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NHL Western Conference Division Races Odds and Betting Predictions

by Ryan Cobbett - 1/3/2025

NHL Western Conference division races odds and predictions Kirill Kaprizov Winnipeg Jets

With the return to action after the brief holiday break and teams turning their attention toward the trade deadline and midway point of the season, now is a great time to assess the division races. In the Western Conference, the Central Division looks primed to give us another entertaining down to the wire finish with the Winnipeg Jets leading the way, but with Minnesota, Colorado, and Dallas on their heels. In the Pacific Division, the Vegas Golden Knights currently have the biggest lead in any division in the NHL, as they lead the Los Angeles Kings by six points. Let’s take a look at where things stand in the two Western Conference divisions.

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Central Division

Thanks to their dominating start, the Jets have the best odds of winning the division at +180, followed by Dallas (+230), Colorado (+340), and Minnesota (+360). Winnipeg leads the league with 56 points, while Minnesota currently sits in second place with 52 points, followed by Colorado (48) and Dallas (47).

The Jets had an historic start to the season, going 15-1 and are currently riding high, going 7-2-1 over their last 10 games. Their hot start has been largely due to Connor Hellebuyck’s dominating season, but also thanks to a healthy Kyle Connor who leads the team in points with 52. Hellebuyck leads the NHL in GA/G (2.06) and SV% (.927) and has all but locked up the Vezina Trophy. Connor is complimented by Mark Scheifele, who joins him in the Top 15 in the league in points, and the two also rank in the Top Six in goals.

The Wild have cooled off a bit since their torrid start, but they are still just four points behind the Jets. Kirill Kaprizov is having a Hart-caliber season, as he leads the Wild with 50 points and 23 goals. He also carries a +21 +/- rating, which is the fourth best mark in the NHL. It is interesting to note that they carry just a +10-goal differential on the season, which ranks just 11th in the NHL.

Colorado has rebounded from their terrible start and have traded away both goalies they brought into the new campaign. The Avs made moves to acquire Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood to guard the net, and they are 8-2-1 since then and the two netminders have combined to allow just 2.14 GA/G, and that is more than what Colorado needs to win. With Nathan MacKinnon leading the league in points, and guys like Mikko Rantanen (56 points, 22 goals) and Cale Makar (48 points, 35 assists) complimenting their star, Colorado has what it needs to go win another Cup.

Finally, you have the Dallas Stars, who many thought were the surefire best team in the league. The Stars are nowhere near a disappointing team this season. They are currently just nine points out of first place and have played in only 37 games so far, which is the lowest amongst Central Division teams. They also have a +27-goal differential, which is the third best mark in the Western Conference. Depth is not an issue for Dallas, but they are waiting for guys like Jason Robertson (nine goals), Wyatt Johnston (nine goals), Miro Heiskanen (18 points), and Logan Stankoven to get going.

The Jets swept the Minnesota Wild in their three game regular season series while posting a +9 goal differential, but they are just 2-3 against Dallas and Colorado so far. As mentioned, Minnesota is 0-3 against Winnipeg this season, and they are 1-1 against the Stars with six games remaining against Dallas and Colorado. As for the Avs, they have yet to take on the Wild this season, but they are 1-2 against the Stars and Jets this season. Dallas is 3-2 against Minnesota, Winnipeg, and Colorado this season and has two more games remaining against each team.

The Stars are still the best team out of this bunch. Yes, Colorado and Winnipeg are loaded, and Minnesota is still on a tear, but numbers indicate Minnesota will slow down and the Stars are in a good position despite their stars not producing. Jamie Benn will get his game going, and the Stars (+230) will win this division and perhaps the Stanley Cup.

Pacific Division

The other Pacific Division race is not quite as entertaining as their Western Conference counterparts. The Vegas Golden Knights currently have the best odds of any other team to win their division at -105. Behind the Golden Knights are the Edmonton Oilers (+230) and the Los Angeles Kings (+340). Vegas currently holds the biggest lead of any division leader, with six points separating them and Los Angeles. Vegas is one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now, having won 12 of their last 14 games. The Adin Hill/Ilya Samsonov tandem has worked out, as Vegas is allowing just 2.71 GA/G. And Jack Eichel has carried this team offensively, leading the way with 50 points. With a 3.55 GF/G average, the Golden Knights rank fourth in the NHL in scoring and their PP% of 24.7% ranks eighth in the league.

Playing chase to the Golden Knights are the Los Angeles Kings, who have been just as hot as Vegas. Los Angeles has gone 11-2-2 over their last 15 games and are currently riding at three-game winning streak since play has resumed. Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe have led the way for this offense, but the Kings are deep. Los Angeles currently has eight players with 20 or more points on the year, while they have five guys with double digit goals. The Kings rank fourth in the NHL GA/G while also having a Top 10 rated Penalty Kill, highlighting the strengths of this team.

Playing catch-up after a slow start are the Edmonton Oilers, who have gone 16-5-2 over their last 23 games. The real issue with Edmonton, in terms of if they can keep up with Los Angeles or Vegas in the Pacific, is their offensive depth. Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid are going their thing as both skaters have 54 or more points, but Zach Hyman, Evan Bouchard, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins have yet to produce. Hyman (77 points last season) is way off the pace to reach his point total of 77 points last season as he is on pace for just 47 points, while Bouchard (82 points last season) is on pace for just 63 points and Nugent-Hopkins (67 points last season) is pacing just 45 points.

The Vancouver Canucks (+1400) and the Calgary Flames (+9000) are still in the race and are just four or less points out of the final guaranteed spot, but the Flames may sell, and the Canucks do not appear to be the same team as last year thanks to their internal issues and the extended absence of Thatcher Demko.

The Golden Knights have split the season series with the Kings up to this point, going 1-1, while they have the slight edge against the Oilers, going 2-1 against Edmonton this season. As for the Kings, they are 1-1 against Vegas and have won the only game they have played against Edmonton at this point in the season. Edmonton has the worst standing in the tiebreaker scenarios, as they are currently just 1-3 against Vegas and Los Angeles so far this season.

It is hard to pick against Vegas (-105) in this scenario. They are hungry after an early exit from the playoffs last season, and they believe they deserve to hoist the cup. Eichel is having a career year, and this veteran filled roster knows what it takes to win the division and win in the playoffs.

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