Opening 2022 NHL Eastern and Western Conference Odds – Bruins at +600 to Win East, Avalanche Favored in the West

• The two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning are the +350 favorites to win the NHL’s Eastern Conference title in 2021-22
• In the Western Conference, the Colorado Avalanche are the +200 betting choice to win the title
• Odds on the chances for all NHL teams to win their respective conferences are listed below

Is this the season that the Colorado Avalanche finally get over the hump and reach the Stanley Cup final? Will the two-time Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning overcome a nearly four-decade drought and get to a third successive Cup final series?

Oddsmakers are backing this matchup to be the Stanley Cup final at the end of the 2021-22 NHL season. In the opening 2022 NHL conference odds, the Lightning are the +350 betting choice to win the Eastern Conference title. Meanwhile, the Avalanche are the +200 chalk in the Western Conference odds.

NHL Eastern Conference Odds

All odds as of August 17th at DraftKings

Can Lightning Stike a Third Time?

The last team to get to three Stanley Cups in a row was the New York Islanders. They actually played in five successive Cup final series from 1980-84.

Since then, the Lightning are the fifth team to win successive Stanley Cups. But no team has managed to reach three Cup final series in a row.

The anticipated breakup of the Lightning is underway. Tampa Bay won the Cup while being millions over the salary cap. Summer sacrifices to save money, including grinding forwards Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow and reliable defenseman David Savard.

Let the adventures with Stanley begin…again!

Keep up with the #Bolts Cup tour every step of the way ⤵️

— x – Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) July 26, 2021

The Lightning still have forwards Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, defenseman Victor Hedman, and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. But don’t forget, they never won the Cup until the 2020 deadline deals that acquired Goodrow and Coleman.

Bruins Retooling

It’s been another interesting summer for the Boston Bruins. Last season, the B’s said goodbye to Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug. This year, they bid adieu to Tuukka Rask and David Krejci.

They didn’t exactly bulk up with A-list talent. Additions included forward Nick Foligno, who appears to be on the downside of his career. Goalie Linus Ullmark hasn’t played a second in the playoffs.

71 is worn by Taylor Hall, so Nick Foligno is going to go with 17 in Boston. https://t.co/BFxaENbDgY

— Mark Scheig (@markscheig) August 10, 2021

At +500, the Toronto Maple Leafs are the second betting choice. But until the Leafs win a playoff series – something the team hasn’t accomplished since 2004 – they can’t be taken seriously as a contender.

If there’s a sleeper out there that could upset the applecart in the East, the Florida Panthers might be that team. At +900, the Panthers offer great value in their opening conference odds.

Coach Joel Quenneville is a three-time Cup winner. They’ve added Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart, and Joe Thornton to one of the NHL’s deepest and most talented forward groups. Rookie Spencer Knight’s arrival could be just the elixir to get Sergei Bobrovsky back to his old Vezina Trophy form.

Pick: Florida Panthers (+900)

NHL Western Conference Odds

Have Avs Taken a Step Back?

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the summer free agent season was when goalie Philipp Grubauer opted for the expansion Seattle Kraken over the contending Avalanche. The Avs added goalie Darcy Kuemper from Arizona as Grubauer’s replacement.

8/15/20 – Darcy Kuemper broke his own playoff franchise-rec. for saves in a period w/20 in the 1P, & tied his own rec. for saves in a game w/49 (set vs NASH), guiding the Coyotes to a 4-2 win over Colorado in Edmonton. 1G each: Stepan, Richardson, Hall (en), Crouse (en). #Yotes pic.twitter.com/UzE1vvJ969

— Arizona Sports History (@AZSportsHistory) August 16, 2021

Colorado is loaded with the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, Mikki Rantanen, and Cale Makar. The Avs are still the team to beat in the West.

Like Tampa Bay, Vegas dealt with salary cap issues this summer. Vezina Trophy winner Marc-Andre Fleury was moved to Chicago. The Golden Knights still need to clear enough cap space to make an upgrade at #1 center if the Stanley Cup is something they desire.

#NHLJets fans…. welcome NATE SCHMIDT to Winnipeg! pic.twitter.com/du1c2ZBPZP

— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) July 28, 2021

A longshot worth a look would be the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck is a Vezina winner between the pipes. The Jets are deep at forward with Mark Schiefele, Kyle Connor, Paul Stastny, and Nikolaj Ehlers. They upgraded their defense by trading for Brenden Dillon and Nate Schmidt.

Pick: Colorado Avalanche (+200)