2024-25 NHL Metropolitan Division Odds and Predictions

Crash the Net!

Handicapping Membership

Get Free Trial

According to most hockey experts, the New Jersey Devils were on the rise and should be considered a legitimate contender to win the Metropolitan Division in 2024-25. This was believed by sportsbooks as well as they made the Devils +230 favorites to win the division.

Not only that, but oddsmakers made New Jersey one of the leading contenders to win the conference. The Devils were near the top of the NHL Eastern Conference odds list at the beginning of the season, getting +650 odds to win the East. For reference, the Maple Leafs, Rangers, and Hurricanes were also all given +650 odds to win the conference.

Fast forward and we now see that the Devils hold on first place in the division is gone. New Jersey sat at the top of the Metropolitan Division for most of the first two months of the season. Then, December came and with it the return of Washington star Alex Ovechkin. Since the legendary scorer’s return, the Capitals have taken over the top spot in the division and Ovechkin leads the team in goals despite missing 16 games.

The Devils were also among the top contenders for the 2024-25 Stanley Cup. They still are, but what about the rest of the division? Is there a sleeper out there that could surprise everyone over the second half of the season? As it stands currently, two of the top five scoring teams in the NHL hail from the Metropolitan Division. Washington, with Ovechkin leading the way, is one.

You’ll have to read on as our Scores & Stats NHL experts update the current state of the Metropolitan Division to learn the other team that ranks in the top five in scoring. Here’s a midseason update of the NHL Metropolitan Division.

2024-25 NHL Metropolitan Division Odds

Check out the latest NHL odds for the Metropolitan Division.

NHL Metropolitan Division Teams

Let’s take a closer look at the following NHL Teams competing in the Metropolitan Division:

New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils made a huge move in the offseason when they traded for goalie Jacob Markstrom. They also obtained D Brett Pesce from Carolina to strengthen their defense. The moves have paid off as New Jersey sits second in the Metropolitan Division after 49 games.

Markstrom has been outstanding. He’s 21-9-5 so far and he ranks fifth in goals against average (2.20). His save percentage is a respectable .912 and he ranks among the top 12 goaltenders in the league in the category.

The Devils will have to avoid a late-season slump. Between Dec. 8 and Jan. 19, New Jersey lost 9 of 11 games. Four of those games went to overtime. The Devils defense has continued to shine, but the offense only scored more than two goals three times in that 11-game span.

Jack Hughes (55) and Jesper Bratt (52) lead the Devils in scoring. Nico Hischier leads the Devils in goals with 22, but he’s the only Devils player with 20 or more. Still, New Jersey looks to be on its way to the postseason for just the second time in seven seasons. The Devils likely would have made it last season had Hughes, Hischier, and Dougie Hamilton not been injured during the season.

New York Rangers

If you didn’t know, the New York Rangers actually won this division a year ago. New York has a strong core of skaters and one of the best goalies in the NHL. Igor Shesterkin went 36-17 last season with a 2.58 GAA, but he’s had a rough start to the 2024-25 season.

Through 32 starts, Shesterkin was just 15-15-2 with a 2.87 GAA. That ranks 32nd among all 55 NHL goaltenders that have started games this season. Part of the problem is the defense as a whole. The Rangers have faced the fourth-most shots on goal so far this season. Through their first 46 games, New York ranked 18th in goals allowed per game at 3.09.

On the offensive end, Artemi Panarin continues to be the Rangers’ go-to scorer. Panarin leads the team in goals with 19 and points with 49. Chris Kreider is the only other Ranger with at least 15 goals. Panarin’s point total ranks 25th in the NHL. He is the only Ranger among the top 50 scorers in the league.

It won’t get any easier for the Rangers either. They have 12 games remaining against the top teams in the Metropolitan and Atlantic Divisions. Against those same teams so far this season, New York is just 3-8 SU.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes came into the 2024-25 NHL season with high expectations and rightfully so. The Hurricanes won three of the last four Metropolitan Division titles. They won three straight before finishing second last year. In each of the last three seasons, the Hurricanes have won at least 52 games and totaled at least 111 points in the President’s Cup race.

The Hurricanes roster remained mostly intact coming into the new season. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour stresses defense and that is how Carolina continues to make the postseason year after year. The Hurricanes have made the last six postseason tournaments.

Through 46 games in the 2024-25 season, Carolina was neck-and-neck with New Jersey in the race for second place behind Metropolitan Division leader Washington. Defense is the big reason why. Carolina ranks ninth in goals allowed per game (2.76). The Hurricanes are one of the best at killing penalties too. Carolina ranks second in the NHL in penalty kill percentage (84.7%).

Barring any drastic injuries, Carolina is headed toward another playoff run. In each of the last six postseasons, the Hurricanes have won at least their first-round series. With Pyotr Kochetkov in goal – he’s 17-9-2, 2.52 GAA – and that defense, Carolina is also a strong choice to win the Metropolitan Division at +205 odds.

New York Islanders

The New York Islanders entered the season just outside of the elite of the Metropolitan Division. The Islanders were given +1200 odds to win the division with a point total of 91.5. New York ended last season with 94 points and the 2022-23 season with 93. They qualified for the postseason in each of the last two years but failed to make it past the first round.

Forty-five games into the new season, the Islanders are not exactly where they expected. Somebody has to be in last place in the division and it is the Islanders. New York is 27th in the NHL in scoring and that has been the big issue. The Islanders have just four players with double digit goals.

Anders Lee leads the team in goals with 20 and in points with 36. Lee’s 36 points do not crack the top 50 scorers in the league. The Islanders only have two skaters among the top 100 scorers in the NHL. Bo Horvat is the other Islander with 14 goals and 33 points.

Goaltenders Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov are having their worst seasons in the NHL. Sorokin is 13-14-4 and Varlamov is 3-4-3. Both have GAAs over 2.85 and, collectively, the Islanders allow 3.02 goals per game. The result has seen the Islanders go from +1200 to win the division at the beginning of the season to +25000 odds currently.

Pittsburgh Penguins

It’s hard to imagine a team with future Hall of Famer Sidney Crosby being this bad. The Pittsburgh Penguins started the season alright, but the defense and goaltending have been atrocious. The goalie play has been so bad that Pittsburgh waived starting G Tristan Jarry midway through January.

The Penguins had a six-game losing streak in the first month of the season. In a stretch between Dec. 31 and Jan. 18, Pittsburgh lost eight of ten games. The scoring hasn’t been awful, but the Penguins do average fewer than three goals per game (2.96). That ranks 17th in the NHL.

Crosby continues to lead Pittsburgh on offense. He has 12 goals and a team-high 37 assists for 49 points. That puts him among the top 50 scorers in the NHL. Richard Rakell has the most goals for Pittsburgh with 23. Bryan Rust has 19, but Evgeni Malkin has just eight goals and 33 points.

On the other side of the ice, it’s been a nightmare. Pittsburgh is the worst team in the league on defense. The Penguins give up 3.65 goals per game. None of the three goalies used by Pittsburgh this season has a GAA below 3.00. It’s shocking because the Penguins were given +1400 odds to win the Metropolitan Division at the beginning of the season. They were still a longshot at the time, but now they are a serious longshot at +25000.

Washington Capitals

Washington Capitals , like Pittsburgh, has some aging veterans that will undoubtedly end up in the Hall of Fame. At the same time, the Capitals have been trying to bridge the gap by rebuilding the roster. In doing so, two years ago, Washington missed the postseason for the first time in a long time. They were back in last year, but lost in the first round of the playoffs.

The Capitals started this year with a vengeance. They were not one of the early contenders according to the sportsbooks, given +1800 odds to win the Metropolitan Division. Future Hall of Famer Alex Ovechkin missed 16 games but when he returned to the Capitals lineup near the end of December, he promptly scored goals in four of his first five games.

Despite missing all of those games, Ovechkin still leads the Caps in goals with 21. He is one eight double-digit scorers for Washington. The lineup is deep, talented, and it shows. Washington leads the Metropolitan Division after 46 games and the Capitals are No. 1 in the President’s Cup race.

The Capitals are No. 2 in the NHL in scoring (3.57) and they are just as good on defense. Washington ranks third in goals against, giving up 2.44 goals per game. Goaltender Logan Thompson has only lost two games in regulation and he’s 21-2-3 for the season. His GAA of 2.09 is second in the NHL. That is one of the big reasons why Washington is now the odds-on favorite to win the Metropolitan Division.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers weren’t really going anywhere in 2024-25. They didn’t last year and this season looks like a bust again. Philadelphia was a longshot at  +2000 odds to win the division at the beginning of the season. After starting the season 1-6 and then adding three more three-game losing streaks, the Flyers now find themselves at +25000 odds to win the division.

Philly doesn’t do much of anything right. The offense isn’t terrible, but the Flyers don’t instill fear into too many opponents. Travis Konecny is a top 10 scorer with 21 goals and 54 points through his first 47 games this season. After Konecny, the production drops off.

On the other end, the Flyers defense is not good at keeping opponents out of the scoring zone. Philadelphia is 28th in the NHL in goals against average. Goalie Samuel Errson is 13-7-2 with a 2.79 GAA. The other two Philly goaltenders both have GAAs over 3.00 and save percentages below .900. When you can’t stop opponents from scoring, you don’t win many games.

The Flyers are all about a rebuild and head coach John Tortorella is on the betting board as one of the leading contenders to be the next coach fired. The Flyers haven’t made the playoffs in each of the last four seasons. They’ve won 38 or fewer games in each of those seasons and they are headed toward doing that again in 2024-25.

Columbus Blue Jackets

The had a rough season in 2023-24, finishing with just 66 points and last in the Metropolitan Division. The team is also dealing with the horrific death of star Johnny Gaudreau, who was tragically killed by a drunk driver this offseason.

The surprise team in the Metropolitan Division is probably Columbus. The Columbus Blue Jackets have been in existence since 2000. They have made the postseason just six times and have failed to advance to the playoffs in each of the last four seasons.

If you look at the Metropolitan Division standings after 45 or so games, you’ll see that the Blue Jackets are fourth in the division. With 51 points in 46 games, the Blue Jackets are right in the thick of the playoff race. If Columbus can figure out its defense and tighten up on that end, they could crack the top eight teams in the Eastern Conference.

Offensively, Columbus has been filling it up. They rank seventh in the NHL in scoring, averaging 3.30 goals per game. The Blue Jackets have two scorers – Zach Werenski and Kirill Marchenko – among the top 20 in the NHL. Werenski has 15 goals and 51 points while Marchenko has a team-high 18 goals and 49 points. Seven skaters have at least 10 goals for Columbus.

Defensively, the Blue Jackets leave a little to be desired. They allow 3.35 goals per game which ranks 27th. The defense and goaltending just hasn’t been good enough. Starting goalie Elvis Merzlikins and backup Daniil Tarasov both have GAAs over 3.00. If Columbus can play better defense over the second half of the season, the postseason is a possibility.

NHL Metropolitan Division Predictions

At this point in the season, the Metropolitan Division is the Washington Capitals to lose. If you think another division team is going to challenge Washington, good for you. Scores & Stats experts note that Washington has played 15 games against fellow Metropolitan Division opponents. The Capitals are 11-4 SU in those games.

Washington is equally strong on both sides of the ice. They are one of the best defensive teams in the league, as we already mentioned. The offense is hard to stop even with a 39-year-old Ovechkin leading the charge. Any time you can average nearly four goals per game, you are going to have a chance to win a lot of games in the NHL.

At this point, according to our Scores & Stats NHL gurus, if you like Washington to finish the deal and win the division, there is no time like the present to go to your sportsbook app and place your bet on the Capitals. The odds on this wager are only going to move in one direction as the season wears on and that direction is not in favor of bettors.

If you don’t mind laying -145 and would like some more bang for your buck, our experts have identified one plus-money contender to win the division. If you’re okay with tying up some of your money until the end of the season, consider a wager on Carolina.

Sure, it would be nice to sprinkle a little on Columbus at +25000, but in reality the Blue Jackets just don’t have the defense to get it done. The Carolina Hurricanes do. As mentioned, Carolina is a top ten defense and, more importantly, the Hurricanes are 12-4-2 against Metropolitan Division opponents. If anyone can overtake Washington, it’s a strong defensive team like the Hurricanes. Plus, their odds are currently +250, offering a nice return should the bet cash.

Bet: Carolina Hurricanes (+250)