Boston Bruins Currently Listed at 5.00 To Win
Published on March 26th, 2014 3:33 pm ESTThe Boston Bruins, thanks, in large part, to a recent 12 game winning streak, are the current favorites to win the 2013/14 Stanley Cup.
The St. Louis Blues, back-stopped by Ryan Miller and considered to be one of the most balanced teams in the NHL, are right behind the Boston Bruins in the eyes of the bookmakers.
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In the eyes of most, there are currently six "elite" teams in the NHL - the Bruins, Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks.
Here are all of their odds to win this year's Stanley Cup:
Boston Bruins, 5.00
St. Louis Blues, 5.25
Pittsburgh Penguins, 8.00
Chicago Blackhawks, 8.00
Anaheim Ducks, 9.50
San Jose Sharks, 8.00
One advantage that the Bruins and Penguins have is that the Eastern Conference is decidedly weaker than the Western Conference. In order to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals, a team from the Western Conference is likely going to have to beat two elite teams to get there. Let's say that the St. Louis Blues manage to make to the Finals after beating Anaheim and Chicago. Will they have anything left in the tank to take on a team such as the Boston Bruins? This is the question.
There are two teams that we can probably put in the "very good" category - the Los Angeles Kings (who can never be discounted in the playoffs) and the Colorado Avalanche. Here are their odds of winning the Cup:
Colorado Avalanche, 15.00
Los Angeles Kings, 14.50
The Avalanche have a very good team but will likely be doomed by inexperience in the playoffs. The Kings, on the other hand, are built for the playoffs and can never be discounted.
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Here are the rest of the teams who are still mathematically alive for the playoffs:
Tampa Bay Lightning, 23.00
New York Rangers, 24.00
Philadelphia Flyers, 24.00
Toronto Maple Leafs, 41.00
Detroit Red Wings, 36.00
Minnesota Wild, 36.00
Washington Capitals, 41.00
Columbus Blue Jackets, 36.00
Phoenix Coyotes, 36.00
Dallas Stars, 46.00
New Jersey Devils, 101.00
Vancouver Canucks, 76.00
Ottawa Senators, 301.00
Carolina Hurricanes, 351.00
Winnipeg Jets, 351.00
Nashville Predators, 351.00
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If you are looking for long shots with some value, I would point to the Flyers, as they are currently one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now. At 24.00, they may be worth a look, though it is hard to imagine them being able to beat the Boston Bruins in a 7 game series.
