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.
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.
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.
