The puck hasn’t dropped yet for the start of the 2021-22 NHL regular season, but it’s never too early to look at who will come out raising the Stanley Cup at the end of it all.
The odds are out, predicting the winner of the Stanley Cup, as well as the odds to win the Eastern and Western Conference. There are some teams that were expected to have favorable odds while there are also some surprises
Here’s a look at the odds for the conference winners and the Stanley Cup.
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Who has the best odds at winning the Eastern Conference?
It’s no surprise to see the Tampa Bay Lightning atop the favorites to win the Eastern Conference, according to our partners at PointsBet. With the tweaked four division alignment last season in the league due to COVID, there was no winner of the Eastern Conference. The Lightning, who are the last winners of the Eastern Conference which was in 2020, come into this season as +350 favorites to win it again.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, who have yet to win a playoff series since 2004, have the second-best odds at +500. The Boston Bruins, who came out as Eastern Conference champions in 2019, have the third-highest at +650. The New York Islanders (+800) and Florida Panthers (+900) round out teams with odds better than +1000.
Here are some of the best odds for teams to win the Eastern Conference.
San Jose Sharks
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Tampa Bay Lightning, +350
Toronto Maple Leafs, +500
Boston Bruins, +650
New York Islanders, +800
Florida Panthers, +900
Carolina Hurricanes, +1100
Pittsburgh Penguins, +1200
New York Rangers, +1200
Washington Capitals, +1400
You can find the full breakdown of the odds here.
Who has the best odds at winning the Western Conference?
On the Western Conference side, the oddsmakers at PointsBet have it as a two-horse race. The Colorado Avalanche and the Vegas Golden Knights are set as the two heavy favorites to come out on top in the Western Conference, with the Avs at +195 and the Golden Knights at +290. Those two squads tied for the best record in the league last season so it doesn't come as a shock to see those two set as the early picks to battle it out for the West.
The next closest favorite is the Edmonton Oilers at +900. They are the only other team listed with odds better than +1000 to win the conference.
Colorado Avalanche, +195
Vegas Golden Knights, +290
Edmonton Oilers, +900
Minnesota Wild, +1000
Dallas Stars, +1400
Seattle Kraken, +1400
St. Louis Blues, +1800
Chicago Blackhawks, +1800
Winnipeg Jets, +2000
Calgary Flames, +2000
The San Jose Sharks have the third-worst odds to win the conference at +4000.
You can find the full breakdown of the odds here.
Who has the best odds at winning the Stanley Cup?
Despite being back-to-back Stanley Cup champions, the Lightning don’t head into the 2021-22 season as Cup favorites.
Granted they do have the second-best odds at +600, but it’s the Avalanche that come into the season with the best odds at hoisting Lord Stanley at +500. The Golden Knights are tied with the Lightning at +600, as it’s those three teams sitting at much higher odds than the rest.
Behind those three squads are Maple Leafs at +1100, Bruins at +1400 and the Hurricanes at +1600.
Here’s a look at some of the other best odds to win the Stanley Cup.
Colorado Avalanche, +500
Tampa Bay Lightning, +600
Vegas Golden Knights, +600
Toronto Maple Leafs, +1100
Boston Bruins, +1400
Carolina Hurricanes, +1600
Florida Panthers, +2000
New York Islanders, +2000
Pittsburgh Penguins, +2200
New York Rangers, +2200
Edmonton Oilers, +2500
Minnesota Wild, +2500
Washington Capitals, +2500
Dallas Stars, +2500
The Sharks' odds to win the Stanley Cup sit at +8000.
You can find the full breakdown of the odds here.
Editor's note: All odds are provided by our partner, PointsBet. PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.