Published on: October 9, 2024, 03:55h.
Last updated on: October 9, 2024, 04:02h.
Ever since Ontario’s regulated sports betting market launched in April 2022, it’s been surprising to see that hockey betting in Canada hasn’t taken off as expected, despite the sport’s cultural significance in the country.
While hockey is deeply ingrained in Canadian identity, the NFL is actually the most popular sport for betting, followed by the NBA and then the NHL, based on data from various sportsbooks.
Oilers are the Favorites
Despite football and basketball being more popular for betting, tonight marks the start of the NHL season for six out of the seven Canadian teams. The Toronto Maple Leafs are taking on the Montreal Canadiens, with the Leafs being favored at 1.50 on the Moneyline at BetMGM. In Edmonton, the Winnipeg Jets face off against the Oilers, who are the favorites on the Moneyline at 1.55. Meanwhile, the Calgary Flames are playing the Vancouver Canucks on the west coast, with the Canucks being favored at 1.48.
Johnny Avello, Director of Race & Sportsbook Operations at DraftKings, expressed the sportsbook’s appreciation for hockey, noting that while it may not attract as much betting volume as football and basketball, it remains highly popular among bettors. Currently, bettors are backing the Leafs for tonight’s matchup.
According to FanDuel, the Oilers are the top pick to win the Stanley Cup this year, followed by the New York Rangers and the Florida Panthers. The Leafs rank fourth overall as the most bet team to win.
Key players like Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid are heavily favored to win the Hart Trophy (MVP), with over half of all bets being placed on these two players.
A FanDuel trader mentioned, “Hockey is one of the top three most bet on sports by Ontario bettors on FanDuel Canada sportsbook.”
Maple Leafs on the Road to Victory
FanDuel is looking to expand NHL betting options, especially with parlay betting, by introducing new markets like “Goalie Saves” for this season. Bettors can now track their prop bets in real-time through the sportsbook’s player prop tracking feature.
DraftKings highlights popular player props such as Matthews Anytime Goalscorer (-130), McDavid Alternate Assists 1+ (-280), Leafs’ Mathew Knies Alternate Points 1+ (-105), and the Rangers’ Artemi Panarin Alternate Shots on Goal 4+ (+100). These are currently the most bet player props according to the sportsbook.
At PointsBet, Matthews Anytime Goalscorer is the most popular prop (-150). BetMGM has seen significant action on player props like Mitch Marner Over 0.5 Assists (-125), John Tavares to Score Anytime Goal (+220), and Cole Caulfield to Score Anytime Goal (+185).
The Leafs vs. Canadiens matchup is the most popular betting game at Proline, with 66% of players backing the Leafs to win and 74% of players betting on the Leafs to cover the spread (-1.5).
Matthews Leads the Player Prop Race
In team news, Leafs goalie Joseph Woll will be sidelined due to lower back tightness for tonight’s game. This setback is not encouraging for the Leafs, who have a passionate fan base but haven’t won a championship in 57 years. Despite this, Canadian teams like the Leafs are among the top contenders for the Stanley Cup this season, with DraftKings listing the Oilers as the favorites with odds of +800.
Other top teams in contention include the defending champion Florida Panthers, Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils, Rangers, Colorado Avalanche, Carolina Hurricanes, Vegas Golden Knights, and the Canucks.