National Hockey League Stanley Cup Odds Update
Teams with Realistic Chances to Win in the NHL
National Hockey League Stanley Cup Odds Update
It’s been two weeks since the last day of the National Hockey League regular season and we are now deep into the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs with one team already advancing to the Conference Semifinals with the Vegas Golden Knights and the Winnipeg Jets, who are going golfing for the summer upon elimination. Let’s take a look at the remaining teams and their current odds to win the Stanley Cup in this Stanley Cup latest betting news.
The Favorites
Leading the pack is the Boston Bruins, who are the odds on favorite at BetUS Sportsbook as of press time at +250. The B’s, who set National Hockey League records for the Most Wins and Most Points in regular season history, are up 3 games to 2 over the Florida Panthers, who play Game Six on Friday night in Sunrise, Florida.
With a ton of offensive talent and the heavy favorite to win the Vezina Trophy for best goaltender in Linus Ullmark, the Bruins are only going to get stronger and larger as favorites as time goes on. The Toronto Maple Leafs (+600) are the second largest favorite amongst Eastern Conference clubs, however, considering their lack of finish in closing out series has been dwindling during their 20-year run of failing to advance out of the First Round, the Leafs have a 3-2 series lead over the three-time defending Eastern Conference champs, the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Out of the Western Conference, the Edmonton Oilers (+700) and Vegas Golden Knights are the top two contenders to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup. The Golden Knights have already punched their ticket to the next round, eliminating the Winnipeg Jets in five games.
With Vegas now advancing to their fifth Western Conference Semifinals in their six seasons of existence, they have already cemented their legacy as one of the best franchise starts in league history. They will be in a for a Pacific Division collision in their second round series, with the Edmonton Oilers leading 3-2 in their opening clash with the Los Angeles Kings.
With an abundance of scoring talent led by superstar Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and secondary scorers Zach Hyman, Evan Bouchard and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, It’s going to be very difficult for teams to slow down the Oilers in a best-of-seven series.
Mid-Range Contenders
In The Western Conference, two middle-priced options that seem destined to match-up in the Conference Semifinals are the Dallas Stars (+1200) and the Colorado Avalanche (+1100), however the Avs are trailing three games to two against the Seattle Kraken in their first round series, with Game Six being played on Friday at Climate Pledge Arena.
The Dallas Stars will look to bounce their division rivals, the Minnesota Wild, as they have a 3-2 series lead heading back to Saint Paul for Friday’s showdown. The Stars are hoping to get veteran forward Joe Pavelski back from injury after getting ran over in vicious fashion by Minnesota defenseman Matt Dumba.
Meanwhile, the Avalanche, who lost over 500 man games due to injury during the regular season, just haven’t been able to shake this bug that has plagued them and it seems like their summer could be coming to a start sooner than planned with one more defeat.
Looking over towards the East, we have a pair of Metropolitan Division foes with the same listed odds prices in the Carolina Hurricanes (+1100) and the New Jersey Devils (+1100). The Canes will have a tough road in front of them trying to beat strong goalie Ilya Sorokin one more time after taking a 3-1 series lead only to lose at home 3-2 in Game Five. Should they advance, they will line up to face-off with a Devils club that they split the four-game series during the regular season.
New Jersey holds a 3-2 series lead over their rivals, the New York Rangers. After dropping 0-2 and getting outscored 10-2 in their first two games of the series, at home no less, Head Coach Lindy Ruff went with backup Akira Schmid and the rookie has been sensational with three consecutive victories, including a 23-save shutout in the Game Five victory on Tuesday night.
LONG SHOTS
It’s hard to imagine the three time Prince of Wales Trophy winners could be viewed as a longshot but the Tampa Bay Lightning (+4000) have looked like the last three extended postseason runs have taken it’s course and the Bolts are trailing 3-2 in their opening round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Hockey fans, of course, have seen this movie before.
Just last season, Toronto blew a 3-1 series lead to the Lightning in the first round. Tampa Bay hasn’t lost an opening round series since 2019, when they were upset by the Columbus Blue Jackets the same year they won the President’s Trophy during the regular season.
The Seattle Kraken (+2800) seem unfazed by their first postseason trip in franchise history, with a 3-2 series lead over the defending Stanley Cup Champion Colorado Avalanche, they will have a chance to advance to the second round in front of their home fans, but will have a tough task ahead of them in the Conference Semifinals, likely facing the Dallas Stars.
Check out all the updated National Hockey League NHL Schedules 2022-23, lineups, future odds, NHL team stats, recent news, picks and parlays and betting tips, right here at Point Spreads.
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