One week brought a lot of changes to the Stanley Cup futures at online sportsbook Bodog. The teams at the top remain the same with relatively similar odds, but once you reach the middle tier and the lower rung the odds are in serious motion.
Three standouts heading in the right direction are the St. Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota Wild.
It was only a matter of time before the Blues’ odds started to improve. They’ve been too good to stay where they were. Last week the Blues were a +1400 underdog. Seven days later they’re up to +1000 and could keep climbing.
St. Louis has won five straight and eight of their last 10 games. Even more impressive, during their winning streak the Blues posted four straight shutouts. The run has moved the Blues into a tie for first place in the Central Division and the Western Conference with the Dallas Stars.
A change on the odds list has also obviously been in the cards for the Penguins. It finally came this week as they jumped up to +1100 from +1800. Pittsburgh has won three straight and nine of their last 10 games. The loss of Evgeni Malkin hasn’t hurt the Penguins offense, as Sidney Crosby had 13 points and Phil Kessel has 11 points in those 10 games.
The Wild needed a win streak to lock up a playoff berth in the West. So far so good, as Minnesota has won six straight to pull ahead of the Colorado Avalanche for the last wild card spot. The winning streak also moved the Wild from +4000 to +2800 on the Stanley Cup futures.
While St Louis, Pittsburgh and Minnesota are all rising up the ranks the Boston Bruins are falling fast. Last week the Bruins were listed at +1800 to win the Stanley Cup. Not anymore after only one win in their last six games.
Boston’s playoff chances also took a hit, as they sit only one game ahead of the Detroit Red Wings for third in the Atlantic Division. That has caused Boston to drop to +4000 on the Bodog Stanley Cup odds. The Bruins’ most important game of the season could be coming up next week when they travel to Detroit to face the Red Wings on Thursday night.
Odds to win Stanley Cup at Bodog:
Washington Capitals +400
Los Angeles Kings +700
Chicago Blackhawks +750
Anaheim Ducks +800
Dallas Stars +900
St. Louis Blues +1000
Pittsburgh Penguins +1100
San Jose Sharks +1400
New York Rangers +1800
Tampa Bay Lightning +1800
Florida Panthers +2000
Nashville Predators +2200
New York Islanders +2800
Philadelphia Flyers +3300
Boston Bruins +4000
Detroit Red Wings +5000
Colorado Avalanche +15,000