Against The Spread Betting Information, News, Sportsbook Reviews – ATS.io
Against The Spread Betting Information, News, Sportsbook Reviews – ATS.io
  • Sports Betting
    • Best Online Sportsbooks
    • Sportsbook Ratings Guide
    • Sportsbook Promotions
    • Sportsbook Reviews
      • BetMGM
      • Pointsbet
      • BetRivers
      • DraftKings
      • William Hill
      • Sugarhouse
      • SportsBetting.Com
    • Colorado
      • Colorado Betting Apps
      • How To Bet In Colorado
    • Illinois
      • Illinois Betting Apps
      • How To Bet In Illinois
      • Chicago Sports Betting Guide
    • Indiana
      • Indiana Sports Betting Apps
      • Sports Betting In Indianapolis
    • Iowa
    • Tennessee
      • TN Betting Apps
      • How To Bet On Sports In Memphis
    • Kentucky
      • How Do I Bet On Sports In Kentucky?
      • How To Bet On Sports In Louisville
    • Michigan
    • Missouri
      • How To Bet In Missouri
      • How To Bet In St Louis
    • New Jersey
    • New York
    • Ohio
    • Virginia
    • Canada
    • Africa
  • MLB
    • MLB Home
    • MLB Odds
    • World Series Odds
    • AL & NL Pennant Odds
    • Divisional Odds
    • MLB Team Win Totals
  • NFL
    • NFL Home
    • NFL Odds
    • NFL Division Odds
    • NFL Conference Odds
    • Super Bowl 55 Odds
  • NBA
    • NBA Home
    • NBA Odds
    • NBA Championship Odds
    • NBA Conference Odds
    • NBA Divisional Odds
    • NBA MVP Odds
    • NBA ROY Odds
  • College Football
    • College Football Odds
    • College Football Home
    • National Championship Odds
    • Bowl Schedule
    • Heisman Trophy Odds
  • College Basketball
    • College Basketball Picks & Betting News
    • College Basketball Odds
    • Tournament Betting Odds
    • Conference Odds
      • AAC Basketball Conference Winner Odds
      • ACC Basketball Conference Winner Odds
      • Big 12 Basketball Conference Winner Odds
      • Big East Basketball Conference Winner Odds
      • SEC Basketball Conference Winner Odds
      • Big Ten Basketball Conference Winner Odds
      • PAC 12 Basketball Conference Winner Odds
      • West Coast Basketball Conference Winner Odds
      • Mountain West Conference Winner Odds
      • MAC Basketball Conference Winner Odds
  • NHL
    • NHL Picks & Betting News
    • NHL Odds
    • NHL Stanley Cup Odds
    • NHL Conference Championship Odds
  • ATS App
  • More
    • Online Casinos
      • BetMGM Online Casino
      • Borgata Casino
      • Party Casino
    • US iLottery Guide
      • Michigan Lottery
    • Is Sports Betting Online Legal?
    • MMA/UFC
    • Golf
    • Soccer
    • Betting FAQ

09

Jan

NHL Division Futures Betting Odds – Realigned Divisions, New Schedule Format for 2021 Season Create Value

  • Adam B
  • NHL Picks & Betting News

The NHL season is going to be vastly different from any others that we have ever seen. The league’s divisions have been realigned to feature an all-Canadian North Division. The East and West Divisions are made up of teams that were all in the same conference last season, but the Central Division is a mix-up of Eastern Conference and Western Conference teams.

With 56 games on the condensed regular season schedule, all games will be played within the division. That means that losing streaks are going to be extremely costly and every game is going to hold tons of importance.  The top four teams in each division will make the playoffs.

There are no bubble situations for now, as all 31 teams will play home games in their respective cities. Some teams will be allowed to have fans, while others will not, including all seven Canadian teams.

In advance of Wednesday’s Opening Night, a lot of odds are being posted around the betting markets, including odds to win the division at BetMGM Sportsbook.

Before we break those down, there are a couple of important things to remember. With the condensed schedule, backup goaltenders are likely to play a larger percentage of games than normal, so you’ll want to handicap each team’s goaltending situation very closely.

The other is that there are only 56 games and all are played against division foes. Some teams simply won’t match up well against teams in their division for one reason or another. That will make it very hard to compete night in and night out, so you only need to handicap these teams relative to their division rivals.

Let’s take a look at the odds for each division and a quick betting breakdown:

North Division

Toronto Maple Leafs +135

Edmonton Oilers +400

Montreal Canadiens +475

Vancouver Canucks +525

Calgary Flames +550

Winnipeg Jets +700

Ottawa Senators +2500

Speaking of goaltending depth, this is probably the weakest of the seven divisions. The Maple Leafs are the most proven commodity, so they are the clear-cut favorites for the North Division crown. The Oilers have the division’s best player in Connor McDavid, but are suspect on defense and in net with Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith.

The Canadiens have Carey Price, who is the most accomplished goaltender in this division, but may play second fiddle to Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck and maybe even third fiddle behind Calgary’s Jacob Markstrom, who was excellent last season and in the bubble for the Canucks. Vancouver is now backstopped by Thatcher Demko and Braden Holtby.

The Senators are a very, very young team that looks to be an absolute force in a season or two with a ton of burgeoning talent.

As far as a pick in this division, I think this is the highest variance of the divisions. Frankly, all of these teams are flawed and I don’t believe the favorites have the best goaltending. Calgary is something of a sleeper to me at +550 with good talent down the middle and a big upgrade in net with Markstrom.

Pick: Calgary Flames +550

West Division

Colorado Avalanche +150

Vegas Golden Knights +185

St. Louis Blues +400

Minnesota Wild +1200

Arizona Coyotes +1600

San Jose Sharks +1800

Anaheim Ducks +2000

Los Angeles Kings +2500

This division will come down to the team that can feast on the California teams. As the lines imply, this appears to be a three-horse race between the Avalanche, Golden Knights, and Blues. The team that has the most success matching up with the Sharks, Ducks, and Kings, who are three of the six longest shots to win their respective divisions per the BetMGM odds, will have the best chance of emerging.

This is a tough division because the Avs, Golden Knights, and Blues all play such different styles. Colorado is a skill-based attack with a lot of promise as a team that many liked to win the Stanley Cup before last season’s shutdown. The Avalanche play a speed game with a lot of skill, which may be tough to do early in the season with limited practice time and no preseason.

That could allow a team like the Blues, that plays more of a physical, bump-and-grind style to get off to a quicker start. Vegas more or less plays a combination of the two and seems to be the most balanced of the teams here. Vegas also has good goaltending depth with reliable Marc-Andre Fleury in the backup role behind Robin Lehner.

Jordan Binnington regressed for the Blues after his Cup-winning season. The Avs did get great play from both Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Francouz. I lean with Vegas at the slightly better price over the Avs, but I think this is actually a two-horse race.

Pick: Vegas Golden Knights +185

MAKE BETMGM SPORTSBOOK YOUR HOME FOR BETTING ON THE NHL

Visit Site

Central Division

Tampa Bay Lightning +135

Carolina Hurricanes +325

Dallas Stars +500

Nashville Predators +700

Columbus Blue Jackets +800

Florida Panthers +1200

Chicago Blackhawks +1600

Detroit Red Wings +3000

Things are off to an inauspicious start for the Central Division. The Stars have COVID issues and the start of their season has been pushed back to the point where they will play 56 games in 110 days. The Blue Jackets also stopped practicing a few days in advance of the season due to COVID concerns and protocols. Spikes in the Tampa Bay area caused the team to announce that they will not be welcoming fans into games for the next little while.

It is a tough way to start the year, as COVID spikes have to have teams on edge. The reigning Stanley Cup Champion Lightning are a deserving favorite, but a bubble hangover is a very real possibility.

The goaltending for the Hurricanes is a concern and it may simply be too much to overcome, despite a great roster. Had Dallas not run into these COVID issues, they would have had a compelling case at +500 with great goaltending depth and a solid roster. Nashville’s Juuse Saros is better than he played last season, but we may have to see it to believe it.

The Panthers are an interesting wild card to me. This is a very talented roster that was on the cusp of a playoff spot in spite of a career-worst season from Sergei Bobrovsky. Can he put it behind him to return to the form he had in Columbus? At +1200, it might be worth a long shot look.

It’s pretty easy to just default to the Lightning, who should win this division, but I’m up for taking a long shot gamble here.

Pick: Florida Panthers +1200

East Division

Boston Bruins +250

Philadelphia Flyers +350

Pittsburgh Penguins +450

Washington Capitals +500

New York Islanders +600

New York Rangers +800

Buffalo Sabres +1400

New Jersey Devils +2000

This looks to be the best division in the NHL. The Bruins are the highest-priced favorite and no other division has four teams at +500 or lower and especially not six teams at +800 or lower. The Metropolitan Division was the best in the NHL last season and the East Division added the best regular season team from the Atlantic in the Bruins.

This division is loaded to say the least. The Bruins are out to prove something after a premature playoff exit, but they felt slightest about how the bubble format played out after being eight points better than any other Eastern Conference team in the regular season.

There are some questions in net for the Flyers, Penguins, and the Capitals, who will go with young backstops in Carter Hart, Tristan Jarry, and Ilya Samsonov. The Bruins seem like a safer bet in net with Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak. The Rangers also go young with Igor Shesterkin.

At +250, the Bruins seem to have decent value. While this division is indeed very good, the Bruins clearly have the best goaltending situation and as much talent as any of the others.

Pick: Boston Bruins +250

CLAIM YOUR DEPOSIT BONUS WORTH UP TO $500 IN VALUE AT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK

Denver Nuggets vs. Philadelphia 76ers Odds, Pick, Prediction 1/9/21

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets Odds, Pick, Prediction 1/10/21

Related Articles

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Boston Bruins

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Boston Bruins Odds, Pick, Prediction 1/26/21

January 26th, 2021
Ottawa Senators vs. Vancouver Canucks

Ottawa Senators vs. Vancouver Canucks Odds, Pick, Prediction 1/25/21

January 25th, 2021

NHL Betting Tips & Schedule Spots January 25-31, 2021

January 24th, 2021

Top Sportsbooks.

# 1
Betrivers.com - logo

Our Review

Bet Now
Bonus: 100% up to $250
T&C Apply
# 2
Betrivers.com - logo

Our Review

Bet Now
Bonus: 100% Match upto $500
T&C Apply
# 3
Betrivers.com - logo

Our Review

Bet Now
Bonus: Up to $1000!
T&C Apply
# 4
Betrivers.com - logo

Our Review

Bet Now
Bonus: Match Up To $250
T&C Apply
# 5
Betrivers.com - logo

Our Review

Bet Now
Bonus: Up to $500 Free Bets
T&C Apply
×

 Subscribe to our newsletter

 

Ats

Bet with your head, not over it. Call 1-800-GAMBLER if you have a gambling problem.

sportsdata io

Popular categories

  • College Basketball Picks & Betting News
  • NBA Picks & Betting News
  • NFL Picks & Betting News
  • NHL Picks & Betting News
  • Soccer Picks & Betting News
  • College Football Picks & Betting News
  • Legal Sports Betting Industry News
  • MLB Picks & Betting News
  • Sportsbook Promotions
  • Golf Picks & Betting News

POPULAR POSTS

January 26th, 2021
Get A Free Entry in the DraftKings $55 Million Prediction Challenge for Super Bowl LV
January 26th, 2021
ATS.io Radio Sports Betting Podcast January 26, 2021
Dayton vs Saint Louis
January 26th, 2021
Dayton at Saint Louis – College Basketball Odds, Pick & Prediction – 01/26/21

QUICK LINKS

  • Sportsbook Reviews
  • Poker Reviews
  • Casino Reviews
  • US Sports Betting
  • BetMGM Bonus Code
  • BetRivers
  • DraftKings Promo Code
  • PointsBet Promo Code
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact Us
2009-2020 ats.io, Inc.
DMCA Protected
  • Sports Betting
    • Best Online Sportsbooks
    • Sportsbook Ratings Guide
    • Sportsbook Promotions
    • Sportsbook Reviews
      • BetMGM
      • Pointsbet
      • BetRivers
      • DraftKings
      • William Hill
      • Sugarhouse
      • SportsBetting.Com
    • Colorado
      • Colorado Betting Apps
      • How To Bet In Colorado
    • Illinois
      • Illinois Betting Apps
      • How To Bet In Illinois
      • Chicago Sports Betting Guide
    • Indiana
      • Indiana Sports Betting Apps
      • Sports Betting In Indianapolis
    • Iowa
    • Tennessee
      • TN Betting Apps
      • How To Bet On Sports In Memphis
    • Kentucky
      • How Do I Bet On Sports In Kentucky?
      • How To Bet On Sports In Louisville
    • Michigan
    • Missouri
      • How To Bet In Missouri
      • How To Bet In St Louis
    • New Jersey
    • New York
    • Ohio
    • Virginia
    • Canada
    • Africa
  • MLB
    • MLB Home
    • MLB Odds
    • World Series Odds
    • AL & NL Pennant Odds
    • Divisional Odds
    • MLB Team Win Totals
  • NFL
    • NFL Home
    • NFL Odds
    • NFL Division Odds
    • NFL Conference Odds
    • Super Bowl 55 Odds
  • NBA
    • NBA Home
    • NBA Odds
    • NBA Championship Odds
    • NBA Conference Odds
    • NBA Divisional Odds
    • NBA MVP Odds
    • NBA ROY Odds
  • College Football
    • College Football Odds
    • College Football Home
    • National Championship Odds
    • Bowl Schedule
    • Heisman Trophy Odds
  • College Basketball
    • College Basketball Picks & Betting News
    • College Basketball Odds
    • Tournament Betting Odds
    • Conference Odds
      • AAC Basketball Conference Winner Odds
      • ACC Basketball Conference Winner Odds
      • Big 12 Basketball Conference Winner Odds
      • Big East Basketball Conference Winner Odds
      • SEC Basketball Conference Winner Odds
      • Big Ten Basketball Conference Winner Odds
      • PAC 12 Basketball Conference Winner Odds
      • West Coast Basketball Conference Winner Odds
      • Mountain West Conference Winner Odds
      • MAC Basketball Conference Winner Odds
  • NHL
    • NHL Picks & Betting News
    • NHL Odds
    • NHL Stanley Cup Odds
    • NHL Conference Championship Odds
  • ATS App
  • More
    • Online Casinos
      • BetMGM Online Casino
      • Borgata Casino
      • Party Casino
    • US iLottery Guide
      • Michigan Lottery
    • Is Sports Betting Online Legal?
    • MMA/UFC
    • Golf
    • Soccer
    • Betting FAQ