Rangers’ Updated Odds Put Them at The Top
The New York Rangers are Now the Stanley Cup Favorites
Most of us are wrapped up in individual game wagering, but as we continue to monitor daily NHL Hockey scores, we shouldn’t forget about Stanley Cup future wagering because there is plenty of value with every team left.
The New York Rangers and Colorado Avalanche are the co-favorites at +425 with the Florida Panthers close behind at +450.
The Edmonton Oilers are down in their series against the Vancouver Canucks but are still the fourth choice to win a cup at +500, followed by the Dallas Stars (+750), Carolina Hurricanes (+900), Boston Bruins (+1000), and the Vancouver Canucks (+1300).
Let’s analyze each of the remaining Stanley Cup playoff participants to land a future winner.
New York Rangers (+425)
We’ve touted the New York Rangers for a while now and there’s no reason to stop now.
We cringed just a little when the Rangers won the winner of the President’s Trophy because you know how that goes, but we were ahead of the curve back in March when bookmakers had the Blue Shirts at +1100 (6th choice).
It was a gradual climb to respect from the bookmakers who had New York at +1400 (8th choice) a few minutes after the Vegas Golden Knights won their first Cup.
That number grew to +2000 (10th choice) right before the puck dropped on the NHL season. The books came to their senses after the first half of the season with New York starting 25-10. Their odds shortened to +750, co-favorites with the Colorado Avalanche.
We have New York as the top-rated team in our latest power rankings with Ranger updated odds at +425 are our choice to cash a Stanley Cup ticket.
Colorado Avalanche (+425)
The Colorado Avalanche dropped the first game of the postseason to the Winnipeg Jets and probably would have won that game if there had been more time. Since this defeat, the Avalanche have won five straight by a combined score of 26-11 and 29-12 since the 6:29 mark of the third period of Game 1.
We have the Avalanche as the second-ranked team in our latest NHL power rankings.
Our advice if you like Colorado to hoist the silver, is to bet them now because the Dallas Stars will not go away and have shown tremendous resiliency in the postseason dating back to last season.
Since 2018, the Avs have compiled 46-24 (.657) +8.24 units, only the Montreal Canadiens (+1217 units) and Vancouver Canucks (+1000 units) have produced more profit. The Avalanche will represent the West in the final but fall short against the Rangers.
Florida Panthers (+450)
The Panthers are in for a battle with the Boston Bruins but are settled into the third spot in our power rankings. We knew what the Panthers’ game plan would be after losing game one to the Boston Bruins, turning this series into a fight.
That’s exactly what they did a year ago after falling behind in the series 3-1. Deep into the third period, the Bruins and the Panthers featured a 10-player brawl that set the tone for the rest of the series. There is a lot of disdain between the division rivals but when it comes to future wagering the winner may not have much left to get over their third-round opponent.
Edmonton Oilers (+500)
The Edmonton Oilers blew a 4-1 lead against the Vancouver Canucks in game one, but still have better odds to win the Stanley Cup than Vancouver. That’s what happens when you have the best NHL player in the world on your team.
Connor McDavid added an assist to his resume’ in game one but failed to get a single shot on net in the 5-4 loss. Edmonton is better than Vancouver and will win this series, but we predict will fail to make it past the second round unless McDavid makes more of an impact than two goals in his previous 10 NHL games.
Dallas Stars (+750)
If you like the Dallas Stars to win the Stanley Cup, +750 is as good as bettors are going to find at any point moving forward. If they lose game two the number will increase but a bet at that point would be throwing money away.
We can talk all we want about depth and how much Dallas has, but unless they can get over the curse of the Avalanche, depth won’t matter. The Stars owned a 3-0 first-period lead in game one but ran out of steam after a seven-game series against the Vegas Golden Knights.
If Dallas loses tonight, the series is over so tread lightly with a future wager on a team that is better on paper, but is up against a club that appears to have their number.
The Rest Is Still Worth Consideration
The Carolina Hurricanes (+900), Boston Bruins (+1000), and the Vancouver Canucks (+1300) can all make a case that they will be the teams to win a Cup. The Canucks lead their series 1-0 against the Edmonton Oilers while the Bruins are 1-1 with Florida.
Even the Hurricanes are worth a look despite being down 2-0 to the Rangers because of the teams with the worst NHL odds, the ‘Canes are the best team. Boston may have the most compelling reason to back them with a bet.
The New York Rangers’ updated odds sit anywhere between +385 and +450, so make sure you shop for the best number and do it before they win another game against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Only the Bruins have 20 wins (20-13) over teams in the top 10 of our power ranking and 29 (29-21) over the top 16 teams. The fun part about this time of year is that bettors could make a case for every NHL Hockey team left in the postseason, but we have to stick with New York who seems to have the path of least resistance.
For NHL betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
