Updated 2018 Stanley Cup Odds & Predictions - February 8th

Updated 2018 Stanley Cup Odds & Predictions – February 8th

Written by on February 8, 2018

The Vegas Golden Knights have led the Western Conference from the opening night of the NHL’s regular season, but their electric winning pace has slowed somewhat, and they find themselves just a point ahead of Winnipeg at this point (although with a game in hand). That (and the lack of star power on the Vegas roster) may explain why this expansion team is not the odds-on favorite to win the Stanley Cup when the playoffs roll around in a few months. Let’s take a look at the Stanley Cup odds for each of the 31 teams as well as some sports betting insights for some of the major players.

Updated 2018 Stanley Cup Odds & Predictions – February 8th

Tampa Bay

  • Stanley Cup Odds (5/1)
The only warning sign for the Lightning is a four-game drought on the power play. Special teams are an important opportunity in the postseason.

Nashville, Pittsburgh 

  • Stanley Cup Odds (7/1)
One transaction that may have gone unnoticed by many was the Predators signing Mike Fisher to serve as yet another center. The Penguins have moved to second place in the Metropolitan Division, and it’s hard to argue against Pittsburgh in the postseason, but at times this team looks like it’s running on fumes. Can they make it through four brutal postseason rounds?

Boston, Washington, Vegas 

  • Stanley Cup Odds (8/1)
With 35 games to play, Vegas already had more points than any other expansion team in its first year in the history of the league. It’s a no-name roster, but Marc-Andre Fleury has shown that Pittsburgh may have let the wrong goalie go in the expansion draft. In Washington, Alex Ovechkin has returned to dominant form, scoring 53 points in his first 50 games. In Boston, did you know that Tuukka Rask posted a 1.63 GAA in the last 19 games before the All-Star break? In those games he put up a 16-0-2 record and saved 93.9% of the shots he faced on goal.

St. Louis, Toronto 

  • Stanley Cup Odds (12/1)
This young Maple Leafs team could use a veteran reinforcement or two at the trade deadline, so that they can have some experience on the ice as they move toward the postseason. In St. Louis, it looks like the power play is on again. They’ve gone 5 for 12 in their last four games after a dreadful stretch in which they went just 1 for 27.

New Jersey 

  • Stanley Cup Odds (14/1)
This team appears to revolve around Taylor Hall. Like Toronto, this is a young team that could use some veteran seasoning now that the home stretch of the season is in sight. Will management deliver the roster some help?

Dallas, Winnipeg 

  • Stanley Cup Odds (16/1)
We know why Dallas is down here — they only play defense in about half of their games, which is why they have so many winning streaks, and so many losing streaks. But why is Winnipeg down here? They lost top center Mark Scheifele and have gone 8-2-2 while he’s been injured. How will they react, though, to the loss of blueliner Jacob Trouba?

San Jose

  • Stanley Cup Odds (20/1)
The Sharks face a tough stretch right now with Joe Thornton (knee) on the shelf. If Joe Pavelski and Tomas Hertl can shift their roles to fill the gap, though, the Sharks could keep pace in the West and remain a playoff contender.

Anaheim, Los Angeles, N.Y. Islanders 

  • Stanley Cup Odds (25/1)
The Kings are down here because they don’t score enough. Yes, they hung 3 goals on Dallas in the first game back from the All-Star break, and they have a sticky defense, and they have the top penalty kill in the NHL. But you also need to be able to score in the postseason. The Islanders have the opposite problem — they score in bunches, but they just don’t play defense at all. Anaheim is clinging to the edges of the playoff conversation thanks to the play of Rickard Rakell, a 24-year-old who leads the squad in goals with 18 and points with 38.

Columbus, Minnesota, N.Y. Rangers, Philadelphia

  • Stanley Cup Odds (28/1)
Columbus has a good defense, but their offense just scores 2.54 goals per game, 29th overall in the league. That won’t take you far once the playoffs begin, if they hang around that long.

More Stanley Cup Odds

  • Chicago (33/1)
  • Calgary, Colorado (40/1)
  • Edmonton (50/1)
  • Carolina (66/1)
  • Florida, Vancouver (125/1)
  • Detroit, Montreal (150/1)
  • Ottawa (500/1)
  • Buffalo (1000/1)
  • Arizona (2500/1)