With the closing stages of the 2023 regular season on the horizon we are taking one final look at the Conference standings, what are the current NHL odds available on each team to win as well as who we believe might still be worth winning their conference for your NHL picks in these final few weeks of the season.
2023 Western Conference Odds
2023 Western Conference Favorites
Colorado Avalanche (+300)
The Colorado Avalanche is currently the Stanley Cup holder and is still in the running for the Central division as it trails first-placed Minnesota by three points but has played one game less.
Colorado only has the 7th best home record but, on the road, has the 3rd best record overall in the Western Conference as well as having gone 9-1 over their previous 10. If anything their road form should be what the other teams are scared of, as they can be dangerous when they are on it.
The problem for us with this team is they just don’t look as sharp or as focused last season, don’t get us wrong they could go deep into the playoffs and we wouldn’t be surprised, but +300 to win this conference might be a little low in our eyes. The Avalanche has scored 3.26 goals per game this season (12th best) and allowed only 2.73 goals per game (8th best).
Conclusion: Strong team but most likely favorites because they won the Stanley Cup last season, we don’t believe they are as strong as their +300 odds and don’t represent any value. A lot of teams in the Western Conference can topple the Avalanche this season who seem to be feeling the fatigue of going the whole way last season.
2023 Western Conference Value Bet
Edmonton Oilers (+950)
Scoring the league’s best 3.95 goals per game has certainly made teams notice the Oilers, but it’s not like nobody expected this as Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have always been scoring above-average figures, and this season they are having a career-best combining for 151 points.
Where the Oilers have always fallen down is in defense, allowing the 11th worst this season with 3.29 goals per game. The Oilers are predicted as having a 22.4% chance of making the finals, which is only +346 in NHL betting odds.
At the very least if we show them some respect, they get bumped up to +800, right? Either way, we are loving the +950 odds of the Oilers winning this conference. Their goaltender has started to get hot going 7-1 in his previous 8 starts and this season it just feels different, McDavid and Draisaitl can grab goals out of nowhere.
Conclusion: They can go far and if the two power scorers keep up this peace, they could allow four goals per game and still likely win most matchups, but improvement will be needed for defense as we can’t expect the players to bang in five goals every night. +950 seems too big and we would bet them down to as low as +750.
2023 Western Conference Favorite Pick
Minnesota Wild (+1000)
The Minnesota Wild have come flying up the charts in terms of goals against this season allowing only 2.61 goals per game, which is currently the 3rd best in the NHL. The Wild are currently second in the Western Conference and trailing only first placed Vegas Golden Knights by two points.
The Wild have gone on a strong run to end their season having now gone 11-4 over their previous 15 games, putting them in a prime position to take a stab at winning the Conference this season. Although they don’t score a lot, averaging 2.95 goals per game, they make up for it defensively and can grind low-scoring games out as well as high-scoring ones.
Conclusion: Have the ability to be a shock Stanley Cup finals but will likely need some luck along the way as they are far from being the best team in the West let alone the entire NHL.
Calculators
