Stanley Cup Odds: Update Heading into the First Round

by OddsShark (@OddsShark) – Sponsored Post

The Vegas Golden Knights went a perfect 3-0 during the round robin portion of the NHL’s preliminary playoff round, and they’ve moved to the top of the odds to win the Stanley Cup at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com with the first round of the postseason on tap.

The Golden Knights are set at +550 on the updated Stanley Cup odds at the sportsbooks as they prepare to take on the Chicago Blackhawks in a first-round playoff series this week. Vegas won its three round robin games by scores of 5-3 over Dallas, 6-4 over St. Louis, and 4-3 over Colorado to claim the top seed in the Western Conference for the playoffs. All three of those contests paid off as OVER results on the NHL betting lines with Vegas filling the net.

The Avalanche had a chance to take the top seed in the West on Saturday in their game against the Golden Knights, but fell in overtime to settle for the second spot in the conference standings. That puts Colorado up against the Arizona Coyotes in the first round of the playoffs, and they’re also at +550 on the Stanley Cup odds with the Coyotes +3300 longshots.

Arizona knocked off Nashville in their qualifying series, while also in the West Chicago upset Edmonton, Vancouver defeated Minnesota, and Calgary got past Winnipeg. The Flames (+1800 on the odds to win the Stanley Cup at betting sites) will square off against the Stars (+1400) in the first round of the NHL playoffs starting this week, while the Canucks (+2000) will take on the defending-champion Blues (+1100) in their first-round series matchup.

Over in the Eastern Conference the Philadelphia Flyers earned the top seed with a round-robin victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, and the Flyers are listed at +600 on the Stanley Cup odds with the Lightning at +650 on the NHL futures. The Flyers meet the Canadiens (+3000) in the first round after Montreal upset Pittsburgh in a qualifying series, while Tampa Bay looks for revenge from last year’s playoffs as they face Columbus (+2500).

The other two first-round series in the Eastern Conference will have the Bruins (+750) battling the Hurricanes (+1200), and the Capitals (+1100) taking on the Islanders (+1800). 

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