Tag: ice hockey odds

Chicago Blackhawks emerge as great value Stanley Cup contenders

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The Chicago Blackhawks have emerged as the NHL’s form team going into the home straight of the season and now look set to seriously challenge for the Stanley Cup. The 2015 champions are on a seven-game winning streak, are 9-1 in their last 10 games and are piling pressure on the Minnesota Wild at the top of the Central Division. They now look a good futures bet for the division, the Western Conference and the Stanley Cup.

Central Division

The Wild have spent most of the season heralded as the top team in the Central Division and in the Western Conference, but they are in real danger of being usurped by Chicago. The Blackhawks have now won as many games as Minnesota, although they have played an extra two games, so the Wild have the chance to maintain a lead at the top. Minnesota Wild are in good form, at 7-3 in their last 10, but Chicago is in great form: that 9-1 puts them by far and away the best performing team in the NHL right now. They will be boosted by the return of Johnny Oduya, who rejoined just before last week’s trade deadline, while Patrick Kane is on fire. He easily won the Hart Trophy last season as nobody was close to his level of performance or his stats, but started slowly this time around. Now he is truly playing like the defending champion and 14 goals in 13 games from the start of February, including two hat-tricks, is phenomenal. With him in this sort of mood, Chicago is a danger to anyone. Minnesota deservedly heads the betting in this division at 4/9 with Bet365 and Paddy Power, but the 15/8 William Hill is offering on Chicago looks really interesting right now.

Stanley Cup Futures

Despite the sensational form of Chicago, it is hard to discount the Washington Capitals as Stanley Cup frontrunners. At 44-14 they have the best record in the league and are 6-3-1 in their last 10. What really sets them apart is their goal difference. The +73 is remarkable, particularly when you consider that the Montreal Canadiens – leading the Atlantic Division – are only on +18. The Wild are relatively close, at +63, while the Blackhawks are only on +34.

Quite simply, the Caps have scored more and conceded fewer than anyone else in the league. Having the best offence and the best defence is highly unusual, and it makes them definitely the leading contenders. The bookmakers agree: the Caps are 11/2 favourites with Ladbrokes and Boyle Sports, followed by Minnesota, which is 6/1 with Bet Victor and Paddy Power. But the Blackhawks have emerged as a real threat and have overtaken 2016 champions the Pittsburgh Penguins as third favourites. They are now down to 9/1 with Boyle Sports, but that still looks an attractive price on a team surging with confidence and led by a genuine superstar in Kane.

Upcoming Games

On Thursday the Penguins travel to Winnipeg to face the Jets, who are among the league’s worst teams defensively. Pittsburgh really should win this game. On the same day, the in-form Boston Bruins host the Detroit Red Wings, bottom of the Atlantic Division and really struggling of late, and Pittsburgh-Boston could make a nice double. Friday sees Chicago host the Anaheim Ducks, a strong team that is quietly plugging away in the Pacific Division. But it is practically impossible to oppose the Blackhawks right now and the odds on them winning this one outright are very enticing: bookmakers are set to go to around 4/6 on Chicago and that looks a great bet.

Stanley Cup Race Looks Wide Open in Exciting NHL Season

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

We are now into the business end of the NHL regular season and several leading teams are battling to reach the playoffs. There are some frontrunners but what makes this season so fascinating is that no overwhelming favourites have emerged and the fight to reach the Stanley Cup looks wide open. That means there is plenty of value to be had when betting on who will win each conference and who will claim this year’s Stanley Cup. Here we run through the contenders for each and preview some upcoming games.

Eastern Conference

The Montreal Canadiens are on a three-game losing streak and have lost seven of their last eight games, leaving their lead at the top of the Atlantic Division looking extremely perilous. The Ottawa Senators have won the same number of games – 31 – but have played two fewer, so should soon claim the mantle at the top. The real form team of the division, however, is the Florida Panthers, with eight wins out of 10, while the Boston Bruins are also doing very well of late. Any of them could make it into the playoffs, but the winner of the Eastern Conference is highly likely to come from the Metropolitan Division.

The Washington Capitals are leading the division and have the best record in the NHL this season (they have won 39 games, the same as the Minnesota Wild, but they have a better goal difference) and are currently favourites to win the Eastern Conference at 11/4 with Betfred and Boyle Sports. The two teams behind them, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Columbus Blue Jackets, are the second and third favourites for the east at 9/2 and 6/1 respectively with Ladbrokes. Only then do you come to a team from the Atlantic Division, where the Canadiens are out at 7/1 with Betfred. The Capitals may have lost their last two games, but they are seven in 10 and in the best form in the division right now, so they deserve to be favourites ahead of the Penguins, who won the Stanley Cup last year. The Blue Jackets are an interesting long shot, having pulled off some great wins this year, and the New York Rangers also look good at 15/2 with Boyle Sports.

Western Conference

The Minnesota Wild have opened up a comfortable lead at the top of the Central Division and are in great form. They lead the Chicago Blackhawks and both look nailed-on for a playoff spot. They could well meet in the Western Conference Finals, as no team from the Pacific Division looks good enough to challenge them. Last year’s Western Conference winners, the San Jose Sharks, who lost to the Penguins in the Stanley Cup Finals, lead the division and should hold off the charge of the Edmonton Oilers. But the Sharks are not playing well of late and have lost six in 10. At this time of season, you want to look for teams that are building momentum, and in the Western Conference, it is hard to look past the Wild. They are the favourites, but you can still get a very generous 9/4 with Betfred – great when many bookmakers will only go to 6/4 – so that looks a good bet right now.

Stanley Cup

The Wild and the Capitals have been the two best teams in the league so far and head up the betting, with the Caps at 6/1 and Minnesota 17/2 with 888 Sport. It is hard to argue with that, and there is little to choose between the two at present, but the Caps shade it due to a devastating offence. A good long-shot could be the Rangers at 15/1 with 888 Sport. They have muscled their way into contention in the Metropolitan with seven wins from 10, with Henrik Lundqvist leading the charge.

Upcoming Games

Thursday sees the Caps travel to Philadelphia to face the Flyers. They should be confident after beating Philadelphia 5-0 last month and can repeat the feat here, with Coral offering 6/4 on a Washington win. The Ducks have been much improved of late and should beat the Bruins on the same day, with Sky Bet offering 10/11.