The NHL Playoffs were set on Sunday after the league’s final game, and the odds to win the Stanley Cup have been adjusted. Two teams have supplanted the Tampa Bay Lightning, and are now favorites to win Lord Stanley’s Cup.
In the Western Conference, the No. 1 seeded Vegas Golden Knights and No. 2 Colorado Avalanche are 11/2 to win, according to Bovada. In the Eastern Conference, the No. 1 seeded Philadelphia Flyers are the third pick at 6/1 to be crowned champions.
The Lightning, the east’s No. 2 seed, fell to fourth. They are now 13/2, falling from 11/2 two weeks ago.
| Odds to Win Stanley Cup | Aug. 10 | July 27 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | 11/2 | 15/2 |
| Colorado Avalanche | 11/2 | 8/1 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | 6/1 | 12/1 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 13/2 | 11/2 |
| Boston Bruins | 15/2 | 7/1 |
| St. Louis Blues | 11/1 | 10/1 |
| Washington Capitals | 11/1 | 12/1 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | 12/1 | 50/1 |
| Dallas Stars | 14/1 | 14/1 |
| Calgary Flames | 18/1 | 50/1 |
| New York Islanders | 18/1 | 80/1 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 20/1 | 50/1 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 25/1 | 100/1 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 25/1 | 100/1 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 30/1 | 100/1 |
| Arizona Coyotes | 33/1 | 50/1 |
Source: Bovada
The Golden Knights made a solid jump, going from 15/2 to 11/2. Forward Alex Tuch, who scored the overtime goal against Colorado on Saturday to give his team the top seed, said the team is excited to be the best in the west.
“Feels pretty good,” Tuch said. “Honestly, it was a big goal to get the first seed. I didn’t care who scored it as long as we did.”
NHL Playoffs Begin Tuesday
The NHL Playoffs kick off Tuesday with four games. Vegas is the home team against Chicago at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Canada, where all the Western Conference games will be played. The Knights are one goal favorites, and the over/under is 6.5 goals, according to BetMGM.
The other game from that conference on Tuesday is No. 3 Dallas against No. 6 Calgary. The Stars are favored by a goal, and the over/under is set at 5.5.
In the Eastern Conference, Tampa Bay will host the No. 7 seed Columbus Blue Jackets at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada, where all games from that conference will be played. The Lightning are a goal favorite, and the over/under is 5.5.
The No. 4 Boston Bruins take on the No. 5 Carolina Hurricanes. The Bruins are a goal favorite, with the over/under set at 5.5.
High Seeds Favored to Advance
In the first round of the playoffs, all eight of the higher seeds are favored to win. The Golden Knights have the biggest odds at -350 to defeat the Blackhawks at the Westgate SuperBook USA. Part of that, however, is the amount of local money coming in on Vegas, which has skewed the odds. The Knights are just -228 at the New Jersey-based BetMGM.
To Win Round 1 of NHL Playoffs
Western Conference
- No. 1 Vegas -350 vs, No. 8 Chicago +290
- No. 2 Colorado -300 vs. No. 7 Arizona +250
- No. 3 Dallas -120 vs. No. 6 Calgary +110
- No. 4 St. Louis -200 vs. No. 5 Vancouver +175
Eastern Conference
- No. 1 Philadelphia -210 vs. No. 8 Montreal +180
- No. 2 Tampa Bay -220 vs. No. 7 Columbus +190
- No. 3 Washington -160 vs. No. 6 New York Islanders +140
- No. 4 Boston -160 vs. No. 5 Carolina +140
Source: Westgate SuperBook USA
The most intriguing matchup of the first round is Columbus vs. Tampa Bay. It’s a rematch of last year where the Lightning came in as heavy -400 favorites and were swept by the Blue Jackets.
Tampa Bay is without two important pieces going into Tuesday’s first-round series. Captain Steven Stamkos is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury. On Saturday, the team lost star defenseman Victor Hedman, who appeared to suffer an ankle injury against Philadelphia.
Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said he doesn’t know how long he’ll be without those players.
“It’s a little frustrating because we feel like we’re going in the right direction and to lose some of the star power we have,” Cooper said. Â “We’ve got to circle the wagons.”