A quarter through the NHL season and the sportsbook bookmakers are sorting through the contenders and making adjustments to their Stanley Cup Odds to Win.
Everything is going to plan for some teams. The Nashville Predators, Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Buffalo Sabres will be happy with their starts, whereas Las Vegas’ Golden Knights “golden run” last season seems a distant memory.
It is of course with plenty of hockey still to come over the next six months it’s not too late for any team to change its fortunes. It’s worth remembering that there wasn’t a huge lot of buzz surrounding the Washington Capitals this time last year (and we all know how that panned out). On the other hand, it’s interesting to see where the bookmakers believe teams to be and if their current positions match up with the odds. Here take a look with the odds provided by 888sport.
The Favorites
Nashville has topped the our consensus power rankings week after week, so it’s no surprise that Predators are the Stanley Cup betting favorites with current odds of 17/2. Joining Nashville, unsurprisingly are the Lightning, who are given odds of 9/1. The pair met recently with Nashville squeaking out a 3-2 victory (perhaps a big psychological victory?).
The Lightning are not alone with those 9/1 odds however. The San Jose Sharks were given that price to lift a first ever Stanley Cup next year. There is a bit of a disconnect with the bookies and pundits here, with many thinking San Jose slightly-above average start to the season is about as good as it gets.
The Challengers
Toronto, with those big off season moves seemingly working well, are next in line at 10/1. The Bruins price of 23/2 – and you can work out the potential returns with this free bet calculator – looks quite tempting, with Boston boasting a mean defense. However, some improvements on the goal-front might be needed.
Winnipeg of course is up there too, with the Jets also given odds of 23/2. Canada’s ridiculously long wait for a Stanley Cup-winning team goes on, but you would have to think the Jets are in with a good chance of ending the 26-year drought. Next best from Canada are the 20/1 Calgary Flames who look to fly the Canadian flag in their first return trip to Stanley Cup Finals since 2005.
Last Year’s Protagonists
The champions have been just about okay so far this season. The Capitals find themselves with an overly leaky defense, but they have got by with some decent scoring. 14/1 is the price for a repeat victory, but one feels those odds are given out of respect for what they achieved last season rather than the merits of this one – so far.
For last year’s runners up, Las Vegas, it’s been fairly poor in terms of getting back that momentum that saw them rip up the rule book last year. In fact, even at this early stage a playoff spot might seem unlikely. The bookmakers at 888sport haven’t pulled the trigger just yet, keeping them on ice at 25/1, but those odds will start to get bigger if Las Vegas don’t turn things around.