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apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ‘Segoe UI’, Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, ‘Helvetica Neue’, sans-serif;”>The Stanley Cup season begins on Monday, May 2, 2022, wherein 16 of the NHL’s 32 teams will qualify for the playoffs at the season’s culmination. Each conference’s top eight teams—eight from the Western Conference and eight from the Eastern Conference—will advance to the championship round and two wildcard teams.
Just before the playoffs begin, teams are already securing their postseason places. With the way these clubs have been playing, it’s not out of the question that each team will have a chance to win Lord Stanley’s Cup.
Stanley Cup Favorites
We’ve finally reached the 2021/22 NHL regular season in less than a month. It’s still early in the season, but things are starting to look promising for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2022. As it turns April, here are the latest handicapper’s top favorite teams:
The Colorado Avalanche (+350)
If there was ever a season to invest in Colorado’s bid to win the Cup for the first time since 2001, this is it. The Avalanche have the best Odds to Win Stanley Cup, especially on the offensive side. But, unfortunately, they’ve lost three straight second-round games, two of which were in Game 7.
Alongside Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen, Cale Makar, and Nazem Kadri, Colorado boasts one of the league’s strongest cores. All five players are in the top 30 in the NHL in terms of points, with Kadri (62 points) and Rantanen (62 points) being in the top ten (56 points).
The Avalanche’s primary concern remains playoff time. Even though they’ve been a top club in recent years, they’ve failed to go past the second round in three consecutive seasons. However, it is believed the Avalanche can make a deeper run in the playoffs since they will have home-ice advantage throughout the series.
The Florida Panthers (+600)
The Florida Panthers have moved up to the No. 2 slot at +600, up from their initial odds of +2,300. This season, Jonathan Huberdeau, the NHL’s second-leading scorer with 102 points in 69 games, leads the league’s best offense.
The Panthers have won five consecutive games and have strengthened their team in preparation for a deep playoff run with the signings of Claude Giroux, Ben Chiarot, and Robert Hagg before the end of the regular season. This offense is unbeatable, with four or more goals in five consecutive games.
Last season, despite their postseason woes, the Panthers brought the winner’s bracket to six games. They have one of the most acceptable attacks and goalies in the NHL, so don’t be stunned if they go all the way in the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals.
The Tampa Lightning (+725)
With the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs in the same division, the Tampa Bay Lightning have a distinct advantage over their rivals. They’ve been to the playoffs before, unlike the Panthers and Leafs. While neither Toronto nor Florida has won a playoff series in a long time, they will have to overcome Tampa Bay to prevail in the postseason, and Tampa Bay can count on the success and leadership that the other two teams lack at the moment.
The core still exists. Andrei Vasilevskiy had another Vezina Trophy-caliber season. Unfortunately, this season’s Hart Trophy winner, Nikita Kucherov was out for the second time. Still, the Tampa Bay Lightning’s great winger, Victor Hedman, and Steven Stamkos continued to shine.
Despite the Lightning’s recent struggles, it is believed now is the perfect moment for them to go through a losing streak and experience hardship in preparation for the playoffs. Now they can work through their problems and prepare for yet another deep playoff run.
The Calgary Flames (+850)
The Flames, who had been one of the league’s hottest teams over the previous month, demonstrated their commitment to winning. They had traded a top prospect and first-round choice to obtain veteran sniper Tyler Toffoli from Montreal just before the cutoff of the season’s lineup. They backed it up by securing powerful forward Calle Jarnkrok from Seattle on deadline day.
This squad is all-in, as are we at +850 Stanley Cup odds in the Western Conference’s weaker division. In the first round of the playoffs, the Flames are expected to play against Nashville, a team that has already lost, or even Dallas.
The Flames are playoff-ready due to their combination of smothering hockey and one of the league’s finest goalies in Jacob Markstrom. The Flames are second in the Western Conference in terms of points percentage, and while we preferred them at +1600 a few weeks ago, +850 is also a smart option.
Bet on Your Favorite!
Before the playoffs, each team’s odds of winning the NHL Stanley Cup will be displayed. For instance, if a team has +500 odds, a $100 stake will yield a $500 payoff if they win the Stanley Cup. When the +500 is converted to implied odds, it shows a 17 percent chance of winning.
Once the Stanley Cup Finals begin, betting lines based on odds will be provided for each game. Additionally, point spreads and over/under will be available as other player and team proposition wagers. Ensure that you choose your team wisely!
