This season’s All-Star break marks the traditional midway point of the NHL regular season although most teams are approaching the 50-game mark of an 82-game schedule. This gives bettors plenty of insight into which of the 31 teams have what it takes to win a world title when it comes to betting on the 2018 Stanley Cup futures at BetOnline.
2018 NHL Stanley Cup Favorites to Win
The team at the top of the list heading into the break is the Tampa Bay Lightning at +550 betting odds. There is no real reason why this team should not be favored to win it all this season given what it has accomplished so far.
The Lightning have the best record in the Eastern Conference behind the most balanced team in the NHL. With right winger Nikita Kucherov and center Steven Stamkos leading the way, Tampa Bay is ranked first in the league in scoring with an average of 3.5 goals per game. It has the forth-best power play with a 23.8 percent conversion rate. What really adds value to this team’s odds to win it all this season is Andrei Vasilevskiy in goal with a .930 save percentage and a goals-against average of 2.21.
2018 NHL Stanley Cup Contenders
The list of contenders to win this year’s Stanley Cup is varied. The Boston Bruins and the Washington Capital top the list at +1000 as veteran playoff teams that are solid on both ends of the ice. However, joining this list is the expansion Vegas Golden Knights. They have stunned the hockey world with a 32-11-4 record through their first 47 games to boast the most points in the Western Conference.
The Golden Knights should draw some serious betting attention from the home-town crowd to turn things completely upside down in the NHL by winning a world title in their first try. They have the balance across the board to compete with any team in this league at second in scoring with 3.4 goals a game and seventh in goals allowed (2.6).
The biggest plus for Vegas could be veteran experience in the most important position on the ice. Marc-Andre Fleury has turned back the clock in goal with a 1.75 GAA while going 12-3-2 in 17 previous starts. If he can stay healthy over the second half of the regular season heading into the playoffs, there could be quite a bit of value in a small play on these +1000 odds.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have won the last two Stanley Cup titles and their odds for a threepeat stand at +1400. The first half of the season has basically been forgettable for Pittsburgh at 26-21-3, but the key takeaway is the wide-open race for the Metro Division title. If the Penguins can play with some better consistency in the second half while keeping all their top players healthy in the process, this could be the top-valued team on the whole list.
2018 NHL Stanley Cup Top-Valued Longshots
There are any number of teams with longer odds that have a chance to make a deep run in the postseason, but the value drops off dramatically when it comes to winning it all. None the less, Chicago should draw some attention at +2500 despite its last place standing in the Central Division given that the Blackhawks have already won a trio of NHL titles since 2010. The New York Rangers are in the thick of things in the Metro to add some value to their +2500 odds to win a Stanley Cup and you can get the San Jose Sharks at +2000 out west as the second-best team to Vegas in the Pacific Division.
