Favorites to win the Stanley Cup

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March 26, 2019
Harry How // Getty Images

Favorites to win the Stanley Cup

No matter which team had won last year’s Stanley Cup Finals, it would have been an incredible story. The Las Vegas Golden Knights seemed poised to make history by becoming the first expansion team in a major American sport to win a championship in their first season in existence. Instead, a different heartwarming narrative came to fruition. A modern-day legend, Alexander Ovechkin, finally overcame his postseason woes and led the Washington Capitals to their first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history by beating the Golden Knights in five games.

While the Golden Knights and the Capitals are very much in the middle of the playoff picture this time around, other franchises are stealing the headlines and catching the eyes of the oddsmakers in Las Vegas. The Tampa Bay Lightning have put together their best season in franchise history, surpassing their franchise-best point total of 113 back on March 16, with 10 games remaining on their schedule. They are essentially a lock for the Eastern Conference’s top seed, but unlike the NBA, an 8-seed in the Stanley Cup Playoffs is more than capable of pulling off a first-round upset. Since 2001, seven top-seeded teams have been defeated in the first round by their wildcard counterparts.

In the Western Conference, the playoff picture is more muddled. The Calgary Flames and San Jose Sharks are contending for the top spot, while the St. Louis Blues—who seemed left for dead before the All-Star break — dramatically increased their postseason odds by rattling off 11 straight wins from Jan. 23 to Feb. 19. If they can string together another streak like that, they could be a dark horse to make a run in the Western Conference.

With three teams mathematically eliminated from playoff contention (Red Wings, Senators, Devils), let’s take a look at the Stanley Cup odds for the 28 other contenders who are hoping to make a run this March. Crunching odds from Bovada and stats from ESPN (last updated March 14, 2019), Stacker is taking a look at favorites to win the Stanley Cup. Teams are ranked by their odds to win, with ties broken by goal differential. Detroit, Ottawa, and New Jersey are excluded from this gallery because they do not have betting odds.

Will the Capitals get hot and make a bid to defend their championship from last season? Could the Islanders, with former Capitals coach Barry Trotz in tow, return to their playoff prominence of the early '80s? Read on to discover the likelihood of those occurrences and all other outcomes.

 

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Matthew Stockman // Getty Images

#28. Los Angeles Kings

- Odds to win Stanley Cup: +250000
- Record: 25-36-8 (58 points)
- Goals for per game: 2.35 (Rank: #27)
- Goals against per game: 3.14 (Rank: #22)
- Goal differential: -0.79 (Rank: #28)

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Katharine Lotze // Getty Images

#27. Anaheim Ducks

- Odds to win Stanley Cup: +45000
- Record: 28-34-9 (65 points)
- Goals for per game: 2.27 (Rank: #28)
- Goals against per game: 3.01 (Rank: #16)
- Goal differential: -0.74 (Rank: #27)

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Bruce Bennett // Getty Images

#26. New York Rangers

- Odds to win Stanley Cup: +45000
- Record: 28-29-13 (69 points)
- Goals for per game: 2.76 (Rank: #21)
- Goals against per game: 3.24 (Rank: #24)
- Goal differential: -0.48 (Rank: #26)

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Jonathan Daniel // Getty Images

#25. Vancouver Canucks

- Odds to win Stanley Cup: +40000
- Record: 29-32-9 (67 points)
- Goals for per game: 2.69 (Rank: #24)
- Goals against per game: 3.06 (Rank: #19)
- Goal differential: -0.37 (Rank: #23)

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Bruce Bennett // Getty Images

#24. Buffalo Sabres

- Odds to win Stanley Cup: +27500
- Record: 30-30-9 (69 points)
- Goals for per game: 2.75 (Rank: #22)
- Goals against per game: 3.16 (Rank: #23)
- Goal differential: -0.41 (Rank: #24)

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Ezra Shaw // Getty Images

#23. Florida Panthers

- Odds to win Stanley Cup: +25000
- Record: 30-27-12 (72 points)
- Goals for per game: 3.20 (Rank: #9)
- Goals against per game: 3.30 (Rank: #27)
- Goal differential: -0.10 (Rank: #18)

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Codie McLachlan // Getty Images

#22. Edmonton Oilers

- Odds to win Stanley Cup: +10000
- Record: 31-32-7 (69 points)
- Goals for per game: 2.79 (Rank: #20)
- Goals against per game: 3.24 (Rank: #24)
- Goal differential: -0.45 (Rank: #25)

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Minas Panagiotakis // Getty Images

#21. Chicago Blackhawks

- Odds to win Stanley Cup: +10000
- Record: 31-30-9 (71 points)
- Goals for per game: 3.39 (Rank: #7)
- Goals against per game: 3.70 (Rank: #28)
- Goal differential: -0.31 (Rank: #22)

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Elsa // Getty Images

#20. Philadelphia Flyers

- Odds to win Stanley Cup: +6000
- Record: 34-27-8 (76 points)
- Goals for per game: 3.04 (Rank: #12)
- Goals against per game: 3.29 (Rank: #26)
- Goal differential: -0.25 (Rank: #21)

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Matthew Stockman // Getty Images

#19. Colorado Avalanche

- Odds to win Stanley Cup: +5500
- Record: 30-28-12 (72 points)
- Goals for per game: 3.17 (Rank: #10)
- Goals against per game: 3.10 (Rank: #21)
- Goal differential: 0.07 (Rank: #15)

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Christian Petersen // Getty Images

#18. Arizona Coyotes

- Odds to win Stanley Cup: +5000
- Record: 35-30-5 (75 points)
- Goals for per game: 2.61 (Rank: #25)
- Goals against per game: 2.79 (Rank: #9)
- Goal differential: -0.18 (Rank: #20)

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Ethan Miller // Getty Images

#17. Minnesota Wild

- Odds to win Stanley Cup: +5000
- Record: 33-29-8 (74 points)
- Goals for per game: 2.71 (Rank: #23)
- Goals against per game: 2.87 (Rank: #11)
- Goal differential: -0.16 (Rank: #19)

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Minas Panagiotakis // Getty Images

#16. Montreal Canadiens

- Odds to win Stanley Cup: +3000
- Record: 37-26-7 (81 points)
- Goals for per game: 2.99 (Rank: #14)
- Goals against per game: 2.97 (Rank: #14)
- Goal differential: 0.02 (Rank: #17)

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Tom Pennington // Getty Images

#15. Dallas Stars

- Odds to win Stanley Cup: +3000
- Record: 36-28-5 (77 points)
- Goals for per game: 2.52 (Rank: #26)
- Goals against per game: 2.49 (Rank: #2)
- Goal differential: 0.03 (Rank: #16)

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Ethan Miller // Getty Images

#14. Columbus Blue Jackets

- Odds to win Stanley Cup: +2500
- Record: 39-28-3 (81 points)
- Goals for per game: 3.07 (Rank: #11)
- Goals against per game: 2.96 (Rank: #13)
- Goal differential: 0.11 (Rank: #14)

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Harry How // Getty Images

#13. St. Louis Blues

- Odds to win Stanley Cup: +2000
- Record: 36-26-7 (79 points)
- Goals for per game: 2.87 (Rank: #18)
- Goals against per game: 2.75 (Rank: #7)
- Goal differential: 0.12 (Rank: #13)

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Bruce Bennett // Getty Images

#12. Carolina Hurricanes

- Odds to win Stanley Cup: +2000
- Record: 38-24-7 (83 points)
- Goals for per game: 3.00 (Rank: #13)
- Goals against per game: 2.74 (Rank: #6)
- Goal differential: 0.26 (Rank: #10)

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#11. Pittsburgh Penguins

- Odds to win Stanley Cup: +1800
- Record: 38-23-9 (85 points)
- Goals for per game: 3.44 (Rank: #5)
- Goals against per game: 3.01 (Rank: #16)
- Goal differential: 0.43 (Rank: #7)

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Bruce Bennett // Getty Images

#10. New York Islanders

- Odds to win Stanley Cup: +1800
- Record: 40-22-7 (87 points)
- Goals for per game: 2.84 (Rank: #19)
- Goals against per game: 2.36 (Rank: #1)
- Goal differential: 0.48 (Rank: #5)

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Harry How // Getty Images

#9. Nashville Predators

- Odds to win Stanley Cup: +1500
- Record: 39-27-5 (83 points)
- Goals for per game: 2.93 (Rank: #17)
- Goals against per game: 2.69 (Rank: #5)
- Goal differential: 0.24 (Rank: #11)

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#8. Winnipeg Jets

- Odds to win Stanley Cup: +1400
- Record: 40-25-4 (84 points)
- Goals for per game: 3.41 (Rank: #6)
- Goals against per game: 2.99 (Rank: #15)
- Goal differential: 0.42 (Rank: #8)

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#7. Vegas Golden Knights

- Odds to win Stanley Cup: +1200
- Record: 38-27-5 (81 points)
- Goals for per game: 2.99 (Rank: #14)
- Goals against per game: 2.77 (Rank: #8)
- Goal differential: 0.22 (Rank: #12)

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Patrick Smith // Getty Images

#6. Washington Capitals

- Odds to win Stanley Cup: +1200
- Record: 41-22-7 (89 points)
- Goals for per game: 3.37 (Rank: #8)
- Goals against per game: 3.09 (Rank: #20)
- Goal differential: 0.28 (Rank: #9)

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Derek Leung // Getty Images

#5. Toronto Maple Leafs

- Odds to win Stanley Cup: +1200
- Record: 42-23-5 (89 points)
- Goals for per game: 3.57 (Rank: #3)
- Goals against per game: 2.91 (Rank: #12)
- Goal differential: 0.66 (Rank: #3)

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Maddie Meyer // Getty Images

#4. Boston Bruins

- Odds to win Stanley Cup: +1000
- Record: 42-19-9 (93 points)
- Goals for per game: 2.99 (Rank: #14)
- Goals against per game: 2.53 (Rank: #3)
- Goal differential: 0.46 (Rank: #6)

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Bruce Bennett // Getty Images

#3. Calgary Flames

- Odds to win Stanley Cup: +800
- Record: 43-20-7 (93 points)
- Goals for per game: 3.57 (Rank: #3)
- Goals against per game: 2.84 (Rank: #10)
- Goal differential: 0.73 (Rank: #2)

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Christian Petersen // Getty Images

#2. San Jose Sharks

- Odds to win Stanley Cup: +675
- Record: 43-19-8 (94 points)
- Goals for per game: 3.63 (Rank: #2)
- Goals against per game: 3.01 (Rank: #16)
- Goal differential: 0.62 (Rank: #4)

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#1. Tampa Bay Lightning

- Odds to win Stanley Cup: +230
- Record: 53-13-4 (110 points)
- Goals for per game: 3.80 (Rank: #1)
- Goals against per game: 2.60 (Rank: #4)
- Goal differential: 1.20 (Rank: #1)

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