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- The New York Rangers look to win their first division championship since 2015
- The Carolina Hurricanes look for their fourth straight division title
- The Philadelphia Flyers and NY Islanders are in the mix, but are betting longshots to win the Metropolitan Division in 2024
The Carolina Hurricanes have won their division every year since 2021. With their success during the regular season, the club was the preseason favorite to win the Metropolitan Division at the end of the 2024 NHL season. Carolina has played well this year, putting up a .656 winning percentage through 64 games played, but they are not the betting favorites to win the division as the 2024 season heads to a close. That spot belongs to the NY Rangers, who have a .688 winning percentage and a four-point lead over the Hurricanes in the Metropolitan Division standings.
Also in the hunt to win the Metropolitan are the Philadelphia Flyers, who finished the 2023 NHL season with a record of 31-18-13 and 75 points. The Flyers, who wrapped up last year as the second-worst team in the division, are currently in third place in the division with a 33-24-8 record. The Flyers will wrap up 2024 with their best record since they went 41-21-7 in the 2020 NHL season and went to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Before we look at the latest odds to win the Metropolitan Division and give our betting breakdown for the division, here’s where you can find the best Stanley Cup betting sites and the top betting sites for NHL hockey in 2023-24.
2024 NHL Metropolitan Division futures
| Teams |  |  |  |
| New York Rangers | -210 | -185 | -180 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | +140 | +110 | +150 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | +25000 | +10000 | +25000 |
| New York Islanders | +25000 | +30000 | +25000 |
NY Rangers
The last time the NY Rangers won the Metropolitan Divison was 2015, when the team finished the season with a record of 53-22-7. With 18 games left in the 2024 NHL campaign, the Rangers have a record of 42-18-4, and their 88 points puts them four points ahead of the reigning division champions, the Carolina Hurricanes.
The NY Rangers had a strong opening to the 2024 season, but things went awry for the team in early January when they struggled. Between January 2 and January 26, the club posted a record of 4-7-2. However, the Rangers have righted the ship as of late, with a 13-2-1 record since then. That stretch included a 10-game winning streak.
Artemi Panarin is the offensive leader for the Rangers. The 32-year-old is tops on the team in points (87), goals (35), and assists (52). Panarin has never broken the 100-point barrier during an NHL season, his high is 96 in 2022, but he is on pace for well over 100 points this season. Vincent Trocheck is second in team scoring with 61 points (24 G, 37 A).
Igor Shesterkin has been getting the majority of starts in the Rangers’ net as of late. He has a 27-13-2 record and a 2.60 goals against average. Shesterkin’s save percentage is .912 this year.
New York is the No. 9 team in goals per game (3.31), and the team checks in as the No. 4 team in fewest goals allowed per game (2.66). The Rangers have the No. 6 power play in the NHL (25.4 percent), while their penalty kill ranks fifth (83.7 percent).
The Rangers acquired some depth at the trade deadline, picking up Alex Wennberg, Jack Roslovic and Chad Ruhwedel.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes are in danger of not winning the division for the first time in four seasons. The team currently sits in second place in the division, four points behind the NY Rangers, with a record of 39-19-6.
The Canes were without starting goaltender Frederik Andersen for most of the season. The 34-year-old was 4-1 record before leaving the team in November because of blood clotting issues. He returned last week, and he is 2-0 in his two starts since then, allowing three goals on 44 shots. He’s likely to split time with Pyotr Kochetkov down the stretch, but there is a good chance that Andersen will get most of the starts as the Stanley Cup Playoffs near.
Sebastian Aho leads the team in scoring with 68 points, 25 goals, and 43 assists. The 26-year-old is the bright spot on the Hurricanes, and he is projected to set a career-high in points and assists this season. Seth Jarvis is second on the team in points with 50.
Carolina is averaging 3.36 goals per game (8th in the NHL) this year while giving up 2.70 (seventh fewest in the league). The Hurricanes have the third-best power play in the league at 26.4 percent and the third-best penalty kill (85.0 percent). The club fires the sixth-most shots on net, averaging 32.8 per game.
The Hurricanes made a big splash at the trade deadline, unloading Michael Bunting for Jake Guentzel, who was on injured reserve with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Guentzel played 50 games for the Pens and scored 52 points (22 G, 30 A). If Guntzel, who will be back on the ice soon, can score at the same pace he was, he will help the Hurricanes a great deal.
Best bets to win the NHL’s Metropolitan Division in 2024
The NY Rangers are the betting favorites to win the NHL’s Metropolitan Division in 2024, but I believe the value bet in this race is to take the Carolina Hurricanes. The Hurricanes have done well without their starting goalie for most of the 2024 NHL season. With Andersen back in the fold and Guentzel on the ice, the Hurricanes roster has recently improved dramatically. With those improvements, the betting pick is for the Carolina Hurricanes to win the Metropolitan Division in 2024.
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