Do the 2020 Stanley Cup Odds Say a Repeat is Possible?
The 2019-20 NHL season is now well underway, and with each team hitting the halfway mark at around 41 games played out of 82 in the regular season. As we ring in a new year, the NHL rings in a new stage of the season. Now is the time when the contenders separate themselves from the pretenders in the Stanley Cup race.
There is a small group of teams at the very top, and then a mix of contenders and pretenders in the next tier of teams with plenty of squads still in contention.
History tends to repeat itself, and it looks like that could be the case with each of the past two Stanley Cup Champions among the top teams in the league with the St. Louis Blues tied for second in the league with 58 points, and the Washington Capitals alone at the top with 59 points. The Boston Bruins, who lost to the Blues in seven games last year, are tied with St. Louis with 58 points.
After that, there are several teams separated by just a handful of points. Eight teams have between 53 and 49 points, with the New York Islanders leading that group. After that, there are still six other teams with at least 45 points. That means that over half of the league still has a realistic chance at making the playoffs and winning it all.
2020 STANLEY CUP
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The Best Choices When Looking at the 2020 Stanley Cup Odds
But who is worth your money? Well, that’s why we’re here.
The top three teams in the league — the Capitals, Bruins and Blues — are all among the favorites for the Cup. However, the first-place Capitals have just the fourth-best odds (+950), with the
Bruins as the favorites (+800) and Blues, who are tied for second in the NHL, with the fifth-best odds at +1150.
Those three teams all have what it takes to make a run into the spring at the Cup and are all worth a look. The Blues would be the best bet, as they still have Jordan Binnington in net and are making noise without star winger Vladimir Tarasenko, who could return before the end of the regular season and should be good to go for the playoffs.
Going past the top three, there are a few great value bets.
The Islanders are currently the fourth-best team in the league, but they are not getting any respect from Vegas (the bookmakers, not the Golden Knights). They swept the Penguins in the first round last year before being swept themselves by the Hurricanes in the second round. This year they have that experience under their belt and are ready to go.
The Isles are +1800 to win the Stanley Cup, which is just the 12th-best odds. Do 11 teams have a better chance to win the Cup? I don’t think so.
In a similar vein, the aforementioned Vegas Golden Knights are tied for sixth in the NHL with 50 points, but are tied for the 10th-best odds at +1500. The Golden Knights made it to the Stanley Cup Final just two seasons ago and they still have much of that same group intact — and then some (Max Pacioretty, Mark Stone) — to make another run.
Lastly, but definitely not least, are the Philadelphia Flyers. They are a team built on youth jelling with their core of Claude Giroux and Jake Voracek, and Carter Hart has been great in net for them this season.
The Flyers have 49 points, placing them 10th in the league, but they are a single point away from being tied for sixth in the league. However, they are in the bottom half of teams in terms of 2020 Stanley Cup odds. At +2700, this Philly team is worth taking a flier on.
