NHL Preview: The 2014-2015 NHL regular season begins in less than two weeks away with the Bruins, Penguins, Kings and Blackhawks favored to win the four divisions. The Boston Bruins are favored to win the Atlantic Division, the Pittsburgh Penguins are favored to win the Metropolitan Division; the Los Angeles Kings are the top choice to win the Pacific Division while the Chicago Blackhawks are favored to win the Central Division. Let’s look at the latest NHL betting odds.
Odds to Win Atlantic Division
Boston Bruins +150
Montreal Canadiens +375
Tampa Bay Lightning +400
Detroit Red Wings +825
Toronto Maple Leafs +875
Ottawa Senators +1100
Florida Panthers +1850
Buffalo Sabres +2500
The Bruins are favored to win the Atlantic and there is no reason to think they won’t do so as they are the deepest team in the division and they have one of the top goalies in the league in Tuukka Rask. The Canadiens and Lightning are the two serious threats to the Bruins. The Canadiens have a young team with a lot of talented players, including P.K. Subban and Carey Price, while the Lightning will get back a healthy Steven Stamkos and Ben Bishop.
Odds to Win Metropolitan Division
Pittsburgh Penguins +172
New York Rangers +362
Philadelphia Flyers +549
Columbus Blue Jackets +601
Washington Capitals +801
New Jersey Devils +1150
New York Islanders +1424
Carolina Hurricanes +1590
The Penguins have a new head coach in Mike Johnston and high expectations. Anything less than a Stanley Cup Finals appearance would be a disappointment as they have top players like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in front of a solid supporting cast. The Rangers are just behind Pittsburgh but it would be a surprise to see New York reach the Stanley Cup Finals in two straight years. The team to watch could be Washington as they have a new head coach in Barry Trotz who should be able to get the most out of the team.
Odds to Win Pacific Division
Los Angeles Kings +175
Anaheim Ducks +275
San Jose Sharks +420
Vancouver Canucks +650
Arizona Coyotes +925
Edmonton Oilers +1050
Calgary Flames +1700
Arguably the toughest division in the league, the Pacific has the Kings, Ducks and Sharks. The Kings and Ducks are definitely Stanley Cup contenders with the Kings favored to win the Pacific. The Sharks have a lot of talent but they have been league’s underachiever in recent seasons.
Odds to Win Central Division
Chicago Blackhawks +165
St. Louis Blues +255
Colorado Avalanche +585
Minnesota Wild +700
Dallas Stars +800
Nashville Predators +1150
Winnipeg Jets +1250
The Blackhawks and Blues should battle for this division as the Avalanche should take a step back as they lost Paul Stastny to the Blues in the offseason and they did nothing in the off-season to improve their defense.
