Colorado Avalanche Favored to win Chaotic Central Division

• The Dallas Stars have the best record in the Central Division and the Colorado Avalanche have the fourth.
• The Avalanche started the season with -162 odds to win the Central and currently have +185 odds to get it done.
• The Minnesota Wild have +450 odds to win the Central and are currently riding a three game win streak.

DENVER – Following the Colorado Avalanche’s 2021-22 Stanley Cup winning season, they were given -165 odds to repeat as Central Division winners in the West. Even though they were the outright favorite during the preseason, the Central Division is up for grabs two months into the season.

Preseason Central Division Odds

• Colorado Avalanche -175
• Minnesota Wild +400
• St. Louis Blues +900
• Dallas Stars +1100
• Nashville Predators +1100
• Winnipeg Jets +2000
• Chicago Blackhawks +200

The Avalanche are currently sitting in fourth place for the Central Division by overall record, with the Dallas Stars sitting at the top. With Colorado only two wins behind Dallas, online sportsbooks still have the reigning champs as the favorite to win the division.

Current Central Division Odds

• Colorado Avalanche +185
• Dallas Stars +200
• Winnipeg Jets +350
• Minnesota Wild +450
• Nashville Predators +2000
• St. Louis Blues +5000
• Arizona Coyotes +50000
• Chicago Blackhawks +75000

While they dominated during the postseason, the Avalanche did not finish the 2021-22 season with a tight grip on their division.

2021-22 Central Division Final Standings

• Colorado – 56-19-7
• Minnesota – 53-22-7
• St Louis – 49-22-11
• Dallas – 46-30-6

There is NHL online sports betting value in taking the Avalanche’s odds to win the division before their odds potentially shorten as the season progresses. During the 2022-23 season, the Avalanche have gone 6-3 SU against Central Division opponents.

While Dallas currently has a two game lead in the division, they have failed to beat the Avalanche during the 2022-23 season. Dallas has also struggled against the Minnesota Wild, losing six of the two teams' last eight games since the 2019 season.

Looking at the Wild’s Central Odds

If not betting on the Avalanche to take the division, the Minnesota Wild are an intriguing bet after finishing in second place last year. The Wild have won their last three games and will be getting forward Ryan Hartman back from injury shortly.

Hartman has not played for the Wild since November first but made an impact during the nine games that he has played this season with a total of five points. The Wild currently have +450 odds to win the Central, sitting behind both Colorado and Dallas.