Bettors are backing the Washington Capitals and the Montreal Canadiens to come out of the East, while Dallas and Utah are the favorites in a wide-open race for the West.
The NHL season is officially underway, but before things really get going, it's still a good time to look at the futures markets.
One NHL betting market that is popular at this time of year involves who will win each conference. The bets for these teams means that they would have to reach the Stanley Cup Final to be declared a winner.
Here is a look at the Eastern Conference winner market, as well as the Western Conference at BetMGM, as of Sept. 30.
NHL Eastern Conference Betting at BetMGM
Although the Florida Panthers have the shortest odds (+340), they are not the most popular team. That belongs to the Washington Capitals (+700).
The Capitals have the fourth-shortest odds, but are taking in 31.7 percent of the money. Last year, Washington had a 43-30-9 record and finished fourth in the Metropolitan Division with 95 points. They ended up missing the playoffs, but with a revamped roster that includes forwards Alex Tuch, Jordan Kyrou and Boone Jenner, expectations have increased.
Another popular team are the Montreal Canadiens.
At +1000, the Habs are taking the most bets (19.2%) and the second-most money (29.5%). Last year, Montreal had a 48-24-10 record and finished third in the Atlantic Division with 106 points.
The Panthers are taking in 10.9% of the bets and 6.6% of the money.
Meanwhile, the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes (+400) have the second-shortest odds and are taking in just 6% of the bets and 3.1% of the money.
NHL Western Conference Betting at BetMGM
In the Western Conference, the Dallas Stars and Utah Mammoth are accounting for just shy of half the money.
Dallas (+750) is taking in 23.3 percent of the money, while Utah is taking in 22.2 percent of the money.
The Stars finished second in the Central Division a year ago before falling to the Minnesota Wild in the first round of the playoffs. The Mammoth qualified for the playoffs for the first time since relocating to Utah and finished fourth in the Central Division.
At +340, the Colorado Avalanche have the shortest odds and are taking in 15.8 percent of the bets and 7.4 percent of the money. Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers (+450) and the Vegas Golden Knights (+475) have the second and third-shortest odds, respectively.
The Oilers are taking on 11.4 percent of the bets and 9.8 percent of the money, while the Golden Knights are taking in 11.1 percent of the bets and 8.8 percent of the money.
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