Last Monday night in Las Vegas, the Golden Knights did what nobody truly expected them to do at the beginning of the season – qualify for the Playoffs. The win against Colorado ensured they were the fifth team to do so this season, joining Tampa Bay, Boston, Winnipeg and Nashville.
Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy (#88) of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
That quintet are understandably the market leaders when it comes to Stanley Cup betting odds. In truth, it has been that way for a while now. It is getting to the point where anyone outside of that five winning the Stanley Cup would be regarded as something of a surprise. Their current odds reflect that:
Lightning 4/1
Predators 17/2
Bruins 9/1
Golden Knights 10/1
Jets 11/1
Incidentally, those odds are provided from Sportingbet, who offer some of the best online odds for the Stanley Cup. You can find out more about them and other sportsbooks, including how to get free bets for hockey, at Canadian Sports Betting.
Little to choose from between Tampa Bay and Nashville
As you can see, there is a significant gap between Tampa Bay and the rest. However, you could probably argue that Nashville should be a little closer to them in the odds, considering they have a marginally better record (109pts vs. 106pts) at the time of writing.
The only team not already qualified for the Playoffs that (in terms of odds) that could break up the monopoly above is Toronto. Sportingbet has gone as low as 8/1 on the Maple Leafs, putting them between the Predators and Bruins. However, it must be pointed out that other online sportsbooks like 888 (another bookmaker operating in Canada) go almost double that – 14/1 – on Mike Babcock’s team. Auston Matthews has slotted back nicely into the Toronto side, so things look like they are falling into place. But will they have enough to challenge someone like Tampa Bay or Boston in the first round of the Playoffs?
San Jose and Washington heating up at the right time of year
Going down the list of teams likely to qualify, you find two eye-catching candidates in Washington (14/1) and San Jose (20/1). Both sides have been getting hot in recent weeks, which looks like good timing giving that the Playoffs are on the horizon. We will learn a lot about San Jose’s credentials soon, as they have a tough end to the season with ties against several top teams. As for Washington, they look a good bet to win the Metropolitan Division at 6/4 as they have a five-point gap over Pittsburgh. They might need a little bit more to succeed in the Playoffs however.
Left Wing Alex Ovechkin (#8) of the Washington Capitals takes a slap shot from the blue line.
Blue Jackets look like a value pick for Stanley Cup
If you are looking for something that is more of a long shot, but not without merit, then the red-hot Blue Jackets are the way to go. Some sportsbooks are still going as high as 28/1 on Columbus, somewhat surprising given the way they have been playing over the last month. They are currently on a 9-1-0 streak, putting seven goals past Edmonton in their last game. The likes of Bobrovsky, Jones and Panarin are on fire at the moment. The Blue Jackets look the perfect type to upset the odds this year.
File photos courtesy of Lewis.Bleiman@prohockeynews.com
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