It’s been a fun NHL season so far with plenty of surprises and turns. And it continues to be this 2017 with teams hot in contention for spots in the playoffs. With that said, now is a good time to check on some of these teams’ odds to win and raise the Stanley Cup at season’s end.
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Favorites: Minnesota Wild, Columbus Blue Jackets
Thus far in his career, we pretty much know how a typical season goes for Bruce Boudreau. That is to perform so well in the regular season then crash and burn in the postseason. We’re not here to project that the Wild will follow the same trajectory as Boudreau’s Caps and Ducks of before, though.
We’re here to praise Minnesota—+700 to win the Stanley Cup this season—that has won 13 of its last 15 games as of this writing. That stretch includes a scorching 10-win run to close out year 2016. Defense has been a big part of Minnesota’s success with Devan Dubnyk playing like a man possessed between the pipes. Dubnyk leads the NHL in GAA (1.82) and in SV% (.939). As a team, the Wild are second with only 2.2 goals allowed per contest.
Speaking of hot streaks, we also have the Blue Jackets in here. It wasn’t long ago when Columbus had an amazing 15-game win streak that helped them race up to the upper echelon of several power rankings. And while that run has already been snapped and is replaced by a two-game skid, the Blue Jackets continue to share the shortest odds with Minnesota at the price of +700.
Other contenders: Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals
Hot on the heels of Columbus in the Metropolitan division are perennial championship contenders, Pittsburgh and Washington. Same in previous seasons, so long as Sidney Crosby and Evgeny Malkin are healthy, this is a team that can rip any opponent apart. Crosby has 42 points to date while Malkin has 43. With two 40-point scorers, no wonder the Penguins (+850) are tops in the league with 3.4 goals per game. The defense, though, needs work, as Pittsburgh is just 18th in GAA.
Still in the Metropolitan division, we got the Capitals, who have won all of their last five games, including a 5-0 demolition of Columbus that ended the Blue Jackets’ win streak at 16 games. Just like last season, the Caps (+1,000) are getting tremendous performance on goal from goalie Braden Holtby. Holtby is second in the league in GAA and third in SV%. Also encouraging for the Caps it the resurgence of Justin Williams, who has scored three goals and made four assists in his last five games.
Longshot: Detroit Red Wings
If there’s any good from the death of the legendary Gordie Howe, it’s that he’s no longer around to see his beloved Red Wings suck this bad. The Red Wings (+10,000) are on pace to miss the playoffs for the first time since 1991 with just 39 points in 40 games played so far.
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