The previous NHL season was arguably the best one in history. So many surprises and fantastic results, haven’t been recorded so far, and just to remind you that NHL has existed since 1917.
Eventually, the St. Louis Blues took the Stanley Cup trophy for the first time in history. A team that was among the worst in the league around the New Year ended on the throne. One other situation was also stunning, and that is the fact that both conference leaders and all division winners suffered elimination in the opening round of the playoffs. The moment once Carolina Hurricanes beat Washington Capitals in Game 7, that playoff episode entered all history books.
Could this year be as fun?
This campaign promises to be interesting too. There isn’t a team that is a favorite like, for example, Tampa Bay was last year. Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals are the top two contenders with odds 8/1 on both of them. Slightly behind are Colorado Avalanche, 9/1, while the reigning champions, Blues, sit at 10/1. Tampa Bay and New York Islanders are 12/1. This is just a tiny part of the list, and if you want more Stanley Cup odds, just follow the link.
The Bruins and the Blues are topping the respective conferences, with a solid gap between them and the rest of the rivals. Though Colorado is between the champs and the rest of the teams in the West, but for now, they didn’t manage to endanger Craig Berube’s crew.
What about the rest?
Toronto Maple Leafs used to be one of the sides with solid prospects of winning this year’s Stanely Cup trophy. At the start of the season, bookies held their championship run at 17/2. Yet, somewhere along the road, they suffered a meltdown, which forced the management to fire head coach Mike Babcock after four and a half seasons spent in Ontario. The Maple Leafs were 9-10-4 in the moment of his departure.
Sheldon Keefe replaced Babcock, and ever since, the team has exploded, posting an 11-2-2 record. So if you search for a dark horse, the Maple Leafs are an excellent choice. At the moment, odds on them taking the title are 14/1.
Meanwhile, more than 26 years have passed since Winnipeg Jets captured the title, and one team from Canada won the silverware. The bookies don’t expect to see that repeating at the end of the campaign. Currently, the odds on the Canadian team to take the Stanley Cup trophy are 10/3 and for the opposite 2/9.
Who could take each Division?
We’ve mentioned that divisional titles didn’t mean anything during the previous season. Yet betting on divisional winners is always interesting, and it won’t be any different in this campaign. Here are the biggest favorites for taking the No.1 seeds in Eastern assemblies — Boston Bruins in the Atlantic division, 5/19, and Washington Capitals in the Metropolitan division 4/6.
The circumstances are a bit more complicated in the West. Three teams are aiming the top spot in the Pacific division, Golden Knights and Arizona Coyotes both at 14/5, and Calgary Flames at 17/5. A similar situation is in the Pacific division, Colorado 8/5 and St. Louis 9/5.
All in all, the 2019/2020 NHL campaign promises a lot in terms of thrill, and excitement. After last year’s roller-coaster in the playoffs, it will be fun to watch to see how things develop now.