NHL Stanley Cup Betting Odds
With the NHL regular season edging towards its final quarter, the battle for the NHL playoff places and possible Stanley Cup glory is starting to get serious.
Last year saw the Washington Capitals claim the Stanley Cup, winning the final 4-1 in games against new franchise debutants the Vegas Golden Knights in the final game.
Historically, it’s been Canadien teams who have been the most dominant in the Stanley Cup, with the most successful team, having won the trophy on 24 occasions, being the Montreal Canadiens. Next on the list of Stanley Cup victories are the Toronto Maple Leafs, with 13 trophies to their name. It’s been a long time since either team claimed the title though, with the Canadiens last success being in 1993, while the Maple Leafs last won the trophy was back in 1967.
There could well be a strong challenge from Canadian teams for the Stanley Cup this season, with the Maple Leafs, the Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets all seen as being leading contenders for the trophy.
Stanley Cup 2019 Betting Odds
The Lightning is solid favourites to win Stanley Cup 2019 in the betting odds at present. It’s very encouraging from a Canadian perspective that three teams representing the country are also among the favourites for the trophy.
Here’s the latest Stanley Cup 2019 outright betting lines (best available odds of the leading contenders in the market)…
Stanley Cup 2019 Betting Tips
It’s impossible to look past the Tampa Bay Lightning when it comes to the name at the top of any Stanley Cup 2019 betting tips. The Lightning have been hugely impressive in the regular NHL betting season to date and already look destined to secure home-ice advantage through their stay in the playoffs by winning the Presidents’ Trophy.
As things stand, the Lightning have 13 points more than any other franchise, while they can also boast the best Goals per Game average (3.80), the 6th best defensive record (allowing 2.77 GPG), the best Power Play % (29.1) and the second best Penalty Kill % (85.0). In Nikita Kucherov they also have the current leading points’ scorer for the season, while Brayden Point is among the leading goalscorers. Nobody could question the fact that the Lightning are strong Stanley Cup favourites at present.
That said, there does look to be a formidable three-pronged Canadian challenge this season, with the Flames, the Maple Leafs and the Jets all with very realistic chances of being crowned champions.
The San Jose Sharks are another leading contender and were many observers preseason Stanley Cup betting picks. There is also a case for the likes of the Nashville Predators, the Boston Bruins and the Capitals (although it should be said that, despite having the season’s leading goalscorer in Alexander Ovechkin on their roster, the Capitals haven’t looked the most convincing defending champions in the regular season to date).
Given their stats in the regular season, the Tampa Bay Lightning are the obvious predictions when it comes to Stanley Cup 2019 bets. The Maple Leafs might be somewhat inconsistent, but they could prove to be the main challenge to the Lightning.