Bruins Now The Most Prohibitive Stanley Cup Favorite Since The Detroit Red Wings In 1998

Noah Strang breaks down his best NHL plays for Wednesday night's nationally televised doubleheader, starting with the Penguins and Avalanche and wrapping up with the Coyotes and Oilers. He also examines the movement in the futures market with less than a month left in the regular season.

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With the playoff picture taking shape, Stanley Cup odds have once again seen some movement. Many of the league's top contenders have been playing like potential Stanley Cup champions while others have experienced rough patches. With this, we’ve seen certain teams climb while others have fallen down the ladder. 

The juggernaut Boston Bruins have once again seen their odds fall even lower all the way to +300 from +340 last week. They are the runaway favorites for the Stanley Cup and have not given anyone a chance to challenge them at the top going 7-3 in their last 10 games.

Stanley Cup Champion

The Bruins' closest competition, the Colorado Avalanche also saw a significant odds shift dipping down to +600 from +675 when we last checked in. They have been coming on strong as of late, currently riding a six-game winning streak.The Avs are in an interesting position as they could reasonably win, or finish third in the Central. Where they sit within the division is likely to determine whether these odds trend up or down moving forward. 

The Hurricanes and Leafs once again stood pat at +800 and +850 respectively. 

The most movement amongst teams in the top 10 of odds came with the Golden Knights and Devils. Both teams now sit tied for the fifth position on the list along with the Rangers. All three teams are at +1100 odds to win it all but are trending in different directions. Vegas has gone 8-2 in their last ten which led to their substantial shift after sitting at +1400 coming into the week. The Devils on the other hand were all the way down to +850 last week but due to a mediocre 2-2-1 stretch now see themselves back up at +1100. The Rangers made a small move from +1200 to +1100 largely thanks to their current four-game win streak. 

Wildcard Card Race Comes Into Focus In The Eastern Conference

There were a number of interesting headlines to come out of the NHL world this past week. Some of which was typical, on-ice related news, while others dealt more with off-ice issues. 

In the Eastern Conference, the New York Islanders, Florida Panthers, and Pittsburgh Penguins are in a tight race for the two available wildcard playoff spots. As of now, the Penguins are on the outside looking in as they are one point back of the Panthers and two behind the Islanders who have played in one more game than their two counterparts. 

Over in the West, the Seattle Kraken are fairly comfortably in control of the first wildcard position while the Winnipeg Jets are holding down the second spot with the Calgary Flames and Nashville Predators nipping at their heels. 

Both races appear likely to come down to the wire, leading to some exciting hockey being played over the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, in the basement of the league, the Sharks became the first team to be eliminated from playoff contention and were quickly followed by the Blue Jackets, Blackhawks, and Ducks. The four teams all appear to be making their final push down the stretch in the tank for phenom Connor Bedard which should make for some interesting games in their own right. 

This past Friday, Sidney Crosby officially reached a point per game season for the 18th time - every single year of his career. Only Wayne Gretzky has more such seasons with 19.

As for the off-ice news, in what has become somewhat of a trend for the league, San Jose Sharks goalie James Reimer refused to wear the team's Pride-related jerseys on their pride night this past Saturday. He cited his Christian religion as his reasoning for not taking part in the initiative. He did state that despite his actions, he believes the LGBTQ+ community should be welcomed in the game of hockey. 

Pittsburgh Penguins @ Colorado Avalanche-145 (6.5)

This Wednesday sees best friends Nathan Mackinnon and Sidney Crosby pitted against one another as the Colorado Avalanche host the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

Both teams are in the midst of their own separate playoff races as the Penguins are battling for one of two Eastern Conference Wildcard spots and the Avalanche are fighting for first place in the Central division. 

The two teams have met once this season as the Penguins won a nailbiter 2-1 in overtime back in February. 

All signs point to a different outcome likely coming to fruition in this one. The Avalanche are rolling right now, currently riding a six-game win streak. Over this hot stretch, the Avs are scoring a whopping 4.66 goals per game while only giving up two goals per game.

The Penguins on the other hand have a streak of their own with four consecutive losses during which they have allowed 4.5 goals per game and only managed a measly 1.75 goals per game. 

Along with that, Pittsburgh is just 15-15-5 on the season away from home while Colorado is 18-11-5 when playing in Ball Arena. 

Because of all this, I'm going all in on the Avalanche in this one. They will be significant betting favorites on the moneyline but with the way these teams are trending and their home and away splits, I feel confident in them disposing of the Penguins. To get some better bang for your buck I’d also look towards the puck line. That will provide better odds when betting on the Avs and I like their chances at covering that spread while putting a thorough beatdown on the reeling Penguins. 

If you’re looking for a player prop, Nathan Mackinnon’s over/under point total at 1.5 provides value. During Colorado’s win streak Mackinnon has registered 12 points and with the recent defensive struggles of the Penguins, gambling on him putting up multiple points seems like a solid bet. 

Arizona Coyotes @ Edmonton Oilers-500 (7)

The Arizona Coyotes will be in Alberta visiting the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday. The two teams are in dramatically different situations right now as Arizona owns the league's seventh-worst record while the Oilers are making a late push for the Pacific Division crown. 

Despite the Coyotes’ poor record, they have been playing quality hockey as of late going 6-2-2 in their last 10 and currently riding a four-game win streak. However, I expect this hot streak to come to an end on Wednesday at the hands of the Oilers. Edmonton themselves have won their last four games and overall are 8-2 in their past 10.  

Along with this, the Coyotes are a terrible road team having a 7-21-8 record as visitors. The Oilers are a respectable 19-12-5 at home. 

Not to mention the Oilers have won each of the past four meetings between the two teams dating back to last season. Each of these games has been won by two or more goals including an 8-2 beatdown in the teams’ only previous matchup this season. 

Just like I did with the Avalanche, I’m going all in on the Oilers. They will be heavy moneyline favorites so although I’m quite confident in them winning the game, the value may just not be there. The puck line is where I’m setting down most of my money in this one. As I said, the Oilers have won by two or more goals in each of the four prior meetings and the overall average of victory has been 4.25 goals. Taking the Oilers to cover the -1.5 spread is what all the numbers suggest. 

As a side bet, any Connor McDavid prop is seemingly worth betting on. Over the course of the Oilers four game win streak against the Coyotes, McDavid has scored seven goals and recorded 12 points including two goals and two assists in this year's matchup. Whether it’s his point total over/under, or anytime goalscorer, putting some money down on the best player in the world seems like a decent idea.