Updated 2018 Stanley Cup Odds – April 30th

The Boston Bruins have vaulted to the top of the odds list in the chase for the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup after delivering a 6-2 walloping to the Tampa Bay Lightning down in Florida on Saturday night. That series still stands at 1-0, while the other three conference semifinal series are tied at two games apiece. As we consider sports betting for futures on the winners of the league championship, check out the odds below as well as some of our thoughts about each team. All eight of the remaining teams picked up at least 100 points in league play this year — a first in NHL history — which means that the competition should be stellar the rest of the way. Let’s take a look at the latest odds to win the 2018 Stanley Cup.

Updated 2018 Stanley Cup Odds – April 30th

• Boston Bruins                       +455
• Nashville Predators +495
• Vegas Golden Knights         +525
• Tampa Bay Lightning           +615
• Winnipeg Jets                       +615
• Pittsburgh Penguins            +660
• Washington Capitals            +805
• San Jose Sharks                   +960

Boston showed in Game One of their series with Tampa Bay why they have such a high ceiling — their defense was spectacular, and Tuukka Rask was even better behind them, stopping 34 of 36 shots. Rick Nash continued to show why he was such a terrific trade acquisition, scoring a pair of goals, and the top line of Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron put up an eye-popping 11 points. Even when Rask blew a blade on his left skate, and the Lightning took advantage by scoring to close the gap to 3-2, the B’s kept their composure and rolled to an easy win, tallying three goals in the third period. Are the Lightning out of it? Absolutely not. Remember — Vegas put up a 7-0 shutout in Game One of their series against San Jose, only to see the Sharks take Game Two in double overtime in Vegas, prevailing 4-3 — but more about that later. The Lightning did get 18 saves from Andrei Vasilevskiy, but on this night, the Bruins were skating around the Lightning like they were traffic cones. Tampa Bay has the speed and savvy to reverse the momentum and Game Two to send the series back up to Boston tied. Speaking of the Sharks-Golden Knights series, we knew that Vegas would not roll through the postseason undefeated — but that 5-0 start was quite impressive. The Golden Knights took a two-goal lead into the second period, but then San Jose rallied back to take a 3-2 lead before Vegas got the equalizer in the third. It took a power play in the second overtime for the Sharks to prevail. Martin Jones was much better in goal for San Jose, and with the series moving out to the Bay Area, Vegas has to regroup. A key stat to watch in that series is blocked shots. In the opener, Vegas blocked 26 shots while San Jose just blocked 13. Vegas blocked 26 more in Game Two, but San Jose blocked 36. San Jose was also smarter with penalties in Game Two, taking just six while Vegas took 11. I’ve picked the Sharks to win this series, and it will be crucial to see how Vegas responds to this loss. Washington and Pittsburgh are tied at a game apiece — but the Capitals have had two-goal leads in each game. I’ve picked the Penguins to win this series, because the Pens have driven Washington out of the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, and Alex Ovechkin has never appeared in a conference final, but Braden Holtby did post a solid game in Game Two, stopping 31 of 32 shots. Remember, though — Washington has blown three two-goal leads in eight games now in these playoffs, and few teams can jump on loose pucks better than the Penguins. One thing to watch — all five of Washington’s goals against Pittsburgh’s Matt Murray have gone to his glove side, so watch for shooters looking to continue to exploit that area as the series goes on. Murray has not played as well this season as he did a year ago, and the Penguins’ defense has also been more porous as a unit. When you think of the cities Nashville and Winnipeg, you may not associate those with elite hockey, but these were the two best teams in the NHL this year in terms of points. Their first two games so far have been high-flying, and it took two overtimes for the Predators to escape with a 5-4 win on Sunday night, sending the series tied up at a game apiece to Winnipeg. Nashville had the best road record in the NHL this season — while Winnipeg had the best home record, so something has to give. Both Pekka Rinne and Connor Hellebuyck played solidly in goal for their two teams in the first round, but this has been a track meet so far in the first two games. Whichever team can settle the other down on defense is the one that will advance to the West final, but right now things are too close to call. Nashville has the edge on the odds sheet thanks to their postseason experience, but the Jets are scary-good because of their speed right now.