As the NHL regular season reaches the 60-game mark, the race for top spot is heating up, both in the NHL standings and Stanley Cup futures betting odds at the online sportsbooks.
The Chicago Blackhawks continue to lead the way as 6/1 favorites in Stanley Cup betting favorites at sportsbooks available through www.bettingsports.com. The Hawks’ odds have held steady since opening the regular season at 13/2, despite their struggles at times to keep pace in the competitive Central Division.
The Nashville Predators currently sit atop the Central, entering the final week of February with a 12-point lead over Chicago in the divisional standings. The Preds have seen their Stanley Cup betting stock rise since acquiring defenseman Cody Franson and forward Mike Santorelli in a blockbuster trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
After opening the season as 75/1 longshots to claim their first Stanley Cup championship, the Predators end February trailing only Chicago in NHL futures betting at sportsbooks available through www.bettingsports.com, with odds of 17/2.
Another Western Conference powerhouse rounds out the top three on the Stanley Cup betting odds menu. The Anaheim Ducks reach the 60-game plateau in control of top spot in the Pacific Division, and are pegged as a 9/1 Stanley Cup bet at the online sportsbooks.
However, it has been a difficult month for the Ducks, winners in just five of their last 12, a slide that has had a slight impact on their odds, which had risen as high as 7/1.
With wins in their last seven straight, the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings have returned to NHL playoff contention. The Kings started the new year with just three wins in their last 15 games, putting a playoff berth in doubt and sending their Stanley Cup odds tumbling to 16/1. But with their current hot streak, LA has reclaimed third place in the Pacific and quickly rebounded to a 10/1 bet to win their third Cup in four years.
The Kings are joined at 10/1 by the St. Louis Blues, who have cooled down after a torrid stretch in which they won 12 of 13. The Blues remain in striking distance of Nashville in the Central Division, just seven points back entering the final days of February.
A pair of Metropolitan Division rivals is deadlocked at 12/1. The New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins have been engaged in a see-saw battle for top spot in the division all season long and share the best odds of any Eastern Conference club.
Four clubs remain tied at 14/1, including the Boston Bruins, Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers. The Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning are pegged at 16/1, followed by the San Jose Sharks and Washington Capitals, each sitting at 20/1.
The Cinderella story Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks trail the pack with odds of 33/1, followed by the Winnipeg Jets at 40/1, the Philadelphia Flyers at 66/1, and the Dallas Stars at a distant 75/1.
The Florida Panthers are pegged at 100/1 despite remaining within reach of a Wild Card berth in the Eastern Conference, followed by the Colorado Avalanche at 150/1.
Rounding out the pack are the Columbus Blue Jackets, who sit alongside the New Jersey Devils and Ottawa Senators as 500/1 Stanley Cup betting longshots.
