With nearly two-thirds of the NHL regular season over, the Vegas Golden Knights are legitimate contenders to win the Stanley Cup according to oddsmakers.
Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com
Currently sitting as the second choice to hoist the Cup at +650 (bet $100 to win $650), the Golden Knights head into Tuesday’s visit to the Pittsburgh Penguins with a double-digit points lead in the Pacific Division and the best record in the Western Conference.
Vegas is 3-1 on a six-game road trip that includes matchups with teams all in playoff contention. Meanwhile, two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh is starting to pick up steam and chasing the Washington Capitals for the lead in the Metropolitan Division. The Penguins are listed at +1200 to win their third Cup in a row and sixth overall along with the Capitals, Nashville Predators and Toronto Maple Leafs.
In addition to the Maple Leafs, the Atlantic Division boasts two of the top three teams on the betting board in the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins.
The Lightning are the +600 favorites to win their first Stanley Cup as they continue to lead the NHL in points following the All-Star Break. But the Bruins are right behind them in the standings as the +800 third choice to win the Cup, which would be their seventh in franchise history.
The Predators are trying to make the Stanley Cup final in consecutive years, and they look to be one of the top challengers for the Golden Knights in the Western Conference. Nashville moved into a tie with the Winnipeg Jets atop the Central Division after rallying for a 5-4 overtime win over the New York Islanders on Monday.
The Jets finished strong last season but missed the playoffs, and they are +1400 to win the Cup this year.
Previous recent Stanley Cup champs in danger of missing the postseason include the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings, who are both +3300 to win the Cup. The Kings are closer to a Wild Card spot in the Western Conference than the Blackhawks right now, although each team still has a lot of work to do in order to make the playoffs.
