to call our own, but plenty of folks have latched onto the neighboring St. Louis Blues, Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild.
Speaking of the Wild, Minnesota has an AHL farm team here in the Hawkeye State. The Iowa Wild play home games at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, so those looking to experience the thrill of the game in person can do so. It’s a great way to see the NHL’s future stars in person.
NHL odds are available at legal Iowa sportsbooks. You can make calls on whether the Colorado Avalanche or Tampa Bay Lightning will be the next Stanley Cup Champion. Our complete guide to NHL betting in Iowa will show you how, as well as everything else you need to know to get started.
Updated NHL odds and lines
Things move just as fast with hockey betting as they do on the ice. You can stay on top of all the latest NHL betting odds and lines right here. Our live odds feed pulls together real-time pucklines, moneylines & totals odds from the top sportsbooks in IA. Just click on the odds to open a new betting account with an exclusive bonus offer.
The NHL futures market is also buzzing. Our live odds feed (see tab 2) shows the current hockey odds and lines for:
- Team to win the Stanley Cup Final.
- Team to win the Eastern or Western conferences.
- Team to win the division.
Schedule for 2022-23 NHL season
- Preseason games begin Sept. 24.
- The NHL opens the 2022-23 regular season with the NHL Global Series on Oct. 7-8 when the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks meet for a pair of games in Prague in the Czech Republic.
- Pucks drop in North America starting Tuesday, Oct. 11 with games in New York City and Los Angeles.
- The Boston Bruins host the Pittsburgh Penguins outdoors at Fenway Park for the Jan. 2 NHL Winter Classic.
- All-Star Weekend is Feb. 3-4 in South Florida.
- Fifteen games wrap up the regular season on April 13.
Here is the current NHL schedule for all 32 teams.
How to bet on the NHL online in Iowa
Thanks to the legalization of online and mobile sports betting in Iowa, you can bet from anywhere in the state. Even better, it’s simple to get started.
First up, check out the recommended legal sportsbooks featured prominently on this site. To begin, click one of our exclusive links. That’ll bring you to a registration page where you’ll need to enter some info such as your name and address. You have to be 21 years or older to sign up, and that’ll be verified as part of the registration process.
After your info is entered, you’ll accept the terms and conditions, verify it’s correct and click the submit button. Just like that, your new sportsbook account will be ready. Be sure to take some time to explore the book; however, there’s one more important step.
You’ll want to download the iOS or Android app directly from the sportsbook website. Once you’ve taken care of that, log in on mobile and put the app through its paces. In total, you’re looking at a couple of minutes to sign up and have a sportsbook to access at any time.
Next, it’s time to fund your account. The leading sportsbooks have several options to consider, including debit cards and PayPal. Deposits go through instantly, so you can get started with betting right away.
After you find an opportunity that you like, click on the odds for that choice and they’ll appear on your betting slip. All you need to do from there is add in your wager amount, verify that everything is good to go and click on “submit” to place your bet.
Hockey live betting and sportsbook apps
Live betting takes wagering on the NHL to a new level. As the action plays out on the ice, you can bet right along with it. You’ll see updated odds on the outcome and various prop-style bets that you can wager on in an instant.
This is a fast-moving style of betting, but the industry leaders have made fantastic strides on this front. Books, such as DraftKings and FanDuel, offer stellar live betting experiences. The odds update quickly, so be ready.
An app is a top choice for live betting. You can log in on your device while watching the game and keep an eye on all of the odds that come up, placing a bet in seconds if you wish.
How to read NHL betting lines
From the first puck drop of the NHL regular season to the last tilt of the Stanley Cup Final, there will be plenty of games for betting. Sportsbooks will release odds for each game on the docket all season long.
When you click on the NHL tab at an online book, the main betting lobby will list all the upcoming games. For each individual contest, you’ll see lines that look like this:
| Minnesota Wild | +130 | +1.5 (-110) | O 5.5 (-110) |
| Chicago Blackhawks | -150 | -1.5 (-110) | U 5.5 (-110) |
The road team is on top and the home team on the bottom, but there is the occasional neutral-site affair to contend with. To the right of the teams are the odds and lines for three popular bet types. Here’s what they are and how they work:
- Moneyline: You pick the winner from the favorite or underdog in the game. The Chicago Blackhawks are favored here as indicated by the negative number, while the odds are positive for the underdog MinnesotaWild.
- Puck Line: The puck line works like a point spread. For the NHL, it’s set at 1.5, but sportsbooks will sometimes offer alternate lines. Like a spread, the side you choose has to cover the puck line. In this case, Chicago needs to win by two or more, while Minnesota can cover by losing by one goal or by winning the contest.
- Totals: This wager is all about the total goals scored in the game. Sportsbooks drop an estimated number, and bettors then choose if they think the total will be over or under that amount.
When getting ready to bet on the NHL, your first step should be checking out the odds and lines for the upcoming games.
Why use legal sportsbooks for NHL betting?
Legal sports betting has been available in Iowa since August 2019. You have plenty of options to explore, but a black market for sports betting remains. Just because that market exists doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to explore it. Here’s why.
The sportsbooks that have set up shop here in Iowa had to go through a lengthy approval process and are overseen by the Iowa Racing & Gaming Commission. Licensing fees are steep, the books pay taxes based on what they take in and your funds will be safe.
Black market operators, such as offshore books, have no such oversight. So, if something goes wrong, you don’t have any back-up options. There’s also no guarantee that your money will be safely held. If an offshore book closes without notice, which has happened, you’re likely stuck with no recourse to get your funds back.
Vegas sportsbook odds vs. Iowa sportsbook odds
While Las Vegas has long been the sports betting capital of the US, things are changing rapidly. Sin City no longer has a stranglehold on legal US sports betting. Iowa is one of a growing list of states that have given wagering a green light.
The odds that come out of the desert still hold weight. The big sportsbooks from Vegas have some talented oddsmakers, so the lines they release are on point and efficient. However, the legal sportsbooks in other states are doling out numbers that are right in line.
For the most part, you’ll find that the odds and lines from the top shops here in Iowa are comparable to what you’ll find out in Vegas. There may be discrepancies here and there, but that can also be due to betting action that has come in at that shop.
Best NHL bets for beginners
While it’s easy to get started betting on the NHL, it can take time to get up to speed with everything you need to know. There are lots of games to consider, as well as a number of bet types. Here are three areas you can focus on when you start betting on hockey:
- First Period Betting: This bet affords you the chance to zero in on just the opening frame. The goal is to pick the team who will be on top at the end of period one. As part of your research, take a look at which teams start fast and slow. From there, cross-reference with the schedule to find potential opportunities.
- Player Goal Props: This wager brings over a little bit of fantasy sports prediction making into sports betting. You can bet on simple things like whether a star player will score a goal in the game or who the first goal-scorer will be. It’s a fun bet that enhances the game’s enjoyment while opening the door to potential profits.
- Totals for Rivalry Games: NHL teams face their division rivals more than they face other opponents during the season. That leaves plenty of data available for handicappers. When a rivalry game is on tap, scroll through the last five to 10 meetings to see if any patterns have developed on totals. There’s no guarantee that history will repeat itself, but this is a great clue to lean on for total betting opportunities to research further.
Of course, you can also spend some time on the other big bet types like moneyline and puck line. If you focus on one of those plus a choice from the above list, you’ll have yourself a great starting point. When you start finding some consistent success, you can look to spread your efforts wider or specialize even further, whatever works best for you.
Best sportsbooks for hockey betting in Iowa
Online and mobile sports betting has been a hit in Iowa. Users can deposit and withdraw funds, check out the odds and place bets at any time from the comforts of home.
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Best NHL players born in Iowa
Only a handful of hockey players who were born in Iowa have made it to the NHL. Here they are, along with how long they lasted in the top circuit:
- Scott Clemmensen, G
- 191 games from 2002-15
- Tucker Poolman, D
- 120 games from 2018-21
- Calvin Petersen, G
- 54 games from 2019-21
- C.J. Smith, LW
- 14 games from 2017-21
If we look at former Iowa Wild players, it’s a different story. The AHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild has been a proving ground for lots of NHL talent. Here are some of the top current players who’ve played for the local affiliate:
- Jason Zucker, LW — plays for Pittsburgh Penguins
- Jordan Schroeder, C — playing in KHL, top league in Russia
- Alex Tuch, RW — plays for Buffalo Sabres
- Matt Dumba, D — plays for Minnesota Wild
The pipeline from the Iowa Wild to the NHL is strong, so we should see even more top talent in the area in the coming years. Perhaps that will translate into even more homegrown talent climbing up the ranks to reach the pro level.