The puck is hours away from dropping on the 2021 NHL season. It'll be a sprint to the playoffs as the 31 NHL teams are set to play 56 games over the course of the next 116 nights.
The defending champion Lightning are expected to make a big run once again, with preseason odds billing them as the top team in the new Central Division. They also hold the second-best odds to win the Cup. The No. 1 team? The Colorado Avalanche. Led by captain Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and head coach Jared Bednar, the Avalanche are poised for big things in 2021.
Below are the odds from FanDuel.
NHL 2021 regular season odds
EAST DIVISION
| Team | Odds |
| 1. Boston Bruins | +250 |
| 2. Philadelphia Flyers | +450 |
| 3. Pittsburgh Penguins | +450 |
| 4. Washington Capitals | +550 |
| 5. New York Islanders | +650 |
| 6. New York Rangers | +700 |
| 7. Buffalo Sabres | +1600 |
| 8. New Jersey Devils | +2000 |
CENTRAL DIVISION
| Team | Odds |
| 1. Tampa Bay Lightning | +140 |
| 2. Carolina Hurricanes | +400 |
| 3. Dallas Stars | +490 |
| 4. Columbus Blue Jackets | +850 |
| 5. Nashville Predators | +850 |
| 6. Florida Panthers | +900 |
| 7. Chicago Blackhawks | +1800 |
| 8. Detroit Red Wings | +3700 |
NORTH DIVISION
| Team | Odds |
| 1. Toronto Maple Leafs | +140 |
| 2. Edmonton Oilers | +460 |
| 3. Montreal Canadiens | +460 |
| 4. Calgary Flames | +700 |
| 5. Vancouver Canucks | +700 |
| 6. Winnipeg Jets | +800 |
| 7. Ottawa Senators | +4800 |
WEST DIVISION
| Team | Odds |
| 1. Colorado Avalanche | +140 |
| 2. Vegas Golden Knights | +175 |
| 3. St. Louis Blues | +550 |
| 4. Arizona Coyotes | +1400 |
| 5. Minnesota Wild | +1400 |
| 6. Anaheim Ducks | +1800 |
| 7. San Jose Sharks | +2200 |
| 8. Los Angeles Kings | +2400 |
2021 Stanley Cup odds, favorites
| Team | Odds |
| Colorado Avalanche | +650 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | +850 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | +850 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | +1200 |
| Boston Bruins | +1400 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | +1700 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | +1700 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | +2000 |
| St. Louis Blues | +2000 |
| Dallas Stars | +2200 |
| Edmonton Oilers | +2200 |
| Washington Capitals | +2200 |
| Montreal Canadiens | +2600 |
| New York Rangers | +2600 |
| New York Islanders | +2800 |
| Calgary Flames | +3200 |
| Nashville Predators | +3300 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | +3500 |
| Vancouver Canucks | +4000 |
| Florida Panthers | +4800 |
| Winnipeg Jets | +4800 |
| Arizona Coyotes | +5000 |
| Buffalo Sabres | +5500 |
| Minnesota Wild | +5500 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | +6000 |
| New Jersey Devils | +6000 |
| San Jose Sharks | +6000 |
| Anaheim Ducks | +7000 |
| Los Angeles Kings | +7500 |
| Ottawa Senators | +10000 |
| Detroit Red Wings | +20000 |