OK, let’s try and answer the question on the lips of all hockey fans. Who is going to win this year’s Stanley Cup?
With these things, it’s always interesting to see what the real market makes of things as opposed to the experts’ stated views (though we’ll come back to the experts in a moment) – as the two aren’t always the same thing!
The world’s biggest betting exchange betfair, therefore, seems to be the most logical starting point to find out what the punters really think. And in this case, there’s a bit of a discrepancy between the market and the experts, although it’s only slight. As things stand, the punters have the Anaheim Ducks installed as slight favorites just ahead of the experts’ choice, the Chicago Blackhawks, although both teams are around the 8/1 mark.
There’s then quite a gap to the Pittsburgh Penguins followed by the Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, St Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning, San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks at around 30/1.
These are seen as the main contenders and the view is broadly reflected by the experts. According to a panel of experts assembled by NHL.com, the sport’s ultimate team accolade will remain in the Western Conference for the fourth straight season. That’s because seven of the 12 member panel of hockey experts listed the Blackhawks as probable Stanley Cup winners. And if this does come to pass, it will be the third time in just six seasons that the Stanley Cup has gone to the Chicago team. That is not a bad record! The Blackhawks were also victorious in both 2010 and 2013.
Interestingly, the LA Kings were chosen by four experts from the panel of 12. If this came to pass, the Kings would be the first team to retain the trophy since the Detroit Red Wings managed the feat in 1997 and 1998.
The panel was split between LA and Chicago winning the Western Conference, but for the Eastern Conference there was far more divergence of opinion with seven members selecting the Boston Bruins, and three going for Tampa Bay Lightning.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of all this analysis is the discrepancy between the market and the experts when it comes to the punters’ favorites, the Anaheim Ducks. None of the experts see the Ducks winning overall, but the market certainly does despite this week’s 6-2 loss to the Florida Panthers.
Overall, though, there’s quite a degree of convergence over the Blackhawks, so maybe Chicago will be like a second home for the Stanley Cup yet again?
You must be logged in to post a comment.