Stanley Cup Winning Division Odds: The Cup Goes Through the Atlantic
Which of the Four Divisions Will Produce This Year’s Champion?
Atlantic Division is Likeliest to Produce Champ Per Odds
There are 32 NHL teams divided across four divisions. But there is only one Stanley Cup champion and it will come from… the Atlantic Division if the Stanley Cup winning division odds are right. The Atlantic Division is lined at +165 to produce the next champion likely because of the Boston Bruins. But the seemingly unstoppable Bruins are just one of the division’s trinity of contenders.
The Atlantic Powers: Boston, Toronto, and Tampa Bay
It speaks to how potent the Atlantic Division is when its three playoff teams are in the top seven in the NHL’s Stanley Cup odds. Boston (+350), Toronto (+900), and Tampa Bay (+1400) are expected to have great chances at capturing ice hockey’s most prestigious cup. It’s only a shame that due to the current format, one of them will be eliminated in the first round.
The Maple Leafs have yet to get out of the first round in their current form. But they are on pace to finish with another 100-point season, which will be its fifth in six seasons. Toronto will meet Tampa Bay in the first round in a rematch of last year. The winner will then face Boston in a matchup that could decide the eventual champion as these teams have fared well against the West: a combined 64-21-10 record.
The Lightning are last season’s runner-ups and have been to three straight Finals. Now going to a fourth straight Final is another story and it has not been done in forty years. But Andrei Vasilevskiy is arguably still the best netminder in the NHL. He has a 63-38 record in the playoffs with a 92.3 save percentage.
As for the Bruins, Boston has been to three Stanley Cup Finals in the last 12 seasons. It won in 2011 but fell short in 2013 and 2019. The team could break the NHL record for points in a regular season (132). “Presidents’ Trophy Curse” be damned. Boston has it all from a deep lineup to two great goaltenders and it practically owns the other Eastern division with a 17-2-0 record against its teams.
Metropolitan Mania: Five Teams Give this Division a Shot
While the Atlantic Division puts quality over quantity, the Metropolitan is sending five teams to the playoffs. That’s why the Stanley Cup winning division odds have it as the second-likeliest division to produce the champion at +250. The Metro is led by Carolina (+850) then by New Jersey (+1200) and the Rangers (+1400). These three teams are in the top six in goals allowed with Carolina in second just behind the Bruins.
Their biggest obstacle is Boston. Only Carolina and Washington (not in the playoffs) have beaten the Bruins this regular season. The Rangers and Devils are a combined 0-5 against the Bruins. New Jersey gets a final crack at Boston close to the end of the season.
The other two contenders in the division are the Penguins (+4500) and Islanders (+5000). They are the wild card teams and if the NHL team standings hold, Pittsburgh will have the unenviable task of facing Boston from the start. Pittsburgh lost both games against Boston but they were one-goal games.
As for the Islanders, the team is a popular dark horse pick thanks to its netminder, Ilya Sorokin. He has a career 92.4 save percentage and has the most goals save above average (62.9) in these past two seasons.
Lest the West: The Weaker Conference?
The Western Conference may have the defending champions in Colorado, but the NHL odds have this conference as a less formidable one than the East. The Avalanche lead the Central Division with odds at +650 to repeat as champions. The Central itself is listed at +340 on the Stanley Cup winning division odds of having either Colorado or its participants bring home the Cup.
Joining Colorado is Dallas (+1500), Minnesota (+2200), and maybe Winnipeg (+5500) or Nashville (+20000) depending on who can cement a position in the wild card race. Dallas has been to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2020 but fell to the Lightning. Minnesota tends to do well in the regular season but like the Leafs, falls short in the playoffs. As for Winnipeg and Nashville, they appear to be first-round fodder at best.
Last and deemed the least is the Pacific Division with odds of +425. This division should still not be underestimated. It has the conference’s potential top seed in Vegas (+1400) along with Connor McDavid’s Oilers (+1300) and the upstart Kraken (+3000). Seattle is new to the playoffs but both Vegas and Edmonton have made deep runs in recent postseasons.
In fact, Vegas is the last team to oust the Avalanche from the playoffs, which it did in 2021. And Edmonton has potentially three100-point scorers. The Oilers are averaging a whopping 4.3 goals per game this 2023. If Stuart Skinner can get hot in between the pipes, this team may just go all the way.
Follow us on Twitter
