NHL Atlantic Division Winner Odds, Favorites to Win, Best Bets 2024/25: Reigning Stanley Cup Champions Back on Top

• The Florida Panthers are the new betting favorites to win the Atlantic division title

• Florida’s defense has improved to above league marks in Expected Goals Against

• Toronto ranks top-16 in Expected Goals For and Expected Goals Against in All Situations

After stumbling down the oddsboard while their defense ranked near dead last in Expected Goals Against in All Situations, the Florida Panthers back line has drastically improved their level of play and have helped the Panthers grab the top spot in the division standings. While their defense has managed to turn it around, their offense continues to trend in the wrong direction as they now rank 19th overall in Expected Goals For in All Situations.

As for the rest of the division contenders, the Toronto Maple Leafs odds to win the division have steadily declined as they continue to struggle with sparking a hot stretch of play. Positive regression does loom large over Toronto as they are one of the few teams in the league who rank above league average in both Expected Goals For and Expected Goals Against. The Tampa Bay Lightning meanwhile continue to hover around the top of the oddsboard, yet they are in desperate need of better defensive play.

Atlantic Division Winner Odds 2024/25

Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook. Click on the odds in the table below to head to Caesars Sportsbook and place your bets: $1,000 First Bet on Caesars OR $250 in Bonus Bets.

Atlantic Division Winner Predictions and Favorites to Win 

After a slow start to the season, the Florida Panthers are now back on top of the division standings with 13 total points and a 6-3-1 record.

Florida Panthers (+180) at Caesars

After losing multiple key defenseman throughout the offseason, the Florida Panthers back line was expected to struggle at the start of the season. That looked to be true after the Panthers defense dropped down to near dead last in Expected Goals Against in All Situations, yet Florida has seemingly figured it out the past few games as they now rank above league average in the same previously mentioned metric.

With their defense playing at a competitive level, the reigning Stanley Cup champions have managed to climb back up the board and are currently in first place in the division standings. Unfortunately for Florida, their spot at the top of the standings is prone to crash down should their offense continue to struggle with generating high quality Shots on Goal as their front line ranks below league average in Expected Goals For in All Situations. Until their offense improves, pass on their short odds to win the division title.

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Tampa Bay Lightning (+375) at BetMGM

Like the Panthers, the Lightning were also dealing with adversity heading into the year after they lost multiple key players throughout the offseason. Especially on offense after Steven Stamkos departed for the Nashville Predators as the longtime captain was a major source of their offensive production. Fortunately for the Lightning, their offense has managed to continue to play at a high rate without Stamkos as Tampa Bay currently ranks 11th overall in Expected Goals For.

While their offense has thrived, the Lightning’s defense has yet to give them the production they need to be a well rounded contender. Especially from their goalies as Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jonas Johansson are averaging a combined 3.60 Goals Against per Game and a Save Percentage of .888. With their goaltenders struggling, the Lightning’s back line will need to lock down on defense and lessen the quality of opposing Shots on Goal to help give their goalies better chances of walling them off.

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Boston Bruins (+800) at Caesars

Outside of their starting goalie Jeremy Swayman who is averaging 2.97 Goals Against per Game and a Save Percentage of .900, the Boston Bruins have struggled to play at a competitive level on either side of the ice. As of writing, the Bruins currently rank near dead last in both Expected Goals For and Expected Goals Against in All Situations.

A stunningly bad level of play for a unit that was projected to be one of the contenders for the Atlantic division title, yet their metrics indicate otherwise. Fortunately for Boston, the rest of the division has struggled to create separation from each other as they are in the middle of a five way tie for third place with nine total points and a 4-4-1 record. Until the Bruins can elevate their play on both sides of the ice, then pass on their current odds to win the division title.

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Who Will Win the Atlantic Division - My Pick 

Toronto Maple Leafs (+425) at Caesars

Like the Bruins, the Toronto Maple Leafs also find themselves in the middle of a five way tie for third place in the division standings with a 4-4-1 record and nine total points. Toronto is in a far better position to break away from the rest of the pack and battle the Florida Panthers for the top spot as the Maple Leafs are one of the few teams in the league who currently rank above league average in Expected Goals For and Expected Goals Against in All Situations.

More intriguing yet, their offense will only steadily improve as Hart Memorial Trophy contender Auston Matthews gets more into a groove after a quiet start to his season. With their offense seemingly intact, it will be up to Toronto’s defense to help limit variance and increase their chances of sparking a hot stretch of play. With the Florida Panthers prone to going through a cold stretch due to their lack of offensive production, buy the Maple Leafs now at their inflated odds as they are the more well rounded contender.

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Who Won the Atlantic Division in 2023/2024?

The Florida Panthers won the Atlantic division title in 2023-2024, claiming their third title since making their return to the division in 2013.

Atlantic Division History

Seemingly a revolving door for teams to make brief appearances before moving on to somewhere else, the Atlantic division has seen plenty of different teams claim the division title over the years. The New Jersey Devils currently hold the record for the most Atlantic division titles, winning the division nine times before departing for the Metropolitan division. The Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers are currently tied for first for teams still active in the Atlantic, winning the division three times apiece.

Past Atlantic Division Winners

How to Choose the Best Sportsbook for Betting on the Atlantic Division Winner

When looking to make a wager on the Atlantic futures market, it’s important to create an account with as many NHL betting sites as you can. This allows you to line shop the market as odds can vary between each book. When betting on the Maple Leafs to win the Atlantic, their odds can be found as high as +425 at Caesars and as low as +333 at BetMGM. That is a difference of $92 in profit for a $100 bettor.

Another perk of creating an account with multiple sportsbooks is that you can collect their new user signup bonuses to help boost your bankroll. BetMGM Sportsbook for example is giving new users up to $1,500 back in the form of bonus bets should you lose your first wager after creating an account with the WSN promo code WSNSPORTS.

How to Read Atlantic Division Winner Odds

Before making any type of wager, it’s important to know how the listed odds work. Should you want to bet the Maple Leafs to win the division at their current odds of +425, then a $100 wager would profit you $425 should they win the Atlantic. Should you wait to see if they get off to a lead in the division standings and are listed with a minus sign in front of their odds (ex: -130), then you would need to wager $130 to profit $100.