The NHL season is in full swing, and it’s time to dive into some of the top teams and discuss why they have a chance to win this year’s Stanley Cup Trophy.
Be sure also to check out NFL odds as the playoffs have kicked off, and they have the best odds in the game.
Table of Contents
Colorado Avalanche (+550)
The Avalanche are currently the top pick to win the Stanley Cup this season, and it makes sense when you look at their offense. They are currently second in the Central Division, so getting that top seed will be important for them.
This year, the combination of right wing Mikko Rantanen and center Nazem Kadri have been playing out of their minds. The offense as a whole has been doing incredible this season as they are scoring 4.26 goals per game (no other team is averaging more than 3.92).
The defense is where I begin to have a bit of an issue because come playoffs, goals become more challenging to come by, and defense will play an important role. They are 22nd in giving up goals at 3.29 per game.
Goaltender Darcy Kuemper has been playing decently well but could step up a bit more as he is 16-5-1 and allowing 2.86 goals per game with a save percentage of .905. If he can get that up a bit, they will be able to be leading the division and dominate the rest of the league in the playoffs.
Tampa Bay Lightning (+750)
It’s difficult to understand how the franchise who won back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships could be the second-highest odds, but they have a lot of talent and are still flexing their muscles. They are seventh in scoring goals at 3.33 per game and are average on the power play, being 14th at 19.8 percent.
However, they keep winning as they are currently second in the Atlantic Division with a 25-9-5 record and are two points behind the Florida Panthers for the lead. They are getting healthy as the season progresses and have critical playoff experience on their roster.
The defense has not been great as a whole as they are allowing 2.8 goals per game, which is 13th, and killing 81 percent of penalties against them, which is 15th in the NHL.
The thing is, they have an incredible goaltender in Andrei Vasilevskiy. Vasilevskiy is fifth in the sport giving up 2.18 goals per game and leading with 21 wins. Having a great goaltender will be the difference in a lot of series.
They are my pick to win the Stanley Cup for the third time in a row, as no team seems to have an answer on how to beat them in the biggest stages.
Toronto Maple Leafs (+900)
Toronto is currently sitting in third place in the Atlantic Division, but their stats indicate they should continue to ascend as the season goes on.
They are averaging 3.31 goals per game, which is eighth in the NHL. They are also third in power play percentage (29.6), which shows they can feast on their opponent’s mistakes and extend the lead when they have the advantage.
The Maple Leafs have a lot of talent, with center Auston Matthews offensively and goaltender Jack Campbell on the defensive side.
The Maple Leafs have been one of the best defensive teams in the league as they are giving up 2.49 goals per game, which is tied for third in the sport. They also have an 82.8 penalty kill percentage, which will become important as the season goes on due to the lack of ability to score goals when the games have more pressure.
Toronto has a great defense and makes them a real threat to win the entire thing this season.
