The new NHL season is just over a week old so it is still too early to start separating the contenders from the pretenders, but Bodog has recently updated its odds for winning each conference as well as this season’s Stanley Cup.
Through Tuesday night the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks are 1-0-1 in their first two games. While they started the season as favorites to win a second straight title, they are now 7/1 second-favorites on the most recent list at Bodog. Chicago is still favored to win the Western Conference at 11/4.
The new favorite to win it all at 6/1 is the Pittsburgh Penguins. They have played three games this season and have won them all by a combined score of 12-3. Pittsburgh is now listed as a 13/4 favorite to win the Eastern Conference, which are slightly higher odds than before the season started when it was listed at 5/2 to win the East.
There are a pair of third-favorites to hoist this year’s Cup at 9/1. Representing the East are the Boston Bruins, who have been listed as 5/1 second-favorites to win the conference. Boston is 2-0 in its first two games with a +5 margin in goals. The St. Louis Blues are considered the West’s next best team with 9/2 odds to capture the conference crown. They are also off to a perfect 2-0 start with an impressive +9 edge in total goals scored.
The San Jose Sharks have been a perennial title contender for the past several seasons and this year is no different as 12/1 fifth-favorites to win the Stanley Cup. Their current odds to win the Western Conference title are 6/1. The Sharks could be off to the most impressive start in the NHL with three straight victories by a combined 13 goals.
Moving down the list, the Los Angeles Kings and the Detroit Red Wings are each at 14/1 to win this year’s Cup. The Kings’ current odds to win the West are 7/1, but they have stumbled out of the gate with a 1-2 start. The Red Wings now play in the Eastern Conference as a result of the NHL’s new realignment plan and they have been listed at 15/2 to win the East along with the Toronto Maple Leafs.