NHL season is just around the corner and it’s time to get stuck into some future selections. So let’s check out the NHL odds of the top favorites in the Eastern Conference, which team we believe could be the winner of the East this season, and which outsider we like best.
Eastern Conference Compared to Western Conference
The Eastern Conference is by far the most competitive conference right now, as the favorites Toronto Maple Leafs are priced up at +425 to win and the next three favorites are all priced up at around +520 on average and that’s not including the likes of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, or the Washington Capitals.
Compare this to the Western Conference where the favorites Colorado Avalanche are available to bet at +170 to win and the next three favorites are available to bet at around +850 on average.
Another perfect example is the fact that 5 of the top 6 outright favorites to lift the Stanley Cup in 2023 are all Eastern Conference teams.
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Eastern Conference Futures Odds
- Toronto Maple Leafs (+425)
- Florida Panthers (+500)
- Tampa Bay Lighting (+525)
- Carolina Hurricanes (+550)
- New York Rangers (+900)
- Pittsburgh Penguins (+1100)
- Boston Bruins (+1300)
- Washington Capitals (+1600)
- New York Islanders (+1700)
- Detroit Red Wings (+2800)
- Ottawa Senators (+2800)
- New Jersey Devils (+2800)
- Buffalo Sabres (+2800)
- Columbus Blue Jackets (+3300)
- Philadelphia Flyers (+5000)
- Montreal Canadiens (+6600)
*All betting odds available at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
Eastern Conference Divisions Breakdown
Three of the top four favorites to win the conference are based in the Atlantic Division, whilst the Carolina Hurricanes are residing in the Metropolitan Division, and as you can see from the odds, are also the biggest outsider to win the conference. Which does make it seem a little odd is that they would be the biggest outsider of the conference.
Which Division Is More Competitive?
When we delve a little deeper, we will see that despite being +650 compared to the next favorite, the New York Rangers at +1000, the Hurricanes have an overall tougher division with arguably 5/6 of the other 7 teams being competitive or somewhat competitive.
We compare that to the Atlantic Division and it’s really only going to be the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lighting, or Toronto Maple Leafs who will top the division.
Last season, the Carolina Hurricanes finished top of their division with 116 points compared to the New York Rangers’ 110 points and the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 100 points. Their +/- goal difference was +76, compared to the Rangers’ +47 and the Penguins’ +43.
The Atlantic Division saw the Florida Panthers come out on top with 122 points but the Toronto Maple Leafs managed 115 and the back-to-back Stanley Cup winners Tampa Bay Lighting had 110 points.
Are the Hurricanes, Panthers, and Lightning Stalking the Maple Leafs?
Which one of these teams is being chased? Well, as we can tell from the odds, it’s technically the Toronto Maple Leafs at +425, as the other three teams are between +500 and +550.
Any good sports bettor will know this is practically nothing and this is very much so a very even contest.
Based on these odds, the Leafs hold a 19% chance of winning the division, the Florida Panthers a 16.7% chance, the Lightning a 16% chance, and the Hurricanes a 15.4% chance.
Why Do the Maple Leafs Have an Edge?
The only reason the Maple Leafs have the slight edge in our opinion is that they have the entire league’s back-to-back top goalscorer in Austin Matthews.
He lost in 2019 but just by a one-goal margin, almost nabbing a hat-trick of NHL top regular-season scorer.
Our Eastern Conference Favorite Picks
We can’t ignore the fact the Carolina Hurricanes have a solid roster, acquired some good players in the off-season, and given the fact they are the biggest outsiders within the top 4, we have to bet on them at +650 to top the East this year.
Let the three amigos battle it out in the Atlantic Division, hopefully falling over one another. We feel like the three Atlantic teams won’t score as many points this season as all three teams are going to cancel each other out whilst we expect the Hurricanes to get at least +106 points, which might be just about enough.
It might be the “obvious” NHL pick given they are the 4th favorites but they are the 4th favorite for a reason. The New York Rangers are really good and have only gotten stronger this off-season. At +900 there is a nice outsider play to win the Conference; they did score 110 points last season.
Calculators
