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We’ve reached the halfway point of the 2024-25 NHL season. Almost every team in the league has played half (41) of the 82-game regular season schedule. Surprises? A few. The Winnipeg Jets and the Minnesota Wild are the top two teams in the Central Division in the Western Conference. Colorado, a perennial Stanley Cup favorite over the last several seasons, is currently fourth in the division.
The New Jersey Devils, who have missed the playoffs in 10 of the last 12 seasons, are on the rise. They trail the Washington Capitals in the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference. The Devils actually already closed out the season series with the Capitals, beating Alex Ovechkin and company twice in three games.
Edmonton and Florida played for last year’s Stanley Cup. Both teams are among the betting favorites in their respective conference as well as in the race for the Cup. The Oilers and Panthers are both in second place in their respective divisions – the Pacific Division for the Oilers and the Atlantic Division for the Panthers.
There is still a ton of hockey to be played, including this season’s 4 Nations Face-Off which takes the place of the annual All-Star Game. Instead of the typical NHL All-Star Game, teams representing Sweden, Finland, Canada, and the United States will play each other in a round-robin format. The top two teams will meet in the final
2024-25 NHL Eastern Conference Odds
| Team | September Odds | January Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Florida Panthers | +550 | +400 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | +650 | +500 |
| New York Rangers | +650 | +2000 |
| New Jersey Devils | +650 | +500 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | +650 | +400 |
| Boston Bruins | +900 | +1600 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | +1200 | +900 |
The Florida Panthers continue to be listed as the odds-on favorite to win the Eastern Conference as we reach the midway point of the season. However, they’re now joined by the Carolina Hurricanes at +400 odds. The biggest mover is the New York Rangers who dropped from +650 to +2000 odds.
2024-25 NHL Eastern Conference Contenders
The following NHL teams are considered the top contenders in the Eastern Conference.
Toronto Maples Leafs
Toronto remains an enigma. After 44 games, the Maples Leafs led the Metropolitan Division. They have a strong group of forwards that has played together for the last several seasons. Mitch Marner is among the top scorers in the league with 59 points in 44 games. William Nylander has 44 and John Tavares 42 points as all three forwards are among the top 35 scorers in the NHL.
The Maple Leafs have made the playoffs in each of the last eight seasons. In seven of those eight seasons, they exited the postseason after the first round of play. The franchise hasn’t played for a Stanley Cup since 1967 (they won it that year).
Toronto isn’t flashy. They aren’t a top 10 scoring team, checking in at number 12 with 3.07 goals per game. Defensively, the Leafs rank 11th, allowing 2.82 goals per game. Toronto has used both Anthony Stolarz and Anthony Woll. Stolarz is 9-5-2 but ranks among the league leaders in GAA (2.15) and save percentage (.927). Woll has a better record at 14-7 and his GAA (2.58) and save percentage (.915) numbers are solid.
If Toronto can maintain their solid play over the second half of the season, they will make the postseason for the ninth consecutive year. The big question is can the Leafs get past the opening round of the playoffs?
Tampa Bay Lightning
If you’re looking for a surprise among the Stanley Cup contenders, it could be Tampa Bay. The Lightning have tons of experience. Much of their current roster was a part of the three consecutive Stanley Cup finals trips between 2020 and 2022. Halfway through the 2024-25 campaign, the Lightning were third in the Atlantic Division and firmly in the thick of the NHL playoff race.
The Lightning have been postseason participants for seven consecutive seasons now. They have lost in the first round of each of the last two postseasons. If there is one thing that this year’s edition of the Lightning does well, it is score. Tampa Bay leads the NHL with 3.68 goals per game. Four of the team’s players rank in the top 35 in the league in scoring. The best is Nikita Kucherov, who has 20 goals and 62 points. His point total ranks third in the NHL.
Tampa Bay has four players in the NHL’s top 35 in scoring. Joining Kucherov are forwards Brandon Hagel (48), Brayden Point (47), and Jake Guentzel (42). With goalie Andrei Vasilevsky between the pipes, the Lightning have the roster that can do some damage in the playoffs.
New Jersey Devils
The Devils have slowly built a winner and it’s beginning to pay off this season. New Jersey has a number of young stars that can score to go along with a defense led by veteran Dougie Hamilton. Former No. 1 overall NHL draft pick Jack Hughes leads the Devils with 17 goals and 52 points. Teammate Jesper Bratt has 15 goals and 51 points. The pair both rank among the league’s top 10 scorers.
Last season, what the Devils lacked was solid goaltending. This year, they have it. Jacob Markstrom is one of the NHL’s best. He’s tied for second in wins with 21 and he has a 21-8-3 record for the season. His GAA of 2.19 ranks fourth in the NHL and his save percentage of .911 lies just outside of the top 10 in the league.
What the Devils really need to do is avoid injury. Last season, Hughes was limited to 62 games and Hamilton played just 20. New Jersey was one of the worst teams in the league allowing 283 goals last season. The improved defense – currently fourth at 2.53 goals per game – and the Devils’ young scorers could make them the surprise of the Eastern Conference.
Florida Panthers
They are the defending Stanley Cup champions and the Panthers roster is built for another deep playoff run. Florida lost a couple key players in the offseason, but Sam Reinhart and Matthew Tkachuk are back as well as goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.
Reinhart is second in the NHL in goals with 27. Only Edmonton’s Leon Draisatl has more (31). Reinhart is also in the top 10 in scoring with 51 points. That, of course, is tops on the Panthers. Tkachuk has 40 in 39 games thus far and Florida remains a top 10 scoring team in 2024-25.
The question for the Panthers coming into the season and one that remains is if Bobrovsky can stay consistent. He’s 18-10-2 so far with a GAA of 2.78. His save percentage is below .900, which puts him near the bottom of the pack among NHL starters this season.
It’s hard to repeat as champions in the NHL. Tampa Bay did it last in 2020 and 2021. The Penguins managed to repeat in 2016 and 2017, but prior to that it was 18 years before a team won back-to-back titles.
Carolina Hurricanes
It seems as though the Hurricanes are among the Eastern Conference contenders every season. They are well-rounded and disciplined, but lack any real star power. As it stands, the Hurricanes have one skater – Martin Necas (15 G, 50 PTS) – among the top 15 scorers in the NHL. He’s the only Hurricane in the top 25 scorers in the league. Sebastian Aho has 13 goals and 44 points and is the only other Carolina player among the top 50 in the league.
Defensively, Carolina is solid. They give up 2.75 goals per game, which ranks 10th in the league. Starting goalie Pyotr Kochetkov is 16-9-2 and has a decent 2.54 GAA. His save percentage is .901.
Carolina has already lost twice to both Florida and Tampa Bay. The Hurricanes are a good hockey team. Are they good enough to go deeper in the postseason? If recent history is an indication, the Hurricanes still have some work to do. Over the past four seasons, Carolina has made it to the second round of the playoffs. Only once did they advance to a conference final (2022-23) where they were swept by Florida.
2024-25 NHL Eastern Conference Predictions
There is still a lot of hockey left to play, but there are a few things that are key to winning a conference title in the NHL. One is defense. Teams that win championships routinely have top 10 (or very close to top 10) defenses. They limit shots on goal and have a goalie capable of shutting out opponents.
One of the other big keys is experience. Certain teams that don’t have a lot of roster churn and keep guys playing together often have great success over a period of seasons. We’ve seen that with teams like the Red Wings of the early 2000s, the Penguins, the Capitals, Tampa Bay and even Vegas since the birth of the franchise.
Experience is a big reason why our Scores & Stats hockey experts like Tampa Bay. The roster has kept most of the same pieces for several years. Tampa Bay is a relatively newer franchise which started in the 1992-93 season. The Lightning didn’t really do anything until they made the playoffs in 2002-03. The very next season, they won their first Stanley Cup.
The Lightning lost in the 2014-15 Stanley Cup finals. Since then, the franchise has been elite. They’ve only missed the postseason once. Over the past five seasons, the Lightning have played for the Stanley Cup three times. They won it twice. Having been there before is an added boost to current Lightning players.
They have a ton of scorers. Nikita Kucherov (62 PTS) is one of the NHL’s best. The Lightning have four 20-goal scorers already. It’s one of the reasons why they lead the league in scoring. The defense is solid and G Andrei Vasilevskiy led them to two Stanley Cups and was the Conn Smythe (playoff MVP) winner in 2021. The books are seeing this too, which is why the Lightning’s odds to win the conference have dipped to +900.
If there is another value bet in the East, it’s the New Jersey Devils. Good things happen when you play defense and New Jersey does exactly that. Jacob Markstrom gives the Devils a chance to win every time he lines up between the pipes. A healthy Jack Hughes is all the Devils offense needs and oddsmakers agree. New Jersey is now among the top three teams on the betting board at +500.ebuild accelerates and they break through to the playoffs.
Bet: New Jersey Devils (+500)2024-25 NHL Western Conference Odds
Check out the latest NHL Western Conference odds:
| Team | September Odds | January Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Edmonton Oilers | +350 | +325 |
| Dallas Stars | +550 | +500 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | +850 | +550 |
| Colorado Avalanche | +650 | +650 |
| Winnipeg Jets | +1100 | +750 |
| Minnesota Wild | +1800 | +1000 |
| Los Angeles Kings | +1000 | +1100 |
The Edmonton Oilers continue to lead as the betting favorites to win the Western Conference. Their odds have slightly lowered from +350 to +325 as of this writing. The Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights remain right on Edmonton’s heels. The biggest mover is the Minnesota Wild who improved from +1800 to +1100 odds.
2024-25 NHL Western Conference Contenders
The following NHL teams are considered the top contenders in the Western Conference.
Vegas Golden Knights
What’s not to like about Vegas in any season? In the franchise’s previous seven seasons, they’ve gone to the postseason six times. The Golden Knights have won three Pacific Division titles, two Western Conference championships, and they hoisted the Stanley Cup at the end of the 2022-23 season.
Vegas did lose some firepower in the offseason, but the core is still strong. When you play Vegas, you are in for a battle. The defense is outstanding with Alex Pietrangelo and Shea Theodore. The Knights have two quality goaltenders in Ilya Samsonov and Adin Hill. Hill is 18-7-2 in 27 starts. He has a 2.54 GAA and .904 save percentage.
Backing him up is Samsonov who is 11-4-1 in his 16 starts. His GAA is 2.61 and his save percentage (.908) is right around the same as Hill’s. No matter what, it will always be a tough task to get three or more goals against a defensive-minded team like Vegas. Currently, they are sixth in the NHL allowing 2.63 goals per game. That defense gives them a chance to win the Western Conference for the second time in three years.
Colorado Avalanche
If there is one thing the Colorado Avalanche can do, it’s score goals. The Avs are seventh in the NHL averaging 3.32 per game, but at any given time they can explode. Nathan MacKinnon leads the entire NHL in points with 68 through 44 games. Last year, he finished second with 140. His teammate Mikko Rantanen is fourth with 60.
Rantanen is the Avs goal leader with 25 and he’s one of seven Colorado players with at least 10 thus far this season. Cale Makar is the NHL’s top defenseman, according to most experts. He last won the Norris Trophy in 2021-22, but this could be his year. He’s got 13 goals and 49 points in 44 games.
The issue for Colorado is having to play in the jam-packed Central Division. Winnipeg is on fire this season and the Avs have to deal with the Oilers, Wild, and Stars. In five games so far against those three teams, Colorado is just 1-5.
The Avs also haven’t got Gabriel Landeskog back in the lineup yet. Landeskog missed the entire 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons with a knee injury. He last played in 2021-22 and had 30 goals and 59 points in 51 games. Landeskog has been working out and planning on returning at some point this season.
Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers have what is considered the best one-two punch, the best tandem, the best pair of NHL players to play for the same team in a long time. Leon Draisatl and Connor McDavid are both considered generational talents and they just happen to play for the same team.
Between the two, Draisatl (2019-20) and McDavid (2020-21 & 2022-23) have won three of the last five Hart Memorial Trophies given annually to the NHL’s most valuable player. As is typical, the pair is among the top scorers in the league Draisatl is No. 1 in goals with 31 through 43 games. He ranks No. 2 in points with 64. McDavid has 17 goals and 59 points (fifth overall).
The Oilers are much more than just their two stars. Goalie Stuart Skinner is 17-9-3 with a 2.98 GAA this season. As powerful as Edmonton is on offense, the defense is pretty good too. The Oilers rank seventh in goals allowed per game this season.
Vegas currently leads the Pacific Division with the Oilers in second. That’s where they finished last year and they still won the Western Conference and played for a Stanley Cup. If the Oilers can stay healthy, their generational talents could take them right back to finals in 2024-25.
Winnipeg Jets
The big surprise in the Western Conference, and maybe the entire NHL, is the Jets. At the midpoint of the season, Winnipeg leads the Central Division and is battling perennial powers like Vegas for the NHL’s best record and President’s Cup lead. The Jets are where they are for one reason and that is G Connor Hellebuyck.
Hellebuyck is the NHL’s best goalie. He won the Vezina Trophy last year which gives him two for his career. So far this season, he is 26-6-2 overall. His win total, GAA of 2.02, and save percentage of .928 all lead the NHL. Winnipeg is consistently among the top three NHL teams in goals allowed per game this season. Currently, their number is 2.46 per game.
What’s also surprising is the Jets’ offense which is third in the league averaging 3.55 goals per game. Mark Scheifele leads the team with 25 goals and 50 points. He’s tied for third in the NHL in goals and he’s one of two Jets with at least 20. Kyle Connor leads the Jets in points with 55 and he has 23 goals. Gabriel Villardi has 19 and three more Jets have at least 10.
Dallas Stars
The Stars are built much like Winnipeg. Defense is first and, unlike their team name, Dallas doesn’t really have any “Stars.” Dallas ranks third in the NHL in goals against per game (2.48). A well-balanced offense has the Stars at No. 10 on the offensive end, averaging 3.19 goals per game.
Seven Stars players have at least 10 goals. C Roope Hintz leads the team with 19. The team’s leading scorer is C Matt Duchene who has 16 goals and 38 points. He is one of four Dallas skaters with at least 30 points.
That offense might be on the rise. In a seven-game stretch from Dec. 29 to Jan. 11, the Stars won seven straight games. In five of them, Dallas scored four or more goals. Like the other teams in the division, Dallas will have to remain healthy to compete with Winnipeg, Colorado, and Minnesota.orm these longer odds. Minnesota is known for being a hard-working, defensively sound team, and if they can improve their offense around Kaprizov, they could make a surprise deep playoff run, offering significant value to bettors.
2024-25 NHL Western Conference Predictions
For the same reasons that our experts like Tampa Bay and New Jersey in the East, they will lean toward Vegas and Winnipeg in the West. Winnipeg hasn’t had a ton of success historically, but this year’s Jets’ team is built for a title run. That’s evident in their defense with Hellebuyck in goal. He is the NHL’s best and until someone proves otherwise, Winnipeg will be in every game he plays.
The Jets offense has been a surprise and if they can continue to get similar performances from Scheifele, Connor, and the rest of the crew, the sky’s the limit. At the beginning of the season, no one wanted to believe that the Jets could win a division or a conference championship. Now that we’re at the midpoint of the season, it’s evident that the Jets are for real. That makes them a strong contender for the 2024-25 Western Conference title.
When the season opened, Winnipeg was given odds of +1100 to win the West. Those odds are now down to +750. Oddsmakers now see the Jets as a legitimate contender. So do we here at Scores & Stats.
If there is another strong value bet in the West, it’s Vegas. Since the beginning of the franchise, the Knights have been for real. Defense is the key and teams that play great defense and are good on their special teams units typically have success especially come playoff time.
The Knights won it all in 2022-23. They’ve played for two Stanley Cup titles already and the franchise is in just its eighth year. The Vegas defense and guys like Jack Eichel and Mark Stone will make it happen on offense. It’s why the Knights’ odds continue to shorten (+850 to +550) and keep them among the top three favorites.
Bet: Vegas Golden Knights (+550)
