2019 Stanley Cup Odds, Playoff Picture, Predictions

There are still 17 teams in play for the 16 playoff spots in the National Hockey League. Why? Because Montreal and Columbus are tied with 94 points at the last wild card position. Columbus has two games remaining, while Montreal just has one — so the Blue Jackets have a slightly higher probability of moving into the postseason. Strange things happen on the ice, though, so we’ll see how the last couple of nights play out. The heavy favorite is Tampa Bay, as they have run away with the President’s Trophy — although as we wrote in an earlier article, winning the trophy for the best regular season record doesn’t mean much as far as playoff success. It’s been more than a decade since a team that won the President’s Trophy for a full season won the Stanley Cup in the playoffs. We have the latest 2019 Stanley Cup betting odds for the 17 contending teams as well as predictions for the playoffs.

2019 Stanley Cup Odds, Playoff Picture, Predictions

Tis the season ❤️ pic.twitter.com/rz8ucsTcf8

— The Stanley Cup (@StanleyCup) 28 de marzo de 2019

Odds to Win the 2019 Stanley Cup Odds

• Tampa Bay Lightning                                                                                      +225
• Calgary Flames, San Jose Sharks, Toronto Maple Leafs                             +700
• Winnipeg Jets                                                                                                 +750
• Boston Bruins, Nashville Predators                                                                +1200
• New York Islanders                                                                                         +1400
• Pittsburgh Penguins                                                                                        +1600
• St. Louis Blues                                                                                                +1800
• Washington Capitals                                                                                       +2000
• Vegas Golden Knights                                                                                    +2200
• Montreal Canadiens                                                                                        +2500
• Columbus Blue Jackets                                                                                  +3000
• Carolina Hurricanes, Dallas Stars                                                                  +4000
• Colorado Avalanche                                                                                       +6600

St. Louis will win the Central Division

The Blues have been one of the hottest teams in the NHL since the All-Star break. They ran off an 11-game winning streak in late January and February. Jordan Binnington has taken over duties in net and has given the Blues a solid backstop on which they can rely — a key piece on any team that has designs on a deep playoff runs. The Blues have 97 points and one game remaining, tied with Winnipeg for second in the Central, one point behind Nashville. The Jets and Predators also have one game remaining, but if I have to pick one team to win and emerge as the division champ, I would bet on the Blues.

Tampa Bay’s offense will continue at an historic level

Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Steven Stamkos combined for 312 points as of yesterday. No trioo has combined for that many points in a season since Jaromir Jagr, Alex Kovalev and Martin Straka did it for the Pittsburgh Penguins, way back in 2000-01. I expect them to roll into the postseason, but as the rounds wear on and the game tightens, it will be interesting to see if the Lightning can keep up the expectations that accompany a team when they have the best record.

Calgary will have problems on the back end in the playoffs

The Flames’ goaltending was good enough to carry them through the Pacific, although that division title had as much to do with the Sharks’ collapse as it did with the Flames’ play. Bringing in James Neal in free agency from Vegas gave them an additional scorer. Can defensive woes keep the Flames from crashing out early, though?

Expect Washington to come out hungry

Yes, the Capitals had a long celebration after winning the Cup last year, and yes, they looked sluggish for the first two months of the regular season. But Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals are back, and their swagger will make noise again in the Stanley Cup playoffs this year.

San Jose will be one and done in the playoffs

Iffy goaltending has hurt the Sharks all season long, and there is nothing that exposes shaky net play like the Stanley Cup playoffs. They had a chance to win the Pacific Division until the last two months of the season, when their back end play started falling apart, and now I see the Sharks staying around for one series.

Dallas Stars and Pittsburgh Penguins

These are some interesting dark horses. The Stars get up for the top teams — but then come out looking sleepy against the mediocre and poor teams. There are only top teams left in the postseason, and Dallas has a chip on their shoulder. When it comes to Pittsburgh, there is no scarier offense in the league in the postseason.