Stanley Cup Odds Update: Favorite and is there a Long Shot?

With the 2020 NHL playoffs now in the conference finals and four teams remaining in the chase to capture this season’s Stanley Cup championship trophy, it’s time to find out whether there is a ‘true’ favorite and which team fits the label of ‘best longshot’ still on the board. Let’s jump right into action so you can bet on their NHL odds.

Favorite to Win it All & Possible Long Shot? | Stanley Cup Odds Update

2020 Stanley Cup Championship Odds

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning are looking and playing like a real prohibitive favorite as they get set for Game 2 of their Eastern Conference finals matchup against the New York Islanders on Wednesday night. Tampa Bay finished the regular season ranked first in scoring (3.5 gpg) and eighth in goals allowed (2.8 gpg), but more importantly, they’ve been even better in the playoffs by averaging a stellar 3.7 goals per contest while allowing just 2.1 goals per game defensively. The Lightning have won five straight games heading into Game 2 while scoring seven goals or more in two of those contests, including their stunning 8-2 Game 1 win over the Isles on Monday.

Tampa Bay has some serious star power in all-star center Brayden Point who has eight goals and a team-high 23 points in the playoffs. Right-winger Nikita Kuchervo has five goals and 21 points, while defenseman Victor Hedman has six goals and a dozen points. In all, five players have lit the lamp at least five times this postseason while four players have reached the double-digit mark in scoring. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy has gone an impressive 11-3 in the postseason with a stellar 1.92 goals-against-average. In short, Tampa Bay is looking like a real prohibitive favorite against their 110 NHL betting odds to win the Stanley Cup.

Lightning are 6-1 in their last 7 playoff games as a favorite.
Lightning are 22-7 in their last 29 vs. a team with a winning record.
Lightning are 83-30 in their last 113 vs. Eastern Conference.
Lightning are 8-3 in their last 11 after scoring 5 goals or more in their previous game.

Vegas Golden Knights

Vegas has been the prohibitive favorite to come out of the western conference since the start of the postseason and they’ve looked the part in subduing Chicago in five games in the opening round before going the distance to squeak past a surprisingly solid Vancouver squad that wouldn’t go away. While Vegas has averaged a modest 2.6 goals per game in 14 contests this postseason, the Golden Knights have been phenomenal defensively in limiting the opposition to just 1.8 goals per game while recording four shutout wins with two of those coming in their last three games.

Defenseman Shea Theodore has a team-high 17 points and six goals while right-winger Mark Stone has added six goals and nine assists. Right-wingers, Reilly Smith and Alex Tuch have scored 13 and 10 points respectively while center Jonathan Marchessault has added three goals and six assists. While the Knights enter Game 3 against Dallas with their western conference finals series tied a 1-1, I still believe Vegas is the best in the west and that they’ll advance to the Stanley Cup Finals at the very least.

Golden Knights are 5-1 in their last 6 Conference Finals games.
Golden Knights are 23-7 in their last 30 overall.
Golden Knights are 14-5 in their last 19 vs. Western Conference.
Golden Knights are 19-7 in their last 26 vs. a team with a winning record.
Golden Knights are 20-9 in their last 29 playoff games as a favorite.

Dallas Stars

The Dallas Stars needed six games to get past Calgary in the first round and then they needed seven games to squeak past Colorado in the conference semis. Dallas took Game 1 of the conference finals against Vegas by the narrow score of 1-0, the Stars were man-handled in their 3-0 Game 2 shutout on Tuesday night. Still, Dallas is averaging 3.3 goals per game this postseason and has scored five goals or more a mind-boggling seven times. Defenseman Miro Heiskanen has a team-high 16 points (5 goals) while right-winger Denis Gurianov has eight goals and seven assist. Star left-winger Jamie Benn has five goals and nine assists and a whopping seven players have reached double figures in scoring for Dallas this postseason. Still, I think Dallas’ lack of consistent defense will be their undoing as they’ve allowed three goals or more a whopping 11 times this postseason.

Stars are 4-1 in their last 5 games following a loss of 3 or more goals.
Stars are 4-1 in their last 5 vs. Pacific.
Stars are 8-3 in their last 11 games playing on 1 days rest.

NY Islanders

The seventh-seeded New York Islanders have had an eye-opening postseason by dispatching 2018 champion Washington in five games before getting past previously red-hot Philadelphia in the conference semis in seven thrilling games. The Isles finished the regular season ranked 22nd in scoring (2.8 gpg) and ninth in goals allowed (2.8 gpg) and they had been playing even better in the playoffs by averaging 3.4 goals per game and giving up just 2.0 goals per game – until their embarrassing 8-2 loss against the Lightning in Game 1 on Monday.

Right-winger Josh Bailey has a team-high 15 assists and 17 points in the playoffs. Center Brock Nelson has eight goals and 15 assists and three other players have all managed to reach double figures in scoring this postseason. Goalie Seymon Varlamov had been playing outstanding until Monday when he gave up five goals before getting pulled. Unfortunately, backup Thomas Greiss then gave up three more goals. While I’m not expecting the Lightning to roll over against Tampa Bay, after watching Game 1 and seeing how the Lightning are playing, I just don’t see the Islanders being able to come out of the East, although they’ve already dispatched two teams that were seeded higher than they were this postseason.

Islanders are 4-1 in their last 5 after scoring 2 goals or less in their previous game.
Islanders are 2-6 in their last 8 when their opponent scores 5 goals or more in their previous game.
Islanders are 4-13 in their last 17 games as an underdog.
Islanders are 1-4 in their last 5 games playing on 1 days rest.

I have read enough, I need to place my bet now. What to do?