Jimmy Boyd in 
When the regular season starts in early October nearly every team has hopes of making the NHL playoffs, but the odds aren’t in everyone’s favor.
In order to win the Stanley Cup you have to make the postseason, but how likely are each team’s chances? Take a look below.
2023-24 Odds to Make the NHL Playoffs
| Team | Yes Odds | No Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Anaheim Ducks | +1700 | −4000 |
| New York Islanders | +100 | −130 |
| Dallas Stars | −750 | +500 |
| Buffalo Sabres | −120 | −110 |
| New Jersey Devils | −750 | +500 |
| Arizona Coyotes | +500 | −750 |
| Detroit Red Wings | +230 | −300 |
| St. Louis Blues | +200 | −250 |
| Florida Panthers | −220 | +180 |
| Minnesota Wild | −200 | +160 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | +650 | −1000 |
| New York Rangers | −600 | +400 |
| San Jose Sharks | +1700 | −4000 |
| Washington Capitals | +250 | −320 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | +900 | −1800 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | +650 | −1000 |
| Boston Bruins | −300 | +235 |
| Colorado Avalanche | −1000 | +600 |
| Ottawa Senators | −130 | +100 |
| Calgary Flames | −180 | +145 |
| Winnipeg Jets | −145 | +115 |
| Vancouver Canucks | +120 | −150 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | −700 | +475 |
| Seattle Kraken | −115 | −115 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | −145 | +115 |
| Montreal Canadiens | +1700 | −4000 |
| Los Angeles Kings | −400 | +300 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | −190 | +150 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | −600 | +425 |
| Edmonton Oilers | −750 | +500 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | −1000 | +600 |
| Nashville Predators | +160 | −200 |
Strategy for Betting Teams to Make or Miss the NHL Playoffs
If you are going to bet on certain teams to make or miss the NHL playoffs then you are going to want the best chance to win as possible.
Deciding on which teams show value isn’t terribly different than handicapping NHL games, but you just have to extend that same analysis out into the future.
Before the season you are going to want to look at the team itself. How did they do last year? What changes did the team make to improve (or get worse)? Any big injury news and if so, when will the player return?
If you are wanting to make these bets after you see some action, then you might have to start considering the opponents. It’s not just how well or poorly the team is playing, but it’s the strength of the team’s remaining schedule that matters.
If they get cupcakes to finish out their slate their chances of making the playoffs are going to be higher than the same team having to take on a gauntlet of Stanley Cup contenders.
One site that keeps their model updated frequently with projections is MoneyPuck. These guys do a great job of specializing in the NHL from an analytics point of view.
List of NHL Playoff Droughts & Streaks
One thing you are going to want to consider is the franchise’s recent success of lack thereof. Sometimes a team that’s been close will be motivated to push through to the postseason, but most of the time the culture of the team that hasn’t done anything in awhile isn’t going to change overnight.
NHL Teams Struggling to Make the Postseason
Let’s start by taking a look at the teams that have been down for several seasons in a row.
Buffalo Sabres
It’s hard to believe that this team last made the playoffs in 2010-11. That’s a 12 season drought.
They were about 50/50 heading into this season so maybe ending the streak will give the team the extra push needed to get the job done.
Detroit Red Wings
One of the most storied franchises in the NHL has run on some hard times. The Red Wings have failed to make the playoffs for seven straight years dating back to 2015-16.
It doesn’t look like things are going to change heading into this year either.
Ottawa Senators
The team coming in third place on a list you don’t want to be on is Ottawa. It’s been six years since they made the playoffs, but with an even money shot at making it this season maybe this is their year.
Anaheim Ducks
The once Mighty Ducks have fallen on some hard times. Anaheim has been absent from the postseason since 2017-18, a span of five seasons.
It looks like that streak is going to extend to six.
San Jose Sharks
The Sharks have gone without seeing the postseason for four straight years and with the team they currently put on the ice, it looks like it’s going to be another long year in San Jose.
Teams that have missed for three straight seasons include: Arizona Coyotes, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Philadelphia Flyers, and the Vancouver Canucks.
Longest NHL Postseason Streaks on Making It
Boston Bruins
The Bruins are tied for the longest streak at seven straight and have fairly good odds of making the playoffs again this year.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs haven’t missed the playoffs since 2015-16 and are pretty big favorites to keep the streak alive. However, they have failed to win a championship during this run.
Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche fanbase is used to success so it’s no surprise they have made it to six straight postseasons with a strong chance of returning this year. The Avalanche also won it all back in 2021-22.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning have also made it to six straight postseasons and have won the Cup twice. However, the team might finally be running out of gas with only even money chances of making it again in 2023-24.
Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina should be a solid team again this season and having made five straight postseasons, extending that streak to six seems highly likely.