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NHL Betting Preview - Atlantic Division

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Odds to Win the Atlantic Division

  • Pittsburgh Penguins -200
  • New Jersey Devils +600
  • Philadelphia Flyers +375
  • New York Rangers +700
  • New York Islanders +5000

The Favorites

Obviously the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins are the clear cut favorites to win the division. Pittsburgh had a miraculous run in the second half of last year after Dan Bylsma took over and went from not even being in the playoffs to running the table. The Penguins have the best one two punch with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and lost very little from last year’s championship team. Despite finishing behind New Jersey last year the Penguins are clearly the best team in the division and should roll getting it done at -200.

The Sleepers

The Flyers and Penguins both finished with 99 points last season. The Flyers made a big splash to bolster their blue line acquiring Chris Pronger. It seems like every year goaltending is an issue in Philadelphia and this year is not different as the Flyers are taking a big gamble bringing in Ray Emery. With young guns like Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne the Flyers are the only team in the division that has a chance to challenge Pittsburgh. Philadelphia has not won the cup since 1975 and are good enough to compete in the East if the Penguins are upset.

The Long Shots

It was a tough playoff loss last year for the blue shirts blowing a 3-1 series lead to Washington in the first round. The Rangers struggled scoring goals all year and hope to have addressed this situation bringing in Marian Gaborik who is a great talent but has many issues staying healthy.

The Rangers spent a lot of money on Gaborik, which could be a disaster if he is not a consistent 40-goal scorer. The Rangers will only go as far as Henrik Lundqvist takes them but they just are not deep enough to compete with Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

The New Jersey Devils had a great regular season last year winning the division and finishing with 106 points but in game seven they melted down against Carolina giving up two late goals and losing in game seven on home ice. The Devils lost their head coach and a ton of talent from last year’s team, most notably Brian Gionta and John Madden. The Devils will struggle scoring goals and with Martin Brodeur's game in decline the Devils will be battling just to make the playoffs.

Coming off a 26-win season things can only get better for the New York Islanders. New York is counting on first overall pick John Tavares to lead this team back to the post season. The Islanders are deep between the pipes bringing in Dwayne Roloson who has backstopped a team to the Finals a couple of years back. Rick DiPietro's 15-year contract will always be a nightmare for this team and their salary cap. The Islanders do have young talent but they are still a number of years away from competing.

Outlook

This division should be won by the Penguins unless they suffer from a Stanley Cup hangover. Philadelphia has the talent up front and on the blue line but have too many question marks in goal. The Devils have taken a huge step back and the Rangers should be able to get themselves in the playoffs.

Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins -200