The 2022 NHL season is in the books. The 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin tonight with the 16 remaining NHL teams left to battle it out in the playoff tournament for the right to lift the Stanley Cup.
Let’s take a look at the Stanley Cup favourites heading into the playoffs, and their paths to the finals. I will breakdown the teams into tiers based on their odds to win the Stanley Cup. I will use the best odds available from a few of the top sportsbooks for Canadians.
**If you’re new to betting online check out HowToBet.ca for some great articles meant to help Canadians get started betting online.
Tier 1
Colorado Avalanche – Odds to Win Stanley Cup: 4.55
The Avalanche are the Stanley Cup favourites heading into the playoffs and rightfully so. This team finished atop the Western Conference with 119 points while dealing with several key injuries throughout the season. The Avalanche look ready to take the next step and make a deep run this year. The Vegas Golden Knights missing the playoffs also opens the Central Division for the Avs.
Florida Panthers – Odds to Win Stanley Cup: 6.18
The Panthers won the Presidents Trophy and they have a first round match-up against a Capitals team that backed into the playoffs. It will be a tough road for the Panthers after the first round. The Leafs and Lightning are both legitimate threats for deep runs themselves, but the Panthers deserve to be the second favourites.
Tier 2
Calgary Flames – Odds to win Stanley Cup: 8.50
The Flames lead off tier two after a great season that saw them finish atop the Pacific Division. The Flames were second to only the Panthers in goal differential this year, so they’ve proven to be an elite team and will look to capitalize on a weak (relative to others) Pacific Division to make a deep run.
Toronto Maple Leafs – Odds to win Stanley Cup: 11.00
The Leafs have a tough road ahead of them. They have the talent but having to play the two time defending champions in the first round, and then likely the Presidents Trophy winners in round 2, before even getting to the Conference Finals, makes me think 10/1 isn’t long enough odds for a shot on the Leafs.
Carolina Hurricanes – Odds to win Stanley Cup: 12.00
The Hurricanes have been on a tear leading into the playoffs, but they are only a slight favourite in round 1 vs the Boston Bruins. They have a tough road, but I think this Hurricanes team has paid their dues and are built for a deep run.
Tampa Bay Lightning – Odds to win Stanley Cup: 12.00
It’s hard to bet against the two-time defending champions. They have a difficult road just like the Maple Leafs, but when everyone is clicking on this team it’s hard to argue they are the best in the NHL. Even with a difficult road this is a proven team that may be getting overlooked heading into these playoffs.
Tier 3
Minnesota Wild – Odds to win Stanley Cup: 17.00
The Wild have been playing great, but they have a very difficult road as well. The Wild vs Blues series is one of the closest in round 1, and if the Wild advance from that they more than likely play the Stanley Cup favourite Colorado Avalanche.
Edmonton Oilers – Odds to win Stanley Cup: 19.00
The Oilers at 18-1 could be a great value bet. The Kings held on to third place in the Pacific Division, which I think sets the Oilers up with a great opportunity for a deep run in these playoffs. The Oilers dealt with a lot of adversity with an awful 15 or 16 game streak in December/January. They bounced back and I think overcoming that adversity could set this team up for a strong playoffs.
Boston Bruins – Odds to win Stanley Cup: 19.00
The Bruins have a winning pedigree, but the core is getting older and I think they are rightful underdogs in round 1 against the Hurricanes. The odds may be long enough to take a shot on the Bruins and hope the core has another deep playoff run in them.
New York Rangers – Odds to win Stanley Cup: 19.00
The Rangers are an interesting team. They certainly have the ability to make a deep run and I think their path to the Conference Finals sets up fairly well. That said, this team needs to prove themselves in the playoffs. They have not won a playoff game since 2017.
The remaining teams can be found for 20-1 or higher odds. Here is the list:
- Pittsburgh Penguins 21.00
- St. Louis Blues 21.00
- Washington Capital 41.00
- LA Kings 49.00
- Dallas Stars 51.00
- Nashville Predators 56.00
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