- The Colorado Avalanche have +500 odds to win the 2021 Stanley Cup.
- The Vegas Golden Knights are just behind them, with +550 odds.
- The Avalanche can wrap up the top seed in the West with a victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday.
LAS VEGAS - The NHL Playoffs are almost set, and the futures odds for winning the Stanley Cup are in play for many NHL playoff betting fans.
However, one division is still entirely up in the air - the NHL’s West Division.
The West Division is home to several of the best teams in the NHL, such as the Vegas Golden Knights and the Colorado Avalanche.
Those two teams sit at the top of the Stanley Cup futures odds boards on the online betting websites.
NHL - Odds To Win The Stanley Cup
- Colorado Avalanche +500
- Vegas Golden Knights +550
- Toronto Maple Leafs +550
- Tampa Bay Lightning +800
- Carolina Hurricanes +700
- Boston Bruins +1100
- Washington Capitals +1600
- Pittsburgh Penguins +1400
- Edmonton Oilers +1500
- New York Islanders +2000
- Minnesota Wild +2200
- Florida Panthers +1400
- St. Louis Blues +3500
- Winnipeg Jets +3500
- Montreal Canadiens +2800
- Nashville Predators +4000
On Thursday, the division will be decided in a matchup between the Colorado Avalanche and the Los Angeles Kings.
If the Avalanche win that game, they will be the first seed out of the West, while if they lose, they will be the second seed.
This is a fairly important distinction, as the second seed in the West will face off against the Minnesota Wild, a team that racked up 75 points over the course of the season, while the first seed will get a matchup against the St. Louis Blues, who put up 61.
The gap between the Wild and the Blues makes the seeding in the West quite important.
Los Angeles Kings vs. Colorado Avalanche Odds To Win
- Los Angeles Kings +235
- Colorado Avalanche -450
Looking at the odds, the Avalanche are heavily favored to defeat the Kings, but heavily favored is no guarantee of victory.
If the Avalanche manage to mess up what should be an easy win on Thursday, it will come back to haunt them in the first round, but could also come back to haunt them later in the playoffs.
The NHL playoffs involve a reseeding of the final four, sorting them by overall record during the season.
The Avs and the Golden Knights have the two best records in the NHL - by winning on Thursday, the Avs can guarantee themselves a top spot should they make it to the final four. Similarly, if Colorado does not manage to win against the Kings, it will be the Golden Knights with a guaranteed top spot.
NHL betting fans can take a look at the matchup between the Avs and the Kings, as well as the futures odds to win the Stanley Cup.
The matchup between the Avs and the Kings kicks off at 9:00 p.m. EST, and will be available on ESPN+.