NHL Eastern Conference Odds & Predictions 2025: Rangers Still in Contention to Make the Playoffs

• Carolina is listed as the betting favorite to win the Eastern Conference Championship

• The Washington Capitals lead the Eastern Conference with 80 total points

• The New York Rangers defense ranks 27th in Expected Goals Against in All Situations

With less than 30 games remaining in the regular season, the New York Rangers are in desperate need of sparking a hot stretch of play as they are currently out of the playoff picture. Their lack of defensive production has been a thorn in their side all year long as their back line ranks 27th overall in Expected Goals Against in All Situations and in 5-on-5 Play.

NHL Eastern Conference Championship Odds

Eastern Conference Championship Predictions and Favorites to Win 

After a mediocre stretch of play, the Florida Panthers have conceded the top spot on the oddsboard for the Eastern Conference Championship to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Carolina Hurricanes at FanDuel

Carolina’s front line has excelled at creating high quality Shots on Goal this season as the Hurricanes offense ranks second overall in Expected Goals For in All Situations with an average of 3.58 Expected Goals per game. A majority of their production stems from just four players as Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov, and Mikko Rantanen are the only ones who average more than 0.25 Expected Goals per game.

On the other side of the ice, the Hurricanes back line have continued to climb up the board in Expected Goals Against in All Situations as they have smothered opposing shot attempts at a more consistent rate. This helps lessen the amount of variance in their contests while increasing their chances of making a deep run in the playoffs. In a down year for the Eastern Conference, back Carolina at their current odds to win the conference title now before they continue to decline.

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Florida Panthers at Caesars

Just when the reigning Stanley Cup champions were starting to build some momentum, their offense suffered a major blow when it was announced their star forward Matthew Tkachuk suffered an injury in the 4 Nations Face-Off and is listed as day-to-day. Tkachuk plays a major role in their offense as he currently leads the team in Expected Goals with an average of 0.47 per game.

The Panthers can ill-afford to regress on offense during Tkachuk’s absence as their back line has struggled to give them the production they need to be a well rounded contender. As of writing, the Panthers defense ranks 13th overall in Expected Goals Against in All Situations. With negative regression looming large, pass on the Panthers at their current odds to win the Eastern Conference Championship.

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New Jersey Devils at BetMGM

Speaking of devastating injuries, it was recently announced that the New Jersey Devils will be without their starting goalie Jacob Markstrom until March due to a knee injury. A massive loss for the Devils as Markstrom was steadily building a case for the Vezina Trophy award as he averaged just 2.20 Goals Against per game and a .912 Save Percentage.

While his backup Jake Allen has shown he can play at a competitive level, he is still a sizable step down in individual production when compared to Markstrom. The Devils back line regressing in Expected Goals Against in All Situations also does them no favors in their efforts of staying afloat during Markstrom’s absence as their regression brings in a higher amount of variance into their contests. Pass on New Jersey at their current odds for now, but be prepared to lay a wager should their odds continue to inflate.

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Toronto Maple Leafs at FanDuel

Anthony Stolarz could not make his return from injury soon enough as Toronto’s defensive production has steadily declined throughout the season. As of writing, the Maple Leafs defense ranks 23rd overall in Expected Goals Against in All Situations. Stolarz has been able to mask their struggles on defense as the Toronto goalie leads the league in Save Percentage while averaging just 2.13 Goals Against per game.

While Toronto’s front line have performed far better, their level of play has not been good enough to lessen the amount of variance in their contests as the Maple Leafs offense ranks 11th overall in Expected Goals For in All Situations. Until their back line can drastically elevate their level of play, then pass on the Maple Leafs at their current odds to win the Eastern Conference title.

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Who Will Win the Eastern Conference Championship - My Pick 

New York Rangers at FanDuel

The New York Rangers have severely underwhelmed this season as the reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners are currently out of the playoff picture with less than 30 games remaining. While a Metropolitan division title is out of their reach, the Rangers can still squeak into the playoffs as they are only three points behind Detroit in the Eastern Conference wildcard standings for the last wildcard spot.

In order for them to do so, the Rangers back line must quickly elevate their level of play as their defense ranks 27th overall in Expected Goals Against in All Situations with an average of 3.34 Expected Goals Against per game. Igor Shesterkin also needs to round back into form as the star goalie is averaging nearly three Goals Against per game. With minimal support from their defense, the Rangers are in serious jeopardy of missing out on the playoffs.

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Who Won the NHL Eastern Conference Championship in 2023/2024?

The Florida Panthers won the Eastern Conference Championship in 2023-2024, claiming their third conference title.

NHL Eastern Conference History

While the Western Conference has seen plenty of parity, the Eastern Conference has been dominated by the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning as of late. Each club has won two straight conference championships over the past four years with the Florida Panthers winning the last two. Should the Panthers win the conference this season, then they would be the first club to three-peat since the New York Islanders did it in 1982-1984.

Past NHL Eastern Conference Winners

How to Choose the Best Sportsbook for Betting on the NHL Eastern Conference Championship

When looking to make a wager on the Eastern Conference Championship futures market, it’s vital to get as many sportsbooks as you can get. This allows you to line shop the futures market as odds can vary between each book. When betting on the New York Rangers to win the Eastern Conference Championship, they can be found as low as +1800 at BetMGM and as high as +2000 at FanDuel. That is a difference of $200 in profit for a $100 bettor.

Another benefit of acquiring multiple sportsbooks is that you can collect multiple signup bonuses to help boost your bankroll ahead of the NHL season. BetMGM Sportsbook for example is giving new users $150 in bonus bets after winning their first bet of at least $10 with the WSN promo code WSNSPORTS.

How to Read NHL Eastern Conference Winner Odds

Before making any type of wager, it’s important to know how the listed odds work. Should you bet on the Rangers to win the Eastern Conference at their current odds of +2000, then a $100 wager would profit you $2,000 if they win the conference championship. If you wait to see if they make it to the Eastern Conference Finals and are listed with a minus sign in front of their number (ex: -130), then you would need to wager $130 to profit $100 if they win the conference title.