World

Quick Guide To NHL Playoff Odds This Fall

To say that the 2020-21 NHL Season was unusual is an understatement. With COVID-19 restrictions creating playing bubbles and keeping spectators away, then moving to the challenge of meeting and enforcing capacity limits, the 2021-22 NHL Season is bound to be far less strange and hopefully much closer to the way we all remember the game being played. The off-season has been a bit odd, but that hasn’t stopped the oddsmakers from issuing the opening lines for teams to make or miss the playoffs.

The Odds Of Making Or Missing The Playoffs

Here is a complete breakdown of the NHL Playoff odds:

Team                                                              YES                NO

 

Anaheim Ducks                                            +1500             -4000

Arizona Coyotes                                           +1500             -4000

Boston Bruins                                               -650                +475

Buffalo Sabres                                              +1500             -4000

Calgary Flames                                            +115               -135

Carolina Hurricanes                                     -150                +130

Chicago Blackhawks                                   -130                +110

Colorado Avalanche                                    -4000              +1500

Columbus Blue Jackets                              +1200             -2500

Dallas Stars                                                  -220                +180

Detroit Red Wings                                        +1200             -2500

Edmonton Oilers                                          -320                +250

Florida Panthers                                           -475                +350

Los Angeles Kings                                       +215               -265

Minnesota Wild                                             -320                +250

Montreal Canadiens                                    +170               -200

Nashville Predators                                     +250               -320

New Jersey Devils                                       +160               -190

New York Islanders                                     -300                +235

New York Rangers                                      -150                +130

Ottawa Senators                                          +1500             -4000

Philadelphia Flyers                                      -120                +100

Pittsburgh Penguins                                    -265                +210

San Jose Sharks                                          +250               -320

Seattle Kraken                                              -130                +110

St Louis Blues                                              -180                +155

Tampa Bay Lightning                                  -2000              +1000

Toronto Maple Leafs                                   -1200              +750

Vancouver Canucks                                    +145               -165

Vegas Golden Knights                                -1600              +900

Washington Capitals                                   -150                +130

Winnipeg Jets                                               -130                +110

 

A Closer Look At Each Division

Here is a breakdown of what to watch for in each of the top NHL Divisions going into this sports betting season.

READ
Let’s Look at the History of Gaming and How Things have Changed

Atlantic Division

The Atlantic Division is commonly referred to as the best division in the league. One thing is for certain, it is on the top-heavy side. There are just six teams within the entire league that have odds of -475 or shorter to make the playoffs with four of those coming from the Atlantic Division. They include Boston at -650, Carolina at -475, Tampa Bay with -2000, and Toronto at -1200. With the playoff format created so that just the top three teams in a division will advance to the post-season, and the rest of the teams vying for the remaining two wild-card positions, betting on a longshot or two may be worth it in the long run. To help you narrow down the field, Montreal (-200) are not likely to get into the playoffs this time around.

Central Division

This is the toughest division in the West and Colorado is the top pick of oddsmakers and one of five from the Central Division predicted to get to the postseason. Minnesota (-320) are next on that list with Dallas showing promise with some new players signed in the off-season that should give them a better chance at getting into the playoffs. St Louis looks strong, and the incredible improvements in Chicago will see them likely in the top three of the division at the end of regular-season action. Winnipeg is going to probably end up on the bubble as a result of the strength of the leaders in this division although there is evidence that the team has been making great strides in rebuilding the front line of players.

READ
7 Things You Should Know About The State Of The Online Sports Betting Market This Year

Metropolitan Division

Although the Atlantic Division is the strongest of the groupings, the Metropolitan Division is what oddsmakers refer to as being the most open-ended. That is demonstrated by the fact that six of the eight teams here are predicted to get into the postseason. With New Jersey not far off the pace, it could be the top seven teams vying for playoff berths. This division has two teams with the longest active playoff appearance streaks – Pittsburgh with 15 and Washington with 7 – But issues with goalies for the former and the age of players for the latter could become playoff run problems. The improvements in Carolina, New York (Islanders), Philadelphia, and New York (Rangers) could have an impact on the final order of teams.

Pacific Division

This is easily the weakest division in the league with oddsmakers predicting that just three teams from the Pacific will move on to post-season play. Vegas is the top pick with quite a lead followed by Edmonton and Seattle. This is regardless of the weaknesses both of these teams have going into the season. That being said, two other teams could surprise everyone and work their way into the playoffs. Calgary and Los Angeles have made wise off-season team picks that have added both strength and depth to both teams. Oddsmakers are pointing to both teams as contenders for at least a wild-card berth which is all they need to advance beyond the regular season.

Final Thoughts

Things have sure changed in the NHL since The Original Six and the first major expansion of the league back in 1967 which doubled the size of the league to 12 teams. That was followed by two more teams added in 1970, the merge in 1979 with the World Hockey Association, and regular additions up to the newest entry in 2021 that has turned the once six-team league into a 32-team league. More teams mean more hockey to play and a lot more activity for bettors and bookmakers. The chart above shows the odds for each of the league’s 32 teams on making or missing the 2021-22 playoff season. This is an exciting part of the betting schedule for gamblers who are fond of the constant action on the ice. Football is the only sport that outranks hockey in the number of sports bets placed during a season. COVID-19 impacted all sports, but nothing quite like professional hockey, and hopefully, this season will not be as unusual as the previous one with the pandemic not as much of a threat if you don’t consider the delta variant as a problem. The NHL is underway and let’s hope that the playoff season goes without a hitch and that the league’s best teams finish in the finals. We all could use a bit of normalcy in our sports viewing this season.

READ
5 Things You Didn’t Know About 888 Casino

 

Tags
Show More

Related Articles

Back to top button