Momentum can be a fickle thing.

On one hand you have the Phoenix Coyotes, who enter the playoffs as a division champion for the first time and home-ice advantage in the first round.

Then you have their opponent in the opener, the Chicago Blackhawks, who have been, well, eh, most of the year.

So who would Bovada give better odds to win the Western Conference?

The Blackhawks, naturally. Oddsmakers are clearly favoring experience over current momentum, giving Chicago an 8/1 shot at winning the conference, according to Bovada’s NHL Betting Odds.

In fact, the Coyotes are ranked dead last on the list at 12/1, tied with the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Kings.

“We’ve been laughing after someone told us we were the longest odds to win the Cup,” Phoenix captain Shane Doan said. “Those are the same people who picked us (to finish) 14th in the West before the season and here we are.

“We’ve never won a playoff series, but we’d never won a division either. It’s something you can’t wait to have the opportunity to answer. We have home ice and if we can win four of the next seven games we can put that stuff to bed as well.”

Regardless, both teams are looking up at the Vancouver Canucks, a strong 2/1 favorite to win the conference ahead of the St. Louis Blues (3/1) and Detroit Red Wings (7/1).

An upset alert could be lingering for the Canucks against the Kings in the first round. Vancouver won the President’s Cup, recently a damning trophy since 2002. Only one team since then (Red Wings, 2008) has won the President’s Cup and the Stanley Cup in the same season. If Los Angeles pulls off the upset, it will be because of goaltender Jonathan Quick, who’s 10 shutouts are a career-best to go along with a .929 save percentage.

Plus the Kings and Canucks split the season series. So there’s that.

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