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- Preseason Atlantic Division betting favorites, the Tampa Bay Lightning, are a longshot to win the division
- Defending Atlantic Division champion Boston Bruins are struggling
- Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs are surging
The Boston Bruins had the best record in the Atlantic Division A — and the NHL — at the end of the 2023 NHL season, wrapping up the year at 65-12-5 with 135 points. They beat out the Toronto Maple Leafs (50-21-11), who had 111 points, the Tampa Bay Lightning (46-30-6 and 98 points), and the Florida Panthers (42-32-8 and 92 points). The other four teams in the Atlantic finished outside the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2023. With around 20 games left in the 2024 NHL season, the same four clubs are in the running to win the Atlantic Division. The Detroit Red Wings, who finished last year with 80 points, are also in the mix in the Atlantic in 2024.
Before we look at the latest odds to win the Atlantic 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 Atlantic Division futures
| To Win NHL Atlantic Division in 2024 |  |  |  |
| Florida Panthers | -250 | -250 | -143 |
| Boston Bruins | +250 | +250 | +179 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | +1000 | +850 | +610 |
| Detroit Red Wings | +6600 | +20000 | +8500 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | TBA | +20000 | +9500 |
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are surging. The team returned from the All-Star break with a 31-14-4 record and in second place in the Atlantic Division behind the Boston Bruins. Today, the Panthers sit in first place in the NHL and in the Atlantic with a record of 41-16-4, which gives them 86 points, one more than the Western Conference-leading Vancouver Canucks and two more than the struggling Boston Bruins in the division.
The Panthers are 10-2 since the All-Star break. The club’s two defeats were both one-goal games, losing to the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 on February 6 and 1-0 to the Carolina Hurricanes on February 22. Florida has won four straight as of this writing.
Sam Reinhart is on pace to have a career season. The 28-year-old center leads the team in goals and is second in the league, with 42 markers on the year. Reinhart’s previous career-high goals was 33 in 2022 in his first year with Florida. If things go well for Reinhart, he could have his first 100-point season. Matthew Tkachuk is also in fine form this year. He might not score 100 points, but he is second on the team in scoring with 69 points and a team-leading 48 assists.
As for goaltending, veteran Sergei Bobrovsky is putting up some of the best numbers of his long career with a 2.30 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage.
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are slumping. The team came back from the All-Star break with 71 points (31-9-9), which put them at the top of the Eastern Conference and the Atlantic Division. Today, Boston sports a 35-13-14 record with 84 points. Boston isn’t getting blown out, but the team is struggling to score goals and come out on top in close games, as their five overtime losses since February 6 indicate. The Bruins could still win the Atlantic Division, but the team needs secondary scoring to do so, something they need to address at the upcoming trade deadline. The club also needs to get healthy.
David Pastrnak is the offensive leader of the Bruins. The winger has a team-leading 87 points. Pastrnak also leads the club in goals (34) and assists (49). Pastrnak is fourth in the NHL in scoring on the season. He is on pace to set a career-high in points. Brad Marchand is second in team scoring with 53 points (26 goals, 27 assists). Look for the Bruins to pick up some offensive help at the NHL trade deadline.
Boston’s goaltending duo of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman have split time in net for the Bruins, and both are playing well. The duo has combined for a 2.76 goals against average and a .919 save percentage. The Bruins have mostly alternated the two as starters over the past few weeks.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs made it past the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2023 for the first time since 2004, and while many felt the team should have gone further than that, the team’s success in the postseason had fans looking forward to 2024. Things did not turn out well for the Leafs early in 2024, but the team is surging as of late, including a seven-game winning streak, which is the team’s best run since 2003.
Goaltender Ilya Samsonov has not played well this season. The team waived him and then loaned him to the Toronto Marlies of the AHL after he went unclaimed on waivers. Samsonov has played better as of late, going 10-2-0 in his past 12 starts, but look for Joseph Woll to start picking up more starts. Woll returned to the ice on February 29 after missing 35 games with a high-ankle sprain.
William Nylander leads the team in scoring with 83 points. He is also tops on the team in assists with 50. Meanwhile, Auston Matthews topped the 50-goal barrier for the second time in his career. Matthews has 53 goals in 59 games. Matthews scored 15 goals during February. He is the only player in the NHL with more than 43 goals this season.
The Leafs are the top goal-scoring teams in the league, with an average of 3.65 goals per game. However, the club is in the bottom half of the NHL in goals allowed per game, with an average of 3.15.
Best bets to win the NHL’s Atlantic Division in 2024
The Florida Panthers are the betting favorites to win the Atlantic Division in 2024. Still, the 2023 Eastern Conference representatives in the Stanley Cup Finals present little betting value at the current betting odds. For those who like the Boston Bruins, that bet has some value, especially if the club moves to shore up its scoring at the trade deadline. As for the Toronto Maple Leafs also present an excellent betting value, but the Maple Leafs are always a risk, since the team struggles with consistency. The betting pick is for the Florida Panthers to continue their strong play and win the NHL’s Atlantic Division in 2024.
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