- The Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets are tightly packed at the top of the Central Division standings
- The Jets trail the Avalanche and Stars by two points, but Winnipeg has games in hand and a better winning percentage than Colorado and Dallas
- The Avalanche won the Central Division in 2022 and 2023
The tightest divisional race in the NHL in 2024 is in the Central Division where the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets are within two points of each other as the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs approach. Colorado, who have played 68 games, have 91 points. The Stars, with 69 games played, also have 91 points. Meanwhile, the Jets, with 66 games played on the 2024 NHL season, have 89 points. Of the three clubs, the Jets have the best winning percentage at .674.
If Colorado wins the Central Division in 2024, it will mark the third year in a row the team has finished at the top of the division. As for Dallas, their last divisional title came in 2016. Meanwhile, if Winnipeg captures the Central, it will mark the team’s first divisional championship in franchise history.
Before we look at the latest odds to win the Central 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 Central Division futures
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche are once again playing well without Gabriel Landeskog, who is missing for a second straight season due to knee surgery. Colorado has racked up the most goals in the NHL (194), while allowing 160 goals. Colorado’s plus-34 goal differential is the third-highest total in the NHL’s Western Conference this season.
Nathan MacKinnon had a career year last season with 111 points. MacKinnon, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 NHL entry draft, has surpassed those numbers in 68 games played this season. He leads the team and the NHL with 116 points. He’s also first on the team in goals (42) and assists (74). Mikko Rantanen is second on the team in scoring with 90 points and he too could have a career-best season in 2024 after setting a high of 105 points last year.
Colorado’s starting goaltender, Alexandar Georgiev, is 35-15-3 on the season with a 2.83 goals against average and a .902 save percentage.
The Avalanche score the most goals per game (3.71) in the NHL and rank 13th in fewest goals allowed per game (2.99). The club is seventh in power play percentage (24.8 percent) and ninth in penalty kill (81.5 percent).
At the trade deadline, the Avalanche addressed one of the team’s most significant needs, picking Casey Mittelstadt to play center on the second line. Mittelstadt, who came over from Buffalo, is on pace to top his career-high of 59 points this season.
Winnipeg Jets
The Winnipeg Jets are on pace to have one of the best seasons in team history in 2024. The club will be hard-pressed to match their best year, 2018, where they went 52-20-10, but they could match or beat that total if everything goes well for the rest of the season. The Jets were active around the trade deadline, picking up some key pieces in Sean Monahan, Tyler Toffoli, and Colin Miller to shore up the roster as the playoff push heats up.
Mark Scheifele leads the Jets in scoring with 58 points. Kyle Connor is the team’s top goal scorer with 28, and Josh Morrissey is first on the club in assists with 48. Morrissey is also the team’s second-leading scorer with 56 points on the year.
Connor Hellebuyck is having a fantastic year in the Jets’ net. He has a record of 30-15-3, a GAA of 2.34, and a SV% of .921. He ranks first in the league in goals against average (2.33) and save percentage at .921.
Winnipeg ranks 17th in goals scored per game this year with 3.09 and first in fewest goals allowed per outing (2.36). The team’s power play is 20th and clicking at 19.4 percent. The Jets penalty kill ranks 22nd in the NHL at 77.7 percent.
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars‘ decision to keep their core together for another year was wise. The team was a deep one last year, with nine players who scored more than 10 goals in the regular season. Adding Matt Duchene to that group only helped, as Duchene has 23 goals this season.
Jason Robertson leads the Stars in scoring with 68 points. He is also first on the team in assists with 45. Dallas’ leading goal scorer is Roope Hintz, with 26. Six Stars’ players have scored 20 or more goals this season, and Mason Marchment has 19. Joe Pavelski is second on the team in scoring with 58 points.
Jake Oettinger missed some time in the Dallas net in December and January, but he is back in his starting role and getting most of the time in goal for the Stars. Oettinger has a 25-13-4 record with a 3.05 goals against average and a .896 save percentage.
The Stars score the second most goals per game in the NHL at 3.59 and give up the 15th fewest markers per outing at 3.01. Dallas has the number 8 power play in the NHL (23.8 percent) and the No. 11 penalty kill (80.7 percent).
The Stars were largely quiet at the trade deadline, but they picked up Chris Tanev before the deadline to help on defense.
Best bets to win the NHL’s Central Division in 2024
A bet on any of the three teams fighting for the Central Division title in 2024 makes sense, as the odds present some betting value for each team. However, the battle for the Central Division comes down to the Avalanche and the Jets. Looking at their schedules down the stretch, the Avalanche, the best home team in the NHL in 2024, have more home games than the Jets, who have also played well on home ice in 2024. With that and the moves they made at the trade deadline, the betting pick is for the Colorado Avalanche to win the NHL’s Central Division in 2024.
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