By: Ryan Gilbert
The Boston Bruins Stanley Cup Odds as the NHL Restarts
If the NHL season resumes, it will do so in a format that has never been seen before. 24 teams are currently eligible to win the Stanley Cup: eight teams that have clinched a spot in the playoffs, and 16 teams that must win a best-of-five play-in series in the “qualifying round.” Luckily, the Boston Bruins are not one of those 16 teams.
Thanks to a stellar regular season, the Bruins are one of the eight teams – four in each conference – that will instead play in a round-robin tournament to determine the top four seeds. The Bruins will face off against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals, and Philadelphia Flyers in the opening round.
The Bruins should end up with the top seed, but a lackluster set of round-robin games puts them in danger of falling to the third or fourth slot, which could hurt them in later rounds.
Bruins’ odds to win the Eastern Conference: +300
The Boston Bruins are looking for their second straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final. After a heartbreaking Game 7 loss last year to the St. Louis Blues, they are once again poised for a run to the Cup.
The Bruins are co-favorites to win the Eastern Conference, along with one of their round-robin foes: the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Bruins and Lightning have been towards the top of the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference not only this season, but in most recent years, so this should come as little surprise.
The Bruins absolutely should be the favorites, as they were undoubtedly the best team in the NHL this season. They had the most wins (44) and points (100), while losing just 14 times in regulation – six less than the second-best total in the Eastern Conference.
Boston’s odds aren’t very favorable, however, as a +300 bet has some risk in it. If they are to lose in the playoffs, it will likely be to an Eastern Conference opponent. However, there may be a bet worth making.
Bruins’ odds to win the Stanley Cup: +650
If you want to bet on the Bruins this postseason, take a look at their odds to win it all. They are still co-favorites with the Lightning, but the Bruins have a much better team with more experience.
The Bruins have one of the best lines in the league – if not the best – with Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Pastrnak. The trio totalled 107 goals this season, with Pastnrak leading the way (48 goals and 47 assists for 95 points).
They have solid depth as well with David Krejci, Charlie Coyle, and deadline addition Ondrej Kase raring to go.
Not only do they have some of the best forwards in the league, they also have the best goaltender tandem. Tuukka Rask (26-8-6, .929 save percentage, 2.12 goals against average) was great as their starter, and Jaroslav Halak (18-6-6, .919 SV%, 2.39 GAA) was pretty darn good as the backup. If Rask falters in the playoffs, they know they can rely on Halak.
If that isn’t enough to convince you, the Bruins went 20-6-1 since January 7th, and 15-4-0 since the All-Star Break (January 31st). They are the best bet to win the Stanley Cup.
