NHL West Division Season Odds Preview – 01/07/21
by OddsShark (@OddsShark) – Sponsored Post
The Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights are among the favorites to hoist the 2021 Stanley Cup at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com along with the defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning. The big difference for the Lightning though is that they get to play in a much less competitive Central Division this year while the Avalanche and Golden Knights both reside in the West, where only one of them can make it to the conference finals.
Colorado is a slight +150 favorite to win the West over Vegas, which is the +188 second choice. Last season, the Avalanche finished two points behind the St. Louis Blues in the Central Division while the Golden Knights won the Pacific for the second time in their three years of existence. Both teams are locked and loaded for another run at the Cup in 2021 despite the realignment, and oddsmakers have certainly taken notice.
The major challenge for those top contenders will come between the pipes, where they must find a way to keep their goaltenders fresh and healthy for the postseason. In 2020, Colorado saw starting goalie Philipp Grubauer struggle due to injuries and eventually bow out of the playoffs because of that. Meanwhile, Vegas made a deal for Robin Lehner prior to the trade deadline, and he and Marc-Andre Fleury might form the top tandem in the league. The problem is, Fleury may need to be dealt at some point to help the team stay under the salary cap.
Regardless, there are six other teams that will be fighting for the division title in 2021, including the St. Louis Blues (+500 to win the West at online sports betting sites), Arizona Coyotes (+1200), San Jose Sharks (+1200), Minnesota Wild (+1400), Anaheim Ducks (+1500) and Los Angeles Kings (+1500). Of that group, the Blues definitely have the most value just one year removed from winning the Stanley Cup. Granted, they did lose All-Star defenseman and captain Alex Pietrangelo to the Golden Knights this past offseason, but they still have a ton of talent remaining with valuable playoff experience.
It is also worth noting that the Sharks, Ducks and Kings did not make last year’s postseason tournament, so they have all been off the ice since regular-season play was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-March of 2020. Whether that extra rest will help or hurt those teams remains to be seen, as they could be very rusty or have a lot more energy than their competition. All three are young and should use 2021 to further develop their talent for the following season.
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