Updated 2021 NHL Divisional Odds – Slumping Bruins at +300 to Win East

• The NHL division races are heating up at the midpoint of the 2021 season
• The Isles are the new favorites in the East, while the Central remains a three-way dogfight
• See the updated NHL divisional odds along with betting advice in the story below

The NHL divisional races are as tight as ever as we reach the midpoint of the 2021 season. While the Toronto Maple Leafs don’t offer much value as heavy -335 favorites in the updated NHL Divisional odds to win the North Division, the Bruins, Avalanche, and Lightning are all in tight races to win their respective divisions.

The Bruins are listed as +300 as they aim to catch the Isles in the East, while the Avalanche and Wild both offer intriguing value in the West. Over in the Central, it’s shaping up to be a close three-way race between the Lightning, Hurricanes, and Panthers.

We layout the updated NHL divisional odds and provide our best bets below.

East Division Odds

All odds taken Mar. 15th at DraftKings

Bruins Offer Value at +300

The Bruins are listed at +300 in the NHL Divisional Odds at the midpoint of the 2021 season after capturing the Presidents’ Trophy as the league’s best regular-season team last year. Boston sits 10 points back of the first-place Islanders with four games in hand. The Bruins have the best first-line in hockey (based on 5v5 goal differential) with Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak, while Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak form one of the league’s most reliable goalie tandems.

Just outrageous.#NHLBruins | @Bmarch63 pic.twitter.com/EYd6E55jBx

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 12, 2021

The reason to bet on Boston overtaking the Islanders is due to schedule. Boston has one of the easiest remaining schedules in the NHL, as they get to face the lowly Sabres eight times. Buffalo has won just six games this season and will be without captain Jack Eichel long-term.

The Capitals and Isles have already had their chance to feast on the NHL’s worst team, beating the Sabres a combined 10 times. With Boston’s high-end talent and goaltending, taking them at +300 in the updated NHL Divisional odds before their schedule eases up is great value.

Pick: Boston Bruins (+300)

West Division Odds

Can Wild Win Loaded West?

The Minnesota Wild have been brought back to relevance thanks in large part to the play of 23-year-old rookie standout Kirill Kaprizov. The Russian winger is currently favored in the Calder Trophy odds after an incredible first half of the season that has seen him record 10 goals and 24 points in 26 games. The Wild trail the first-place Golden Knights in the standings by just a single point, but the division is truly a dogfight, as St.Louis and Colorado are also within four points of Vegas.

Hatty Kappy 🧢🧢🧢 pic.twitter.com/gH2DtNMckT

— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) March 13, 2021

While Kaprizov has been a fantastic story in Minnesota, there’s a team with better value to win the West. The loaded Avalanche are available at a juicy +235 price after an underwhelming (by their standards) first half of the season. One reason to bet on Colorado taking over this division is because they lead the entire league in Expected Goals percentage (57.16). This stat typically illustrates how good a team truly is, as four of the last five Stanley Cup champions have finished top-five in xGF%.

Colorado is 7-2-1 in its last 10 games despite being without star defenseman Cale Makar due to a lower-body injury. The Avalanche have one of the league’s best players in Nathan MacKinnon and a goalie in Philipp Grubauer who ranks among the top-10 in save percentage. This team is even better than their 16-8-2 record indicates and are set-up nicely to win the division with a big second half.

Pick: Colorado Avalanche (+235)

Central Division Odds

Will Canes Beat Out Bolts in Central? 

Much like the race in the West, the battle for the Central Division crown is as tight as it gets. The Hurricanes currently lead the division with 41 points, but the Lightning and Panthers are both only a single point back. All three of these teams are among the league’s top possession teams and could duke it out right up until the final day of the regular season on May 8th. The Hurricanes in particular are surging amidst an eight-game winning streak.

"We have confidence in our group that we can win every game if we play our style and our game." pic.twitter.com/Mzmv5ZE5ca

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) March 15, 2021

Betting on Florida or Carolina means betting against the powerhouse Lightning, which is hard to do when you look at how good goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has been. The 25-year-old owns a stellar .934 save percentage and 1.85 GAA and is a big reason why the Bolts are listed as the favorite in the Stanley Cup odds. Tampa Bay leads its division with a plus-37 goal differential and boasts a Norris candidate on defense in Victor Hedman.

Carolina is the play if you’re looking for value, but the best bet is still Tampa. The Bolts have won three straight against the Canes and have a few key remaining matchups against Rod Brind’Amour’s club. There’s reason to put money down on each of these three clubs, but if there’s one goalie you want to trust in the second half, it’s Tampa Bay’s Vasilevskiy.

Pick: Tampa Bay Lightning (-155)