Updated Stanley Cup Betting Odds – January 19th Edition

We’re just past the midpoint of the 2017-18 National Hockey League regular season, so it’s time to take another look at the latest Stanley Cup betting odds for most of the teams. The Tampa Bay Lightning (+675) and the Vegas Golden Knights (+900) are the favorite in the Eastern and Western Conferences, respectively, as the Lightning have augmented their stellar offense with a stingy defense, and Vegas has turned a collection of castoffs from the expansion draft into a team that is firing on all cylinders and shows no signs of slowing down. Let’s take a look at the lines for top contenders and pretenders, and then we’ll give you some perspective on squads that you should consider in your futures sports betting.

Updated Stanley Cup Betting Odds – January 19th Edition

The #NHLFlames are still en fuego, and big movers in @JimCerny‘s latest NHL power rankings.https://t.co/La8CRbW1RS pic.twitter.com/UQBm5ePev7

— Sporting News Canada (@sportingnewsca) 17 de enero de 2018

Top Contenders

Tampa Bay Lightning

• Stanley Cup Betting Odds: +675

How about those Tampa Bay Lightning? Yes, they are tops in the NHL in offense at 3.6 goals per game and third overall in goals permitted (2.5) and the power play (24.4%). However, they just took a 4-1 shellacking from the Vegas Golden Knights in a potential Stanley Cup Final matchup on Thursday night — and down in Florida, no less. Marc-Andre Fleury, back from the concussion protocol, stopped 28 shots, and David Perron led the way with a goal and an assist. James Neal, Nate Schmidt, and William Karlsson had the other tallies. With 30 wins, Vegas needs only four more wins to break the record (33) for an expansion team — and they have 40 more games to break it. While Tampa Bay has tons of speed, that effort did not show up against the Golden Knights, who have the speed and the defense to shut teams down.

Boston Bruins

• Stanley Cup Betting Odds: +900

The Boston Bruins are the hottest team in the Eastern Conference right now, unbeaten in regulation in their last 10 contests and riding a two-game winning streak. They are five points behind the Lightning in the East, with a game in hand. Their most recent win came on Thursday night as they delivered a 5-2 lesson to the New York Islanders, behind a Patrice Bergeron hat trick. The Bruins score 3.3 goals per game (sixth overall) but only permit 2.5 goals per game (second overall) and have a top-six power play and penalty kill units. The Bruins have been dangerous on offense for years, but it’s just this season that the defense has clicked, and the B’s are climbing the standings.

Toronto Maple Leafs

• Stanley Cup Betting Odds: +1200

Toronto had been red-hot but have just three regulation wins in their last 10 contests. Their penalty kill ranks third overall at 84.2%, but they are hemorrhaging goals as of late, sliding to #18 in the league (2.9 goals per game). They gave up a backbreaker in overtime in Philadelphia on Thursday night, falling 3-2. Right now, the franchise is weighing the benefits of trading their leading scorer, Auston Matthews, to see if they can get some assets for a player who could leave for nothing after next season. If they deal him, expect the production to dip — along with their Cup chances.

Colorado Avalanche

• Stanley Cup Betting Odds: +5000

In the West, the Colorado Avalanche have caught fire, winners of eight in a row and nine of their last 10. On Thursday night, they beat the San Jose Sharks, 5-3, thanks to a pair of goals from Nathan McKinnon. This streak has taken off without goalie Semyon Varlamov, who is likely to miss at least another week and a half. This team rolls on offense, scoring 3.3 goals per game (fourth overall), but their defense is just too generous to see them as a contender, as they give up 2.9 goals per game (19th overall).

Pretenders

• Las Vegas: +900
• Washington: +1400
• Winnipeg: +1400
• Nashville: +1400
• St. Louis: +1800
• Los Angeles: +1800
• Pittsburgh: +1800
• New Jersey: +2000
• Columbus: +2200
• Minnesota: +2200