Starting June 1st and continuing through June 8th, the 2016 Stanley Cup will be broadcast nationally. If you are lucky enough to live in one of the states that have sports betting, you are going to want to study up on the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. So far, it’s very early to tell who will win, but the oddsmakers have made their early predictions. So far, the teams with the best odds are the Washington Capitals, with odds of +550; the Chicago Blackhawks, also with odds of +750; the Dallas Stars, with odds of +800; and the Florida Panthers, with odds of +1200. Let’s take a look at each of these teams and their statistics, starting with the Capitals.
It’s been a good year for the Washington Capitals, who are currently first in the Metropolitan Division. Coach Barry Trotz has led them to victory in nine games in a row as of December 30th. They certainly have a lot going for them, including a great defense and a total of 124 scored goals. Captain Alexander Ovechkin alone has scored 21 goals. Second-line center Evgeny Kuznetzov has a total of 37 points, which includes 13 goals and 24 assists. Despite a glut of recent player injuries including center Jay Beagle, top center Niklas Backstrom, defenseman John Carlson, center Michael Latta, and defenseman Brooks Orpik, the Capitals are still the current favorite according to most of the major oddsmakers. Working against the Capitals is the two-game suspension of forward Zach Sill for boarding Adam McQuaid of the Boston Bruins. It should be noted that the Cardinals won that game in a 3-2 victory, so it would seem that Washington is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon.
The Chicago Blackhawks are a team to keep an eye on, having won three championships in six years. Patrick Kane is a star winger who boasts an impressive 59 points. Corey Crawford is a top-notch goalie who has shown consistency as the starting goaltender on two Stanley Cup teams. Many people think of him as an underrated player, boasting a .925 save average. As of late, all eyes have been focused on Artemi Panarin, the winger who has scored 36 rookie points. He was responsible for the 3-2 victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins by ending with a wrist shot over Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, continuing the Blackhawks’ winning streak. It will be interesting to see how Chicago will fare against the Montreal Canadians, the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Florida Panthers, and the St. Louis Blues on home ice.
Next up are the Florida Panthers, a team who hasn’t been in first place since 2011 when they were the champions of the Southeast Division, which ceased to exist in 2013. They have kicked some major butt as of late, leading the Atlantic division with a nine-game winning streak. Their secret weapon is captain Jaromir Jagr, who at 43 years old shows the verve and tenacity of players half his age. Both the Panthers and the Capitals are going to Nashville for a 3-on-3 tournament. Defenseman Aaron Ekblad, goalie Robert Luongo, and center Aleksander Barkov are all star players. Having recently trounced the New York Rangers, the Minnesota Wild, and the Buffalo Sabres, how long will the Panthers’ winning streak last? Will they be able to beat the Chicago Blackhawks January 22nd on home ice? Could their recent luck be due to the mysterious blue Kevin Spacey sweatshirt given to star hero Aleksander Barkov by his teammates? Only time will tell.
Still in the running but losing traction are the Dallas Stars. Suffering three defeats in a row does not bode well for the Stars’ future. First, it was the New Jersey Devils. Then it was the New York Islanders. After that, it was the New York Rangers. It would not look good for the Stars to lose their next game, against the Winnipeg Jets, on home ice no less. The main problem with the Stars is that they focus mostly on goal-scoring at the expense of good defense and goaltending. However, they do have a great group of forwards like Jamie Benn, who is currently team captain. The Stars also have a passionate group of fans. However, they will need to prove that they can do more than just score goals if they want to have a shot at the Stanley Cup.
At this point, the Stanley Cup is still 6 months away, so it is anybody’s guess who will remain in the finals. We’ll be bringing you more information as the season progresses. The odds are sure to change as winners win, losers lose, underdogs rise, and favorites fall. Stay tuned and keep a step ahead of the action so you can bet smart and win big.