NHL Stanley Cup Betting Odds & Picks
Stanley Cup Betting Odds
The best time of year is finally here: the Stanley Cup Playoffs! With the Washington Capitals and Boston Bruins set to open the postseason action Saturday, the 2021 postseason will be noticeably different than in years past.
First, the format is different than in recent seasons. Teams will play intradivisional matchups only through the first two rounds. After each division has a winner, teams will be re-seeded based on regular-season points. Beyond that, it’s still unclear what travel protocols will be across the Canada-U.S. border and whether a bubble would be necessary for the semifinals and final.
Always Shop Around Your Odds
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Before we jump into this NHL Stanley Cup Future odds article, remember that different sports betting sites offer different odds and that you should shop for the best odds using our NHL Futures page. There you can see all the odds from multiple sites to focus in on the best payouts. For example, if you love the Washington Capitals, why would you bet them at Fanduel at +1300, when you can get them at +1800 at DraftKings. It just makes no sense. Same for the Bruins, why bet them to win with DraftKings, when Fanduel is paying +1300. This isn't rocket science guys. just shop around.
One thing is for sure - the 2021 NHL Playoffs will be one to remember. Here, we’ll break down the Stanley Cups odds by division and give a quick look at each team’s strengths and weaknesses in pursuit of the Greatest Trophy in Sports.
North Division
- Toronto Maple Leafs +600
- Edmonton Oilers +2000
- Montreal Canadiens +2900
- Winnipeg Jets +3500
Toronto’s offense is plenty capable, especially with Auston Matthews leading the league in goals (41 goals through 55 games). However, there are still questions, as there have been for the past several seasons, about whether the team can be good enough defensively to take the team deep into the playoffs. There may be a goaltending dilemma between Jack Campbell and Frederik Andersen to monitor as well.
The Oilers will go as far as Connor McDavid can carry them. With 104 points in the regular season and more assists (71) than the next closest non-Oiler has points (69), he’s the hottest player on the planet right now. However, Edmonton is in trouble if their depth players don’t step up.
Montreal has a tough task ahead in getting by Toronto in the first round, but if they can, history is on their side. While they haven’t met in the playoffs in 42 years, every time they met before that, the winning team advanced to the Stanley Cup Final.
Winnipeg has fallen apart down the stretch, and I’m surprised they don’t have the worst odds of any team on this list. The Jets have won two of their final 11 games down the stretch and still have a game Friday night. With no momentum, no Nikolaj Ehlers, and poor play from Connor Hellebuyck down the stretch, Winnipeg will likely be a quick out.
East Division
- Boston Bruins +1000
- Pittsburgh Penguins +1300
- Washington Capitals +1700
- New York Islanders +2000
Not only does Boston have the best odds of any team in the East Division, but they also have the best odds of any team that didn’t finish in the top two of their division standings. Deadline acquisition Taylor Hall has been on a point per game pace since joining the team.
The Penguins are always a tough team to beat come playoff time. Sidney Crosby is showing no signs of slowing down, Evgeni Malkin is healthy, and Jeff Carter has scored eight goals since Pittsburgh acquired him at the trade deadline.
Washington is in a bit of an awkward position. They held the division lead for most of the season but fell behind down the stretch despite going 7-2-1 over the final ten games. Alex Ovechkin is playing through an injury, Ilya Samsonov and Evgeny Kuznetsov are in COVID-19 protocol, and T.J. Oshie is dealing with a lower-body injury and hasn’t been cleared to play. If they can’t get healthy soon, the Capitals could be in trouble.
No team embraces the “defense wins championship” philosophy quite like the New York Islanders. With a league-leading ten shutouts this season, the Isles win games with stellar defense and excellent goaltending. However, they rank in the bottom half of the league in goals per game (2.71) and dropped seven of their final ten games.
Central Division
- Carolina Hurricanes +700
- Tampa Bay Lightning +700
- Florida Panthers +1400
- Nashville Predators +4000
The Hurricanes are one of the most well-rounded teams in the league, and they have incredible goaltending depth. This year perhaps more than ever, health and depth will cause teams to win if they have them and lose if they don’t. Carolina has both and is one of the most dangerous teams on the power play.
The defending champion Lightning could be without some of their biggest stars, as Victor Hedman is playing through an injury and Steven Stamkos is still on the injury report. Nikita Kucherov has not played all season after undergoing hip surgery but is nearing a return. If the Bolts can survive long enough for Kucherov’s return, their odds will only improve.
Florida is one of the biggest surprise teams this season, finishing one point behind Carolina in the standings and having four more regulation/overtime wins (the Hurricanes won more games in the shootout). Sam Bennett has been a revelation since his deadline acquisition, scoring six goals and nine assists in 10 games to bolster the scoring of Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau.
Nashville may have the longest Stanley Cup odds, but don’t sleep on this team. The Predators turned it on over the second half of the season, going 12-5-1 in April and May to clinch the final playoff spot. Juuse Saros has been difficult to solve in the net, ranking fourth in the league in save percentage (.927) among goaltenders with at least 20 starts.
West Division
- Colorado Avalanche +450
- Vegas Golden Knights +550
- Minnesota Wild +2200
- St. Louis Blues +3700
Colorado clinched home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs with a 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings Thursday night. With the league’s best offense at 3.52 goals per game and a top-three defense allowing 2.36 per, the Avalanche are Cup favorites for a good reason. Nathan MacKinnon (20 goals, 45 assists) is the star of one of the most well-constructed teams in the playoffs, but the Avalanche have minimal goaltending depth behind workhorse Philipp Grubauer.
Vegas plays an incredible shutdown style, and their already excellent defensive group got even better with the offseason signing of Alex Pietrangelo. Marc-André Fleury is on a Vezina-caliber pace, and getting Max Pacioretty back is key. If they end up playing the Avalanche in the second round, the winner of that series will likely advance to the Cup final.
The Minnesota Wild are a scrappy, hungry team with a never-say-die attitude. Only Vegas (69) has more third-period goals than the Wild, who have 67. Energized by superstar rookie Kirill Kaprizov (27 goals, 24 assists, leads all rookies in goals and points), the Wild have the defense and goaltending in place for a deep run but will need to keep up the offensive pace to get by the others in this division. They are also one of the league’s best shot-blocking teams at 14.67 per game.
St. Louis gained significant momentum for a playoff run with a commanding pair of wins over Minnesota to close the regular season, including erasing a 3-0 deficit to win 7-3 Thursday night. After clawing their way back up the standings and battling through injuries, the Blues look like a team ready to make another deep playoff run, though they would have an incredibly difficult path to the Cup even if they did advance out of the West Division.
Derek Hudson
Derek is a long time sports bettor who grew up in Providence, RI. Derek is data driven and believes the key to betting the sportsbooks is finding an edge in analytics. Derek is happily married and has two young boys. Derek will bet on anything if you let him.
