With only a few days remaining in the NHL regular season the Pittsburgh Penguins continue to be the hottest team in the league and a valuable pick on the Stanley Cup future odds at online sportsbook Bodog.
Pittsburgh heads into a showdown with the league-best Washington Capitals on Thursday night having won seven straight and 13 of their last 14 games. That has propelled them to second place in the Metropolitan Division and also second overall in the Eastern Conference.
It’s also given the Penguins a bump on the Stanley Cup futures at Bodog. Pittsburgh has hit +900 on the odds list, up from +1100 a week ago. The way Pittsburgh is playing right now, whoever draws them in the opening round could be in for a fast playoff exit.
While the Penguins’ march up the odds list continues, the top still belongs to Washington at +425. The Capitals have started April off slowly with one win in three games and will be looking to end the regular season on a high note with three games left against three tough opponents, Pittsburgh, the St. Louis Blues and the Anaheim Ducks.
One team that bettors may have expected to take a dive on the odds list this week was the Tampa Bay Lightning. That’s because they lost leading goal scorer Steven Stamkos for one to three months due to a blood clot. The Lightning did drop a bit, down to +2000 from +1600, but it wasn’t astronomical. Tampa Bay is 1-2 since Stamkos was sidelined and if they make a quick playoff exit we may never see the unrestricted free agent in a Lightning uniform again.
In the Western Conference all eight playoff teams have been confirmed, while in the East there are still three teams fighting for two spots. The three teams are the Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers and Boston Bruins. Either the Red Wings or Bruins will finish third in the Atlantic Division, while the other will battle the Flyers for the final wild card spot.
Right now all three teams have 91 points, but Detroit and Philadelphia have the best chance at the postseason and the Bodog oddsmakers agree. The Flyers and Red Wings are +2800 Stanley Cup underdogs, while Boston is receiving the worst odds of all at +5000. The reason is Boston has only two games remaining while Detroit has three and Philadelphia has four. The Bruins are going to need some help to even get into the postseason.
Odds to win Stanley Cup at Bodog:
Washington Capitals +425
Los Angeles Kings +700
Chicago Blackhawks +750
Anaheim Ducks +800
Dallas Stars +900
Pittsburgh Penguins +900
St. Louis Blues +900
San Jose Sharks +1600
New York Rangers +1800
Tampa Bay Lightning +2000
Florida Panthers +2000
Nashville Predators +2800
Minnesota Wild +2800
Philadelphia Flyers +2800
New York Islanders +2800
Detroit Red Wings +2800
Boston Bruins +5000