Updated 2018 Stanley Cup Odds – May 14th Edition

The Vegas Golden Knights have led a charmed existence through this postseason, rolling to a sweep of the Los Angeles Kings and then a six-game series win over the San Jose Sharks, and now they face the Winnipeg Jets in the Western Conference finals. It looks like the Golden Knights will have their hands full, as the Jets took a 4-2 win in the series opener. In the Eastern Conference, the Washington Capitals went down to Tampa Bay and won the first two games in their conference final, with the Caps winning by a combined 10-4 score in those contests, surprising many who thought that the Lightning would follow their dominant series win over Boston with a similar series against Washington. Check out our NHL betting thoughts about each of the four teams remaining in the chase for the Stanley Cup.

Updated 2018 Stanley Cup Odds – May 14th Edition

New faces in new places in the @NHL Conference Finals. #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/tvMEzJOnQJ

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) May 14, 2018

• Washington Capitals                                      3/2
• Winnipeg Jets                                               17/10
• Vegas Golden Knights                                 4/1                  
• Tampa Bay Lightning                                   13/2

Let’s look at the Eastern Conference Final first. I have to admit that I thought that the Washington Capitals would lie down for the Pittsburgh Penguins for a third year in a row in the postseason, but they didn’t. They almost fell to Columbus in the first round, digging themselves a 2-0 hole before roaring back to win that series in six games — and then they took down Pittsburgh in six games as well, rolling to a thrilling overtime win in the elimination game.

So how would they fare against the Tampa Bay Lightning?

Tampa Bay took an ugly 6-2 loss in their series opener against the Boston Bruins but calmly swept the next four games, eliminating a Boston team that looked like it had finally solved the defensive nightmares that had kept an elite offensive team from advancing far into the postseason. The problem for the B’s in that conference semifinal round was offense, ironically, as the Lightning shut down their attack. Washington, though, has come out ready to dominate, as though finally breaking into a conference final has given the Capitals an additional boost of energy, with Alex Ovechkin leading the charge. In Game Two, Washington scored in the first minute of the game, but then it looked like Tampa Bay would take charge when they took a pair of iffy penalties and turned them into a pair of power-play goals. That would be it for Tampa Bay, though, as Washington scored five unanswered goals to take the win. Tampa Bay has looked hesitant in the first two games of this series, which is a definite turnaround from their play through the regular season and the first two postseason series, and they face a real hole now. Since the 1974-75 season, teams that have taken a 2-0 lead in a conference semifinal or final have gone on to win that series 39 of 41 times. So if Tampa Bay’s going to come back, that effort will take on historic proportions. With Games Three and Four set to return to Washington, that comeback would be even more historic.

What About on the West?

As we look out west, we see a Winnipeg Jets team that is absolutely unimpressed with the historic run that the Vegas Golden Knights have taken as an expansion team in a conference final. It took less than a minute for Dustin Byfuglien to open the scoring for Winnipeg, who would take a 3-0 lead in the early moments of the first period before holding on for a 4-2 win. The Jets had had less than 48 hours of rest after eliminating Nashville in Game Seven of the Western Conference semifinal, while the Golden Knights had had almost a week of rest after knocking off the Sharks. As impressive as the Jets’ early offensive onslaught was, it was their defense that was even more suffocating, as Connor Hellebuyck only faced 20 shots on the night, stopping 18. On the Golden Knights’ end, it looks like Marc-Andre Fleury is showing signs of wear and tear. He did stop 22 shots, but four shots made it into the net. He has permitted three or more goals in five of the team’s last six games. Vegas was able to outscore San Jose and win the series anyway, but Fleury may have to stand on his head in order to get the Golden Knights past Winnipeg and into the Cup Final. Given how Vegas has bounced back on multiple occasions this postseason already, I’m not writing them off yet — but I still have Winnipeg as my pick to win this series.