Bet These NHL Teams To Make Stanley Cup Playoffs

Which NHL teams that missed the Stanley Cup playoffs a year ago should you be betting to be playoff participants following the 2024-25 regular season?

Last season saw a spectacular conclusion to the Eastern Conference race. The Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals and Detroit Red Wings all went into the 82nd and final game of the regular season with a chance to grab the one remaining playoff spot.

Washington got the job done, ultimately winning a tiebreaker with Detroit. Will the Capitals be there again this season? Are the Red Wings ready to bring a halt to their years-long postseason absence? Or could this finally be the campaign in which the Buffalo Sabres are ending the NHL's longest playoff drought?

Let's look at all those possibilities. But first, here are the latest odds on NHL teams to make the playoffs.

NHL Playoff Odds
New Jersey Devils	-400	-380	-400
Ottawa Senators	+115	+125	+110
Pittsburgh Penguins	+120	+120	+120
Detroit Red Wings	+135	+120	+145
Seattle Kraken	+160	+160	+160
Buffalo Sabres	+170	+165	+170
Utah Hockey Club	+170	+160	+160
Philadelphia Flyers	+185	+200	+170
St Louis Blues	+200	+185	+170

Before we take a deeper dive into the NHL playoffs futures and best bets, why not check out our handy NHL betting guide to see where the best NHL odds and picks are located. As well, these online sportsbook reviews will help you determine which betting site is the one that's going to service your NHL wagering needs on a comprehensive basis. And if you're someone who is living life on the go, these are the best sports betting apps that can help you get your NHL bets down in the midst of your busy schedule.

Red Wings, Sabres Seeking End To Lengthy Playoff Absences

The last time the Sabres were playing in the NHL playoffs was in 2011-12. For the Red Wings, their absence began with the 2016-17 season. Could this be the year they taste the postseason elixir once again?

New Jersey Devils (-400)

The Devils went from 112 points and second in the Metropolitan Division to 82 points and seventh in the Metro. All-purpose defenseman Dougie Hamilton was lost to injury. No goalie they tried prove capable of delivering consistency between the pipes.

The summer saw all-star goalie Jacob Markstrom acquired from Calgary. With a healthy Hamilton and elite talent such as Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Timo Meier, this team will be a definite playoff contender again.

Ottawa Senators (+115)

Adding 2023 Vezina Trophy-winning goalie Linus Ullmark from Boston might be the move needed to put the Senators into the conversation as legit playoff contenders.

Adding veterans David Perron and Mike Amodeo strengthened their forward depth. If young stars Tim Stutzle, Jake Sanderson and Brady Tkachuk take another step in their development, postseason hockey in Canada's capital city isn't out of the question.

Detroit Red Wings (+135)

The Red Wings were a scoring machine last season, but couldn't keep the puck out of their net. They were often required to score five or six goals a game to get a win. That's not a formula for long-term success.

Detroit reshaped the club's roster in the offseason. NHL All-Star Cam Talbot figures to be their go-to goalie. And while 75 goals departed via trades or free agency, the Red Wings should be better defensively and harder to play against with a more varied lineup.

Buffalo Sabres (+170)

Out of the playoffs for more than a decade, the Sabres are turning to the coach who most recently took them to the postseason. They've re-hired Lindy Ruff.

Ruff's previous Sabres teams won by playing airtight defense. And this team is built around a solid defensive corps. Almost every one of Buffalo's top scorers endured a downturn in production last season. That can't happen two seasons in a row, can it?

Utah Hockey Club (+170)

Everything's new for the former Arizona Coyotes. This is a young team in a rebuilding phase. However, in Andre Tourigny they have a fine coach and the summer addition of Cup-winning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev from Tampa Bay raised eyebrows.

Let's get spicy 😈#UtahHC pic.twitter.com/vHfcETTtkf

— Utah Hockey Club (@utahhockeyclub) September 24, 2024

It might be too much to expect this team to go from 27th in the NHL to be one of the 16 playoff teams. But stranger things have happened in league history.

Best Bets To Miss NHL Playoffs

For new teams to get into the NHL playoffs, participants from last spring must miss out on the postseason action this time around. Of course, this is another NHL prop that you can bet. Here are some teams that we think might be a good play in the NHL odds to miss the playoffs this season.

The Capitals (+160) are an aging team that is breaking down physically. Alex Ovechkin's pursuit of Wayne Gretzky's NHL career goals record will keep Washington in the news cycle, but squeaking into the playoffs again next spring might prove a tall order.

Vegas Golden Knights To miss Stanley Cup playoffs

+250

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The Vegas Golden Knights (+250) are two years removed from a Stanley Cup championship. Yet last season, they barely qualified for playoff hockey. Salary cap issues forced them to let top scorer Jonathan Marchessault and No. 1 goalie Logan Thompson go.

It also figures to be an intriguing campaign for the Boston Bruins (+180). Goaltender Jeremy Swayman remains a contract holdout. If they don't get his name on the dotted line soon, the Bruins could be in trouble.

Best Bets To Make NHL Playoffs

Among last season's playoff outsiders, the Devils will slide back into the postseason easily. They'll have Hamilton for the whole season and have solved their goaltending issue. This team is too good not to be a playoff squad.

Detroit Red Wings To make Stanley Cup playoffs

+145

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We also very much like what the Red Wings have done during the offseason. Talbot solidifies their goaltending and they've assembled a lineup much more capable of playing playoff-type hockey.