2021-22 NHL Predictions & Best Bets
It is actually quite hard to believe, but the NHL season opens tonight when Pittsburgh visits the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning. Oh, and right after that we get to see the expansion Seattle Kraken take on the Golden Knights in Sin City. Yay for expansion teams!
Also, a hearty ‘YAY’ for the NHL returning to ESPN after 17 seasons with NBC/NBCSN/Versus/OLN. Remember that time the NHL playoffs were aired on the Golf channel? Yeah, fun times. But to be serious, having the league back on the ‘Worldwide Leader In Sports’ network should breathe some fresh life into a league that has gotten more and more stale as time passed with NBC.
Add in the fact TNT (Turner sports) also picked up the NHL TV rights in the United States, and there might be some growth in the league for the first time in a LONG time.
As for predictions, this feels like an incredibly hard year to put a finger on what will happen. Nothing ever goes according to plan in the NHL, where parity is king, but for whatever reason this year feels different, which would hope leads to a fun postseason with some Cinderella runs.
Any who, here’s my terrible attempt at predicting the NHL season with some betting odds. Bet responsibly! (Odds via Caesars Sportsbook)
Division Winners
Atlantic Division: Boston Bruins +425
I can’t in good conscience pick Toronto to win this division. I also can’t pick Tampa Bay, because they are the two-time defending champs and have shown that they don’t need to win every game in the regular season as long as they get a ticket to the dance. Boston always finds a way to have a stellar regular season, and while they have some different faces this year, they still will be a solid team and the recipient of my pick to win the division.
Metropolitan Division: New York Islanders +350
Barry Trotz will continue to get the most out of this squad and take them to the crown in a powerhouse Metropolitan division. They seem to be pretty balanced once again this year. Sure, you could pick four other teams to win, but the Islanders are the safest bet to make.
Central Division: Colorado Avalanche – 220
It will be surprising if Colorado doesn’t win this division by 15+ points. They are a class above the rest in the Central, with newcomer Arizona thanks to the realignment caused by expansion Seattle.
Pacific Division: Vegas Golden Knights – 180
Again, another division where there is one really good team and then a step below them are two or three teams that should be solid playoff locks. No, Seattle does not enjoy the same success that Vegas did in their expansion 2017-18 season.
Stanley Cup Final
Colorado Avalanche (+550 to win Championship, +210 to win conference) over New York Islanders (+2000 to win Championship, +1000 to win conference).
This feels like it’s Colorado’s turn to get a crack at the Cup. They make the most of their trip to the Cup Final and beat the Islanders. I feel awful for doing this.
Point Total Bets
Seattle Kraken Under 90.5 points (-110)
The Pacific is not overly great in terms of a division, but this still feels like too high of a point total. It helps to have Phillip Grubauer in your goal, but you need players to score which I don’t feel Seattle has.
New York Islanders Over 99.5 points (-110)
Since I picked them to win the Metro, they are going to need 100+ points to win it. Might as well hit the over here too and go all in on the squad from Long Island.
Top goal scorer
Alex Ovechkin +2500
I’m riding this one last time. He’s the greatest goal scorer in league history and we are talking about him breaking Gretzky’s record.
Out there bet
Minnesota Wild Miss Playoffs (+290)
The odds makers in Vegas seems to like the Wild for second in this division as they have the second best odds to win the Central behind Colorado and come in at -350 to make the playoffs. There will be more of an explanation to come before the season opener on Thursday, but I’m just having a hard time putting the Wild in the playoffs when they are returning to the tough Central Division and have many question marks.