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.
