The St. Louis Blues have never won the Stanley Cup in franchise history. If the oddsmakers at online sportsbook Bodog are right, that might change next month.
The Blues have survived series against the Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars, and after winning Game 1 against the San Jose Sharks they are the Bodog Stanley Cup favorite at +160.
St. Louis took Game 1 of the Western Conference final 2-1 to take a 1-0 series lead. Brian Elliott silenced any doubters for good after making 32 saves in the win. David Backes continued his strong playoffs with his seventh goal, tying him for the postseason team lead with Vladimir Tarasenko. One other notable standout for the Blues has been rookie Robby Fabbri – he leads the Blues in the postseason with 13 points.
Trailing the Blues on the Bodog futures are the two teams clashing in the Eastern Conference final, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning may have won the opener of the series, but the Penguins are ahead of them on the Stanley Cup odds. Right now Pittsburgh is listed at +260 with the Lightning at +275.
Part of that might have to do with the Lightning’s three key injured players – Steven Stamkos, Anton Stralman and Ben Bishop. Stamkos and Stralman have missed the Lightning’s entire playoff run so far, but both could be close to returning after showing up in practice lately. Bishop suffered a leg injury in Game 1 leaving him a question mark and Andrei Vasilevskiy as the No. 1 man in nets.
Bringing up the rear on the odds list are the San Jose Sharks at +550. The Sharks were edged by St. Louis in the first game of the Western final, but they’re by no means out of the running for the Stanley Cup. The Sharks have a long history of coming up short in the playoffs, but if this is finally their year they would be worth at least a couple of bucks right now with the most profitable odds on the board.
Odds to win Stanley Cup at Bodog:
St. Louis Blues +160
Pittsburgh Penguins +260
Tampa Bay Lightning +275
San Jose Sharks +550