The 2017-18 NHL season is roughly four weeks old, and sportsbooks have recalculated the Stanley Cup futures odds. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning are now co-favourites in futures odds.
Bettors will recall that sportsbooks had the Pittsburgh Penguins listed as the Stanley Cup futures favourites at +800. However, Pittsburgh’s 8-5 start has cooled bookies on them. Toronto is also 8-5, but thanks to a fast start to the NHL season, sportsbooks have identified something they like Auston Matthews and company.
Stanley Cup futures: Toronto Maple Leafs +700
Toronto won seven of its first nine games. But since beating the Los Angeles Kings on October 23, the team has been more miss than hit. The team lost three games on the bounce, before picking up a win against Anaheim on November 1.
The Leafs main problem is in net. Fredrik Andersen has a 7-5 record and a 3.26 goals against average. His GAA makes him 11th in the NHL, but compared to the other 10 with higher averages, Andersen has played far more games.
Toronto is a young team that scores plenty of goals, but Andersen’s goaltending is so far letting them down. The team is second in scoring with 50 goals scored, but has allowed the NHL’s fifth most goals (44).
According to ZCode System’s Power Rankings, Toronto is very cold currently. The Leafs have dropped four places in the most recent rankings.
Stanley Cup futures: Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay also sit on +700 odds and the team’s performance has surprised many. Currently 10-2-1, Tampa Bay has defeated reigning Stanley Cup champions, Pittsburgh, twice already this season.
The Lightning’s offense has been great, and lead the NHL in goals (53). The defense has been good enough, but has room to improve. Steven Stamkos leads the league in points (24) and teammate Nikita Kucherov tops of the goal scoring chart with (13).
While Toronto is struggling in goal, Tampa Bay is not. Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy leads the NHL in wins and has posted a 2.46 GAA.
Although Tampa Bay is on fire right now on the ice, the team ranks second in ZCode System’s Power Rankings. It is a slight dip from previous weeks. However, the Lightning could be back on top soon.
Stanley Cup future: Pittsburgh Penguins
Originally listed as the favorites in Stanley Cup futures betting, Pittsburgh has slipped to +1000. While some NHL bettors may be turned off by the Penguins in favor of Toronto or Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh offers a great price currently.
The Penguins are back-to-back champions for a reason. However, how much do the team’s current players still have in the tank? Does Pittsburgh have the drive for a third straight Stanley Cup?
There is still a lot of hockey to play this season, and the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs are a minefield. Right now, Tampa Bay is looking the best in the quest for the cup.
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