2024-25 NHL Conference Winner Odds and Predictions

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We have reached the end of the 2024-25 NHL regular season and the Conference champion picture is becoming clearer. With the divisions already decided, it won’t be long before we’ll be watching the Eastern and Western Conference finals. Then, it will be time to crown a new Stanley Cup champion.

There are some familiar faces in the race for each conference. Defending NHL champion Florida has won the Eastern Conference title in each of the past two seasons. The Panthers are once again a favorite to win the East in 2024-25. Florida is tops on the betting board at +375 odds to win a third straight conference title.

The familiar faces in the West include Vegas, Edmonton, Colorado, and Dallas. The Avalanche and Stars are the favorites at +400 to capture the Western Conference. Dallas lost to Tampa Bay in 2020 in the Stanley Cup finals after winning the West. Colorado was the Stanley Cup champion in 2022 when they beat Tampa Bay four games to two.

Let’s take a closer look at the NHL conference races as the 2024-25 regular season gets to its final games. As we have done all season long, Scores & Stats and our expert NHL handicappers will continue to bring you the best in analysis, predictions, NHL picks, and more throughout the entire playoff season.

2024-25 NHL Eastern Conference Odds

Check out the latest NHL Eastern Conference odds:

The best handicappers here at Scores & Stats are well aware that defense does win championships. Florida and Carolina, the top two Eastern Conference favorites, are built on a foundation of strong defense. However, you better be able to find the net in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Tampa Bay, now given +450 odds to win it all, has the best offense in the NHL this season. Nikita Kucherov leads the entire league in scoring with 121 points. Among the top 25 scorers in the NHL, there are four members of the Lightning – Kucherov, Brayden Point, Brandon Hagel, and Jake Guentzel. The Washington Capitals were No. 2 in the NHL in scoring and, like Tampa Bay, they are given +450 odds to win the Cup.

2024-25 NHL Eastern Conference Contenders

The following NHL teams are considered the top contenders in the Eastern Conference.

Florida Panthers

The Panthers odds to win the Eastern Conference keep getting shorter. They opened the season as the favorite to repeat. They were still the favorite at midseason and they are currently still leading the pack. What’s not to like about the Panthers?

Sure, they did not win the Atlantic Division, but the Panthers really didn’t need to win the division. Edmonton won the Western Conference last year after finishing in second place in the Central Division. The Panthers actually finished third in the Atlantic, but that is more about the relative strength of teams like Toronto and Tampa Bay, both contenders for the Eastern Conference crown.

With goalie Sergei Bobrovsky in net, the Panthers will always have a shot. Bobrovsky won 33 games for the Panthers this season and is fifth in the NHL with a goals against average of 2.44. Florida is seventh in the NHL in goals allowed per game. That defense will keep them in games throughout the postseason.

Sam Reinhart is the Panthers leading scorer – 39 goals and 81 points. He tied for ninth in goals this season. Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk are also key pieces of the Panthers offense. Tkachuk only played 52 games in the regular season but should be ready to go for Round 1 of the postseason.

Carolina Hurricanes

Carolina has been among the Eastern Conference contenders for the last several seasons. The Hurricanes might not have much star power, but like Florida they are built on defense and that is why they are once again among the favorites to win the conference.

The Hurricanes finished second in the Metropolitan Division for the second consecutive season. Carolina has won or finished second in its division in each of the last five seasons. They’ve done it by playing great defense. Sebastian Aho (29 goals, 74 points) is the only Hurricanes skater among the top 50 scorers in the NHL. The Hurricanes traded away Martin Necas at the trade deadline and they are still a solid contender for the Eastern Conference crown.

Goalie Pyotr Kochetkov has a GAA of 2.60. Kochetkov is one of the reasons why Carolina ranks in the top 10 in the NHL in opponent goals per game. The ‘Canes give up 2.75 goals per game which ranks 8th in the league. That defense could fuel a deep run in the NHL playoffs.

Tampa Bay

The Lightning have been a Stanley Cup contender for most of the last decade. One of the big factors in winning a championship is experience. The Stanley Cup playoffs are a grind. It can be two months before a team emerges with Lord Stanley’s Cup. Teams that have been there before have an advantage since they know what to expect.

Much of the Lightning roster remains from the 2020 through 2022 roster. Those teams all went to the Stanley Cup finals. The Lightning won two of the three Stanley Cups in that span. This year will mark eight consecutive trips to the NHL postseason. The Lightning have exited in each of the last two playoff seasons in the first round.

As mentioned, the Lightning are the top scoring team in the NHL. They have the league’s leading scorer in Nikita Kucherov and three more skaters in the top 25. The Lightning can fill it up, but they also have one of the better goalies in the NHL – Andrei Vasilevskiy. He had the second-most wins (48) this season and is fourth in both save percentage (.921) and GAA (2.18).

Washington Capitals

The Capitals were not predicted to be a contender for the Eastern Conference or the Stanley Cup when the 2024-25 season began. Ovechkin, of course, has stolen the show with the breaking of Wayne Gretzky’s career goals record. But, the Capitals put together one of their best seasons in recent memory.

Washington is second in the President’s Cup race behind Winnipeg. They will end the regular season and the leading point scorer in the Eastern Conference. With Ovechkin leading the way, Washington makes for a strong sleeper to capture the conference title.

The Capitals haven’t advanced past the first round of the playoffs since the 2017-18 season. They won the Metropolitan Division that season and went on to win the Stanley Cup. The Caps are a great blend of scoring – No. 2 in the NHL in goals per game – and defense – ninth in opponent goals per game.

2024-25 NHL Eastern Conference Predictions

The sportsbooks have liked the Panthers and Carolina all season long, but neither team won its respective division. With the year that Ovechkin had, it seems as if he could will the Capitals to victory. Washington is much more than Ovechkin though. The Caps have all the pieces needed to get back to the Stanley Cup finals.

The Capitals played Florida three times during the regular season. Washington won all three games and did so by multiple goals in each game. Should they meet in the postseason, Washington has the advantage.

Bet: Washington Capitals +450

2024-25 NHL Western Conference Odds

Check out the latest NHL Western Conference odds:

The Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche have overtaken the Edmonton Oilers as the odds-on favorites to win the Western Conference. The Oilers were the favorites all season long, but Dallas and Colorado have edged ahead at the start of the Playoffs. The biggest mover is the Minnesota Wild who improved from +1800 to +1000 odds and then returned to +1800 at the beginning of the postseason.

2024-25 NHL Western Conference Contenders

The following NHL teams are considered the top contenders in the Western Conference.

Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton finished with 101 points but did not win the Pacific Division. In fact, the Oilers didn’t even finish second. That honor went to the Los Angeles Kings who have the second-longest odds (+950) to win the conference of all the contenders.

The Oilers finished third in the division, but were given +450 odds to win the conference. It’s no surprise as Edmonton has the absolute best tandem of scorers in the NHL. Leon Draisaitl finished as the top goal scorer in the NHL with 52. Connor McDavid will finish fifth in the league in scoring with over 100 points and Draisaitl will likely end up third. With that type of offensive firepower, the Oilers will be a tough out in the postseason.

Dallas Stars

Dallas has been a defense-first team for most of the season. The Stars are sixth in the NHL in opponent goals per game. Jake Oettinger is third among goaltenders in wins (36) this season. He’s got a 2.59 GAA and a save percentage of .909.

That doesn’t mean the Stars can’t score. Dallas has four 30-plus goal scorers, one of which was acquired at the trade deadline. Mikko Rantanen joined the Stars and finished the season with 32 goals and a team-high 88 points. Jason Robertson led Dallas in goals with 35. He finished with 80 points. Wyatt Johnston scored 33 goals and had 71 points and Matt Duchene scored 30 goals and had 82 points.

Dallas and Colorado are at the top of the betting board given +400 odds to win the conference. Defense will be the key for the Stars.

Colorado Avalanche

As just mentioned, the Avs are +400 favorites to win the West. Unlike Dallas, Colorado gets it done with offense. Nathan MacKinnon will probably finish second in the NHL in scoring. He and Cale Makar each had 30 or more goals for the Avs. Makar is the best defenseman and best scoring defenseman in the NHL.

Colorado finished third in the loaded Central Division. Playing through that schedule may be to their advantage though. The issue for the Avalanche is that Edmonton, Dallas and Minnesota all got the better of Colorado during the regular season.

The big news for the Avs is that they will get Gabriel Landeskog back for the postseason. He will be available in the first round. He hasn’t played since the 2021-22 season when he had 30 goals and 59 points in 51 games.

2024-25 NHL Western Conference Predictions

Defense does win championships and Dallas has proven this entire season that they can shut anyone down. On top of that, the Stars have a number of skaters that can light up the net. The Stars have four 30-goal scorers to go with their elite defense.

The hard part will be navigating the Western Conference bracket. The Stars will likely have to face Colorado in Round 1. Then, they would most likely get Winnipeg – barring upset – in the conference semifinals. Then, it would be Edmonton, Vegas, or even the LA Kings in the conference finals. That won’t be easy, but defense can get them there.

Bet: Dallas Stars (+400) 

NHL Conferences Prop Bets

Check out the latest NHL Conferences prop bets, courtesy of bet365:

Division to Win Eastern Conference

• Atlantic (-185)
• Metropolitan (+150)

This is the perfect spot to back the underdog. The books and the public are loving the Florida Panthers. The issue for Florida is the Washington Capitals. The Caps won the Metropolitan Division and had the most points in the Eastern Conference.

They have a record-breaking goal-scorer and an elite offense. The defense is good enough and don’t forget that Washington beat Florida three times during the regular season, all by more than one goal. Take a shot on the Metropolitan Division here.

Bet: Metropolitan Division +150

Division to Win Western Conference

• Central (-165)
• Pacific (+135)

The Central Division was loaded this season. Winnipeg won the President’s Cup while Dallas and Colorado totaled over 100 points. Vegas is the only real threat from the Pacific Division. Dallas is the favorite to win the conference as well as the Stanley Cup.

If it’s not the Stars, Colorado won the Cup in 2022 and has the offense to get it done again. If not the Avs, the Jets have the best goalie in the NHL in Connor Hellebuyck. Clutch goaltending goes a long way at this time of year in the NHL and the Central Division is loaded with outstanding goalies.

Bet: Central Division -165