The NHL regular season is rapidly coming to a close to set up the 16 teams that will square off in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. This is the second season that every hockey fan and bettor has been waiting for.
There is nothing more exciting that postseason play in the NHL. The pace of the game changes. Some sharpshooters get sharper while some lose their aim. Goals suddenly become harder to come by against a goalie in the zone. The results from the regular season can be thrown out the window because it is all about momentum in a best-of-seven playoff series format.
This makes betting the games more of a thrill and more of a challenge. This also pertains to betting on which teams will advance through the first three rounds leading up to the Stanley Cup Finals.
One of the more popular NHL futures to bet in early March is looking three months ahead to predict which two teams will face one another in that final best-of-seven clash. There is definitely some value to be found in the odds with so many possible combinations.
2020 Stanley Cup Finals- Exact Matchup
As mentioned, the regular season is just a warmup for the postseason. Past success in the playoffs is a good indicator of a team’s ability to make a deep run this year.
The Boston Bruins come to mind in the Eastern Conference. They are turning on the afterburners in the Atlantic Division with 96 points through 67 games. They have been the class of that division all season long, and it looks like the Bruins will hold off the resurgent Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals for the top seed in the conference.
The Western Conference is a bit more jumbled. The St. Louis Blues are setting the pace with 90 points in 67 games as the defending champs. They are also the hottest team right now along with the Colorado Avalanche, who are hot on their tails in the Central Division race with 87 points in 65 games.
That battle will continue until the end of the regular season and most likely through the second round of the playoffs. At that point, one of these teams will move on.
The real battle is further out west in the Pacific Division title race. Five teams are separated by a total of 10 points in the standings. The Vegas Golden Knights have gained some traction with nine wins in their last ten games. Las Vegas itself has been impressed by making the Golden Knights the favorites to win the conference at most sportsbooks on the Strip.
The best odds on the board for the exact matchup in the Cup Finals are +1200 for a Boston vs. Vegas series. The next best odds at +1350 have Tampa Bay coming out of the East to face the Golden Knights.
The next two matchups add in the top two teams in the Metro Division with a Washington vs. Vegas series at +1800 while a Pittsburgh vs. Vegas series is fourth on the board at +2100.
Despite having the most points in the West and the Stanley Cup still in their possession, the Blues are not feeling the love from the online books. The best odds involving the reining champs point to a rematch against Boston at +2300. These are the same odds for a Bruins vs. Avalanche matchup for the 2020 NHL title.
You cannot go wrong going chalk with Boston vs. Vegas at +1200 odds. Yet, I also like the value in the +1800 odds that the Golden Knights get a chance to avenge their loss to Washington in the 2018 Cup Finals.
