The 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, taking part in two “bubbles” in Edmonton and Toronto, have already shown us that, even with empty arenas, the players on the ice still bring plenty of desire to the game.
The Philadelphia Flyers went 3-0 in their round robin games and took the top seed in the Eastern Conference — and then eliminated the Montreal Canadiens, 4-2, which led to the memorable scene of Flyers goalie Carter Hart shaking hands with his boyhood idol, Canadiens goalie Carey Price. Tampa Bay turned the tables on Columbus, who had eliminated them a year ago, by winning their first-round series in five games. The New York Islanders sent the Washington Capitals home, leading to another disappointing postseason for Alexander Ovechkin and Braden Holtby.
In the Western Conference, the Dallas Stars have won three games in a row (their Game 6 elimination of Calgary and their Game 1 and 2 wins in the second round against Colorado) after giving up leads of multiple goals, roaring back to score a combined 17 goals in those three contests. Oh, and the defending Stanley Cup champions? The St. Louis Blues? They lost in the first round to Vancouver in six games. What can you expect the rest of the way?
Check out the updated NHL betting odds for each of the remaining eight teams and our thoughts about your smart picks to win it all.
NHL Betting:
Updated Stanley Cup Championship Odds
| Stanley Cup Championship Odds | |
|---|---|
| Vegas Golden Knights | +285 |
| Boston Bruins | +485 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | +485 |
| Dallas Stars | +545 |
| New York Islanders | +650 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | +1050 |
| Colorado Avalanche | +1150 |
| Vancouver Canucks | +1900 |
Vegas Golden Knights | Check the Odds
I overlooked the Vegas Golden Knights a couple of seasons ago, and all they did was roll to a Stanley Cup Finals in their first season as a team, the first expansion to get that far since 1970, when St. Louis did it — but in that year, the whole Western Conference was made up of expansion teams, so Vegas’ achievement was even more significant. They still don’t have star power, but their system grinds down opponents with unrelenting pressure. Marc-Andre Fleury was able to stamp out a goalie controversy started by, all of people, his own agent, and the Golden Knights rolled over Chicago and have controlled Vancouver so far.
Boston Bruins | Check the Odds
The Boston Bruins look locked in for another trip to the Stanley cup Finals. They got swept in the round robin games but then started delivering whippings once the playoffs begin. Their top line has put up big numbers, and Charlie Coyle and David Krejci have contributed as well. The team misses starting goalie Tuukka Rask, who left the NHL bubble for personal reasons, but Jaroslav Halak has been elite in his relief.
Tampa Bay Lightning | Check the Odds
The Tampa Bay Lightning took care of business against Columbus in the first round this time, and now they are in a real fight against Boston. Over the last four periods, the Lightning have outscored Boston, 6-4, so they may have figured things out. Yanni Gourde’s line has been contributing solidly. How healthy is Victor Hedman, though? He looks less than 100 percent. Also, captain Steven Stamkos remains out.
Dallas Stars | Check the Odds
The Dallas Stars looked utterly lost in the round robin games, but starting with Game 4 of their first-round series against Calgary, their defense has emerged as a suffocating unit. They have limited Colorado’s scoring chances. They need to stop digging themselves holes in the early going, and Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn and Joe Pavelski need to keep generating offense. They could be getting hot at just the right time.
Colorado Avalanche | Check the Odds
The Colorado Avalanche are benefiting from solid play from Nathan McKinnon, who is skating circles around the rest of the hockey world right now. They suffered injuries to goalie Philipp Grubauer and defenseman Erik Johnson in the first games of their series with Dallas, so they definitely need to regroup after an easy win in their series against Arizona.
