What was the NHL Stanley Cup futures market a few weeks ago is no more. The NHL?s bubble has seen its fair share of upsets. Pittsburgh and Edmonton - both No. 5 seeds - were eliminated by teams that back in March were well out of the playoff picture.
Boston, everyone?s favorite to capture the 2020 Stanley Cup, went to the bubble and promptly lost all three of its seeding games.
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That said, it?s time to re-examine the NHL Stanley Cup futures market.
Bruins Fading
Heading into the NHL restart, Boston was the NHL?s points leader. After scoring four goals in three games, the Bruins are now the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference. As a result, Boston?s odds to win the Stanley Cup, which were once as short as +400, have now faded to +800.
The Bruins will take on Carolina in its Round of 16 series. The Hurricanes were the only NHL team to sweep its qualification series. Carolina beat the Rangers in three straight games.
Knights, Avalanche Hot
The only team to go unbeaten among the top four teams in either conference was Vegas and the Golden Knights might be the hottest team in the NHL right now.
After starting the season rather ho-hum, Vegas reeled off 11 victories in 13 games just before the season was put on hold. The Golden Knights won all three of their seeding games and did it by scoring 15 goals in the process. You?re sure to see them in a few Free NHL picks as we get into the playoffs.
The Knights are now a +600 favorite to capture this year?s Cup.
So is Colorado. The Avalanche won two of their three seeding games and now will face Arizona in the Round of 16. With Nathan MacKinnon and a number of other Avs back in the lineup, Colorado is also listed at +600.
Beast of the East
Heading into the NHL restart, the Philadelphia Flyers were coming off nine wins in ten games just before the break. They promptly swept their three seeding games and are now the top seed in the East.
While NHL fans would have preferred a Philadelphia-Pittsburgh series, the Flyers will get No. 12 Montreal which beat the Penguins in four games. The Flyers join Vegas and Colorado as +600 favorites to win the Stanley Cup.
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What About The Dogs?
Underdogs have been a good bet - Montreal and Chicago, for example - so far in this NHL postseason. Without the benefit of home-ice advantage, it?s difficult to see a true underdog making it through the tournament, and online sportsbooks know this.
Still, the whole coronavirus thing has thrown bettors for a loop this season so anything is possible. The one underdog to keep an eye on is Carolina. NHL teams that are good defensively - like the Hurricanes - normally offer a bit more value in the postseason.
Carolina took it right to the New York Rangers in the qualification series. They limited the Rangers to just four goals in three games. Goalie Petr Mrazek won both of his starts and went 21-16-2 during the regular season.
The Hurricanes catch Boston in a slump. Carolina is listed at +1600 to win the Cup and they will have to do much better against the Bruins than they have recently in order to advance. Boston has won 10 of the last 11 games against the Hurricanes.
