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Two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay opened the 2021-22 NHL season as the favorite to capture the Atlantic Division. The Lightning were given +130 odds before this season began.
The Lightning are right in the thick of the division race, but so are Florida and Toronto. Will the Panthers or Lightning win the NHL Atlantic Division?
Tampa Bay Lightning
Currently, the Panthers and Lightning are tied atop the division each with 28 wins and an NHL-best 61 points. Tampa Bay (28-10-5) is 7-3 in its last ten games and things will only get better for the Lightning. Nikita Kucherov returned to the lineup for Tampa Bay on Jan. 6. He was hurt three games into the season.
Steven Stamkos leads Tampa Bay with 50 points, which is sixth in the NHL. Defenseman Victor Hedman is 11th with 44 (35 assists).
In the net, the Lightning have one of the best goalies in the league too. Andrei Vasilevskiy is sixth in the NHL in goals against average (2.26) and his save percentage of .922 ranks in the top ten. More importantly, he is 23-7-3 on the season.
Florida Panthers
The Panthers started this season 7-0-0 but a past issue in Chicago cost head coach Joel Quenneville his job in Florida. Andrew Brunette was named the interim coach and the Panthers continued to roll.
Currently, Florida is 28-8-5. They have one of the top scorers in the league in Jonathan Huberdeau who is tied for third with 55 points. Huberdeau has a league-best 40 assists.
The goaltending is solid too as Sergei Bobrovsky is 20-3-3 with a 2.38 goals against average and a save percentage of .925.
The Panthers opened the season given +570 odds to win the Atlantic Division. Those odds have shortened dramatically since the start of the season.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Lost in the current Lightning-Panthers division battle is Toronto. The Maple Leafs are 25-10-3 so far and have a respectable 53 points.
The Leafs have the stars to match Tampa Bay and Florida. Three players rank among the top scorers in the league. Auston Matthews leads Toronto with 41 points. William Nylander has 38 and John Tavares 36.
What could lead Toronto to an upset win of the division is goaltending. Jack Campbell has been outstanding thus far. His save percentage of .927 ranks fifth and he is 19-6-3 overall.
2022 NHL Atlantic Division Winner Prediction
Don’t count Toronto out of the race. The Maple Leafs opened the season at +240 to win the division. Still, the Atlantic has belonged to Tampa Bay for most of the last four seasons.
The divisions were suspended last season as the NHL used a different format due to COVID-19. The Lightning won two of the previous three Atlantic Division crowns.
Until any challengers prove it, the Atlantic belongs to the Lightning, who are currently listed at +190 to win it.
Odds to Win NHL Atlantic Division 2022
Florida Panthers +155
Tampa Bay Lightning +190
Toronto Maple Leafs +220
Boston Bruins +1400
Buffalo Sabres +50000
Ottawa Senators +50000
Detroit Red Wings +50000
Montreal Canadiens +50000
Read our hockey betting tips and NHL team totals betting guide.
