NHL Eastern Conference Division Winner Predictions

I find NHL futures predictions take the most skill to make because there is much less luck involved when the outcome is decided over a long period of time, in this case an 82 game series.  In this post I decided to incorporate the division winner odds I found at Bodog.com in order to make more sports betting predictions against the odds.  Luckily for me the team I thought would win the first two divisions happened to be the underdog anyways.  If you want to learn more about sports betting odds, click the link for a great site with tons of info.

Northeast Division

The Northeast division is in my opinion the tightest, most well rounded division in the NHL.  There are no great teams and if you take out the Maple Leafs there are no horrible teams.  This year I expect the Maple Leafs to do much better, which should increase the toughness of the Northeast Division.  Last year Buffalo came out of nowhere to win the division and this year they are the second most likeliest win according to oddsmakers.  In my opinion only Boston, Buffalo and Ottawa have any shot at taking home this division title.  Here are the odds:

Boston Bruins EV
Buffalo Sabres +275
Ottawa Senators +400
Montreal Canadiens +500
Toronto Maple Leafs +1500

With these odds I’m taking the Ottawa Senators any day.  The Sens should once again improve on a solid outting last year and compete throughout the season for the Northeast division title.  It will come down to the last few games between the top three teams, but I think Ottawa should have the depth to win the Northeast this year.

Atlantic Division

The Atlantic is another tough division to call with the Devils, Penguins and Flyers all be strong contenders within the division.  The Penguins and Flyers each have the talent and potential to win the division, but neither team has really strung together an entire 82 game season with consistency.  The Devils on the other hand seem to always overachieve when it comes to the regular season.  With the addition of Kovalchuk the Devils should be able to repeat as Atlantic division champs.  Here are the odds:

Pittsburgh Penguins -125
New Jersey Devils +175
Philadelphia Flyers +350
New York Rangers +1500
New York Islanders +2500

Southeast Division

The worst division in the NHL, now somehow contains the best regular season team in hockey.  The Washington Capitals have a star studded line-up that won the Presidents trophy last year and should be able to repeat as both the regular season league champ and easily the Southeast division champion.  The Tampa Bay Lightning are the only team in the division with an outside chance of taking the crown from the Caps and that’s only because we are currently unsure of how all of their offseason moves with translate onto the ice.  No matter what the odds you have to go with the Capitals because they will win this division 95% of the time!

Washington Capitals -400
Tampa Bay Lightning +700
Carolina Hurricanes +1200
Atlanta Thrashers +1500
Florida Panthers +2000

Ways To Bet On Hockey

Hockey stands apart somewhat from games like basketball and football in that there is low scoring and a low scoring differential between teams. This makes betting on hockey slightly different from betting on these other sports, but it’s still pretty simple  like playing video poker if you know what you’re doing.

Hockey Betting Option 1: Money Line

One of the best ways to bet on the outcome of any sporting contest is by playing the money line, which is really just like a standards odds bet. Instead of comparing the payout odds to 1, however (ex. 3-to-1, 8-to-1) they are compared to $100.

Money line example: New Jersey -140/+120 Phoenix. This money line means that a bet on New Jersey to win the game will cost $140 to win $100. A bet on Phoenix, on the other hand, requires only a $100 wager to win $120. Expressed in terms of odds, someone betting on New Jersey is laying (giving up) 1.4-to-1, while someone betting on Phoenix is getting 1.2-to-1.

Hockey Betting Option 2: Puck Line

The puck line is a variation on the money line that better takes into account the relative strength of the two teams. A puck line may look like this: New Jersey -1.5 -110/-110 +1.5 Phoenix. This means that whether you bet on New Jersey or Phoenix, you will have to wager $110 to win $100. However, if you take Phoenix, you get one and a half goals, meaning that even if Phoenix loses, you win, as long as they lose by only one goal. In contrast, you get better odds than before for taking New Jersey, but if the Devils win by only one goal, it still counts as a loss.

Deciding Which Hockey Betting Option to Take

If you’re confident in your team’s ability to win and feel like you can win playing slot machines but your team is the underdog, you are probably better off taking the better odds offered by the money line. If you think your team needs a little help, the puck line may be better for you. If you’re going with the favorite, you should take the money line unless you are confident that your team will blow out the opponent, in which case you might take the puck line with the preferred odds.