2024-25 Boston Bruins Odds to Make Playoffs Are Too Short

The 2024-25 Boston Bruins are at a crossroads. They are only one point out of an NHL Wild Card spot but are chasing a Detroit Red Wings team with two games in hand. 

Do the Bruins go all in at the trade deadline in an attempt to salvage a disappointing season? Or do they stand pat and hope for the best, knowing they have another retool coming in the offseason? 

FanDuel Sportsbook’s NHL odds have the Bruins priced +240 to make the playoffs. Those odds are a bit too short for me to play. Here’s why. 

Odds Discrepancy

FanDuel’s price on the Boston Bruins to make the playoffs has an implied probability of 29.71%. However, the folks at moneypuck.com calculate the Bruins’ playoff chances at 15.6%. That percentage translated to American betting odds is +571. 

So, which odds are correct? 

The raw data doesn’t give the Bruins a great chance of reaching the playoffs, but a handicap includes more than that. 

David Pastrnak started 2025 white hot, netting 31 points in 18 games, including 15 goals. Hampus Lindholm’s return after missing 40 games should solidify a shaky Bruins defensive corps. Jeremy Swayman’s recent play is also a ray of hope. 

Bruins’ GM Don Sweeny could swing a trade before the deadline to jumpstart his roster’s playoff push. Rumors also continue swirling about Brad Marchand’s future. 

The Rise of the Blue Shirts

The Bruins weren’t the only team with high expectations to splat through the 2024-25 season. Last year’s President’s Trophy winners, the New York Rangers, flopped on Broadway through the 2024 portion of the season. 

Despite their struggles, the Rangers are only three points out of playoff position. They recently traded for J.T. Miller and Urho Vaakanainen. The Rangers are also lighting the lamp prodigiously in 2025, scoring the second-most goals in the Eastern Conference since the year’s start. 

The trades for Miller and Vaakanainen show that the Rangers and GM Chris Drury aren’t considering a rebuild. They’re interested in competing this year. 

The bad news for the Bruins? The Rangers have two games in hand.

The Schedule and Injury Gods Aren’t Kind

Another reason why I won’t play the Bruins +240 to make the playoffs is their schedule. With 25 games left, the Bruins play 14 against teams currently in playoff position. They must also face the New York Islanders and Montreal Canadiens, two teams still in the hunt. 

Boston’s final stretch is brutal, and they have zero wiggle room. To make matters worse, defenseman Charlie McAvoy suffered an AC joint injury and infection in his right shoulder during the 4 Nations Face-Off. 

A long-term injury to McAvoy could torpedo the Bruins’ playoff chances. 

Bruins Odds to Make Playoffs Are Too Short to Bet

The NHL Regular Season is very long but shrinks fast. The Boston Bruins spent more than half the season treading water, and they don’t have room for mistakes if they want to make the playoffs. 

I’m not saying I don’t think the Bruins won’t make the playoffs, but that the odds aren’t juicy enough to bet.