Current Betting Odds to Make the NHL Playoffs in 2023-24
The NHL continues to grow in popularity across the US, ranging from the Avalanche in Colorado, to the Lightning in Tampa Bay and most recently the desert of Las Vegas with the Golden Knights winning the most recent Stanley Cup.
Vegas is a town even more known for sports betting, and that’s where we can meld the two. We’re here to do that by going through the NHL playoff odds for 2023-24, as it’s never too early to look ahead to upcoming Stanley Cup Playoffs. Not only that, but we’ll be pairing the NHL odds to make the playoffs with five incredible sportsbook sign-up bonuses, so you don’t want to miss out on any of the information in this article. So, without further ado, let’s begin by simply laying out the current NHL playoff betting odds.
Current NHL Playoff Odds
We have new-user promos from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars and Bet365 coming up, but for the current NHL playoff odds that you see below, those are provided by FanDuel Sportsbook and categorized by division. It’s important to join multiple sportsbooks to ensure you’re always getting the most favorable NHL odds to make the playoffs, but we’ll explain that further coming up as well.
| TEAM | ODDS |
|---|---|
Carolina Hurricanes | -590 |
Columbus Blue Jackets | +8000 |
New Jersey Devils | -215 |
New York Islanders | -130 |
New York Rangers | -170 |
Philadelphia Flyers | -106 |
Pittsburgh Penguins | -148 |
Washington Capitals | +285 |
Boston Bruins | -5000 |
Buffalo Sabres | +870 |
Detroit Red Wings | +330 |
Florida Panthers | -900 |
Montreal Canadiens | +2200 |
Ottawa Senators | +450 |
Tampa Bay Lightning | -122 |
Toronto Maple Leafs | -520 |
Arizona Coyotes | +280 |
Chicago Blackhawks | +10000 |
Colorado Avalanche | -3000 |
Dallas Stars | -4000 |
Minnesota Wild | -106 |
Nashville Predators | +146 |
St. Louis Blues | +450 |
Winnipeg Jets | -850 |
Anaheim Ducks | +7000 |
Calgary Flames | +260 |
Edmonton Oilers | -310 |
Los Angeles Kings | -2500 |
San Jose Sharks | +10000 |
Seattle Kraken | +300 |
Vancouver Canucks | -1400 |
Vegas Golden Knights | -2500 |
Betting on NHL Playoffs
As mentioned, the above NHL playoff odds for 2023-24 are provided by FanDuel, but it is imperative to ensure you’re a member at as many sportsbooks as possible to always provide yourself with the best possible prices. That’s because each teams’ chances to make the NHL playoffs can vary from sportsbook to sportsbook.
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NHL Playoffs Predictions: Who Will Make the Playoffs in 2023?
Teams to Make the Playoffs
- Colorado Avalanche - After securing a Stanley Cup Championship just two seasons ago, the Avs once again look to be a team that can make a deep playoff run.
- Dallas Stars - The Stars finished with the fourth-most points of any Western Conference team a season ago and should be right in that ballpark again this season.
- Edmonton Oilers - Expectations are always high with a superstar like Connor McDavid on the roster, and this season is no different.
- Vegas Golden Knights - VGK captured the expansion franchise’s first-ever Stanley Cup Final in 2022-23 and look to be capable of defending their crown as well.
- Los Angeles Kings - The Kings got back to their winning ways a season ago with a 47-25-10 record and seem poised to make the postseason yet again.
- Minnesota Wild - Ultra-competitive in recent years, Minnesota should be just that once again behind an improved roster.
- Seattle Kraken - Another expansion franchise that made some noise last season, the Kraken have quickly become a squad that can be counted on night in and night out.
- Nashville Predators - The Preds just barely missed out on last season’s playoffs, but if they can get improved scoring, they’ll be back in the festivities in no time.
- New Jersey Devils - Jack Hughes looks to lead the Devils to another postseason as they finished the 2022-23 regular season as the third-best Eastern Conference team regarding points.
- Carolina Hurricanes - The Canes took home the Metropolitan Division crown last campaign, and barring something unforeseen, they should compete for the title again.
- Tampa Bay Lightning - The Lightning have become a rock-solid franchise over the years, and the 2023-24 campaign should be no different, seeing them reach the postseason.
- Toronto Maple Leafs - The Leafs are always a good bet to make the playoffs, it’s just once they get there where they’ve recently struggled.
- New York Rangers - The Rangers should be the better of the two NY-based franchises this season, as we believe they’ll make the playoffs while the Islanders do not.
- Boston Bruins - The Bruins were unable to capitalize on their historic regular season run a season ago, but that might give them even more motivation for this upcoming one.
- Florida Panthers - Sneaking into last season’s playoff, the Panthers certainly have the talent to clinch a berth much earlier than they did in 2022-23.
- Detroit Red Wings - With an improved roster up and down, we like Detroit to be a surprise team that makes the playoffs this season.
Teams to Miss Out on the Playoffs
- Calgary Flames - The Flames failed to reach the playoffs last campaign, and we expect a similar result this season, albeit they should still be competitive.
- St. Louis Blues - The defense of the Blues isn’t improved enough to trust them to make the playoffs this season after allowing over 300 goals last go around.
- Vancouver Canucks - The Canucks should be a competitive bunch once again, as they were 38-37-7 a season ago, but don’t have the star power to make the big leap.
- Winnipeg Jets - A playoff appearance last season might have Jets fans excited for the 2023-24 campaign but beware of some regression from this team.
- Chicago Blackhawks - The focus this season for Chicago will be all about developing Connor Bedard, and as great as he is, this is still his first rodeo.
- Anaheim Ducks - With an abysmal -129 goal differential a season ago, it would be wishful thinking to believe that the Ducks have figured it all out after one offseason.
- Arizona Coyotes - The ‘Yotes ended last campaign on a 1-7-2 skid, and we believe that negative momentum will carry on over into at least the start of this season.
- San Jose Sharks - The Sharks weren’t very competitive last time out, and they appear to have a way to go before they indeed are.
- Buffalo Sabres - An elite offense will once again be overshadowed by atrocious defensive play for the Sabres, who let up 300 goals a season ago but scored 296.
- Pittsburgh Penguins - The Pens narrowly missed out on a playoff berth last season, but we believe that trend continues this campaign, even with the great Sidney Crosby.
- New York Islanders - Scoring the least number of goals of all last season’s postseason teams, the Islanders are due for some regression.
- Ottawa Senators - It was an encouraging effort from the Sens a season ago, but they failed to improve enough on offense this offseason to muster up any playoff hope.
- Washington Capitals - In a bit of a rut recently for their standards, the Caps’ best days seem to be behind them, amassing just 80 points last campaign.
- Columbus Blue Jackets - Extremely young, this talented Blue Jackets group has some more learning to do before they make the leap into the postseason.
- Montreal Canadiens - Carey Price is great, but he can’t fix Montreal’s offensive issues that appear ready to plague them yet again.
- Philadelphia Flyers - The Flyers may compete for the worst record in the league this season, as they haven’t shown much of anything in recent years.
NHL Playoffs 2023: Longshot Candidates to Watch
Based on the current NHL playoff odds, it’s more difficult to find reasonable longshot candidates in comparison to other sports. There are teams with valuable plus-money odds, but not quite long enough to be considered longshots. However, we’ve still provided you with teams’ chances to make the NHL playoffs providing a significant payout.
Chicago Blackhawks to Make the Playoffs (+10000 at FanDuel)
After finishing above only the Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference last season, there’s no surprise that the Blackhawks are one of the biggest longshots based on the NHL playoff betting odds. However, such a poor record allowed them to win what was considered the Connor Bedard sweepstakes.
In other words, Chicago won the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery and selected Bedard with the #1 overall pick. He is drawing comparisons to Connor McDavid, which is as high of praise as a hockey player can receive. Only time will tell, but he is touted as a truly generational talent. The Blackhawks also have a defense led by Seth Jones, and with the Central Division being rather top-heavy, they could make some noise with a Wild Card spot.
The NHL odds to make the playoffs for the ‘Hawks are currently +10000 at FanDuel.
Columbus Blue Jackets to Make the Playoffs (+8000 at FanDuel)
One team that is almost considered an even longer shot than Chicago based on the current NHL playoff odds for 2023-24 is the Columbus Blue Jackets. After such a rough 2022-23 season, it can be a tough pill to swallow backing them for the upcoming year.
However, the Jackets were plagued by injuries last season. That included key players such as Patrik Laine, Boone Jenner and Jakub Voracek, just to name a few. With those first two skaters healthy, Johnny Gaudreau will have much more to work with. Keep in mind that prior to joining the Jackets last season, Johnny Hockey had an MVP-caliber season with the Calgary Flames.
Columbus’ NHL odds to make the playoffs sit at a +8000 price at FanDuel.
How Have the NHL Playoffs Odds Changed?
Given that the season is just getting underway, there isn't too much data on NHL playoff odds changing as this market was just recently introduced for the 2023-24 campaign. Check back in throughout the season to see if any teams have had major movement regarding their playoff odds.
Trends & Statistics for Who Will Make the NHL Playoffs
The ways to analyze the NHL odds to make the playoffs are virtually endless, but we’ve provided you with our top two factors to consider:
- Target strong goaltending: Chances to make the NHL playoffs require a team to have an elite goaltender, which has been proven time and time again. For example, the Tampa Bay Lightning have built a modern dynasty behind Andrei Vasilevskiy. We also saw the Montreal Canadiens make the Stanley Cup Final with Carey Price just a few years ago, only to then become one of the worst teams in hockey without him.
- Factor in the last month of the season: Getting hot at the right time matters. Having a strong first few months is great, but momentum into the Stanley Cup Playoffs is vital. We even saw the Boston Bruins have a record-setting regular season last year but the Florida Panthers eliminated them by simply being the hotter team when it mattered most.
Teams That Have Made the NHL Playoffs Most Often
While the NHL playoff betting odds may have the Canadiens as one of the most unlikely teams to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, their history is still great. You can see that with the information below regarding the teams that have made the postseason the most times. As you’d expect, the Original Six teams are all included.
| TEAM | MADE PLAYOFFS |
|---|---|
Montreal Canadiens | 85 |
Boston Bruins | 76 |
Toronto Maple Leafs | 72 |
Detroit Red Wings | 64 |
Chicago Blackhawks | 63 |
New York Rangers | 62 |
St. Louis Blues | 45 |
Philadelphia Flyers | 40 |
Pittsburgh Penguins | 37 |
Dallas Stars | 35 |
Who made the NHL Playoffs last year?
As mentioned, it was the Vegas Golden Knights who won the most recent Stanley Cup, and we’ve provided all 16 teams that made the postseason last year below.
| TEAM | CONFERENCE | SEASON RECORD |
|---|---|---|
Carolina Hurricanes | Eastern | 52-21-9 |
New Jersey Devils | Eastern | 52-22-8 |
New York Rangers | Eastern | 47-22-13 |
Boston Bruins | Eastern | 65-12-5 |
Toronto Maple Leafs | Eastern | 50-21-11 |
Tampa Bay Lightning | Eastern | 46-30-6 |
Florida Panthers | Eastern | 42-32-8 |
New York Islanders | Eastern | 42-31-9 |
Colorado Avalanche | Western | 51-24-7 |
Dallas Stars | Western | 47-21-14 |
Minnesota Wild | Western | 46-25-11 |
Vegas Golden Knights | Western | 51-22-9 |
Edmonton Oilers | Western | 50-23-9 |
Los Angeles Kings | Western | 47-25-10 |
Winnipeg Jets | Western | 46-33-3 |
Seattle Kraken | Western | 46-28-8 |
FAQs
How Do Sportsbooks Calculate NHL Playoff Odds?
The factors that influence the NHL odds to make the playoffs are vast, some of which include recent performance, current roster construction, strength of schedule and injuries, just to name a few.
Do NHL Playoff Odds Change Throughout the Season?
Yes, the NHL playoffs odds can fluctuate on a game-by-game basis for many of the same reasons listed above. This is yet another reason to ensure you join each of the sportsbooks we mentioned above and also claim their sign-up bonuses in the process.
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