Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights Favorites for Stanley Cup, Conference Titles

John Reger

5 years ago

The Tampa Bay Lightning are once again the preseason favorite to win the Stanley Cup, but the Vegas Golden Knights are a close second. The Lighting are the 6/1 choice to hoist Lord Stanleyâ€™s Cup, while the Golden Knights are 7/1, according to the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook.

Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy is looking for a Stanley Cup this season, and his team is the favorite to win it. (Image: Getty)

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche are next at 10/1. The Boston Bruins are 14/1, while the defending champion St. Louis Blues are at 16/1.

Preseason hockey games begin this weekend. The first game is the Arizona Coyotes at Vegas on Sunday. There are 11 games on Monday, including the Chicago Blackhawks at Washington Capitals, and the Bruins at the New Jersey Devils.

Tampa Bay Trying to Overcome Disappointment

The Lightning are trying to put another postseason failure behind them, and are focusing on winning the organizationâ€™s second championship. The team is a 3/1 pick to win the Eastern Conference, and 11/1 to win the Atlantic Division.

Stanley Cup Odds

Team Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Odds

Tampa Bay LightningÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 6/1

Vegas Golden KnightsÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 7/1

Toronto Maple LeafsÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 10/1

Colorado AvalancheÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 10/1

Boston BruinsÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 14/1

St. Louis BluesÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 16/1

Washington CapitalsÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 20/1

Dallas StarsÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 20/1

Calgary FlamesÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 20/1

Nashville PredatorsÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 20/1

Pittsburgh PenguinsÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 25/1

Florida PanthersÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 25/1

San Jose SharksÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 25/1

Winnipeg JetsÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 25/1

New York IslandersÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 30/1

Carolina HurricanesÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 30/1

Arizona CoyotesÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 30/1

New York RangersÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 30/1

New Jersey DevilsÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 30/1

Vancouver CanucksÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 40/1

Chicago BlackhawksÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 50/1

Philadelphia FlyersÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 50/1

Edmonton OilersÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 50/1

Montreal CanadiensÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 60/1

Buffalo SabresÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 80/1

Columbus Blue JacketsÂ Â Â Â Â Â 100/1

Minnesota WildÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 100/1

Detroit Red WingsÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 100/1

Anaheim DucksÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 100/1

Los Angeles Kings Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 100/1

Ottawa SenatorsÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 500/1

Odds Courtesy of Westgate LV SuperBook

Last season, the Lightening were the preseason favorite to win the Stanley Cup at 8/1, and 4/1 to win the conference. Those odds only improved as they scored the most points of any team with two months remaining in the season. Tampa was 9/2 to win the Cup, and 9/4 to win the conference.

But the playoffs were a disaster for the team. They were heavy favorites in the first round against the Columbus, but were swept by the Blue Jackets.

The team made goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy the third-highest paid net minder in the NHL with a new contract worth $76 million over eight years. Vasilevskiy won the Vezina trophy last year as the leagueâ€™s best goalie, but said the ultimate goal is winning the Stanley Cup.

â€œThe regular season wasnâ€™t bad, the Vezina Trophy is good too,â€ Vasilevskiy said. â€œBut the main goal is to win the Stanley Cup, and I wonâ€™t be happy until I win it. Iâ€™m the same guy and Iâ€™m going to continue to work hard. This [contract] motivates me to work even harder.â€

Vegas Must Look Past 2019 Playoffs

The Golden Knights were the second pick to win the Stanley Cup at 10/1 last year, and were also bounced from the first round. Their elimination was far more controversial, however.

Vegas had a 3-2 lead over the San Jose Sharks, then lost the Game 6 in double overtime, and Game 7 on a controversial call.

The Golden Knights must now find a way to rebound from that heartbreak. They return two of the strongest lines in hockey with William Karlsson, Jonathan Marrchessault, and Reilly Smith on the first line, and Mark Stone, Paul Stastny, and Max Pacioretty on the other.