The Stanley Cup Final is the hockey enthusiasts’ favourite time of the year. The NHL playoffs are tentatively set to start on Monday, April 17, after the 2022–23 regular season concludes on Thursday, April 13. For online bettors to find Stanley Cup futures when using mobile betting choices, simply go to the hockey section of the betting app or site.
The NHL playoffs consist of how many games?
There are seven games in each series. The winning team will need to win 16 games, but if all four of their series reach the full seven games, the champion may play as many as 28 games. A playoff can have 105 games (all teams combined).
Top Favourites teams to win the NHL Stanley Cup 2023
Before the playoffs start in April, the race for the 2023 Stanley Cup is approaching its final stretch. The Stanley Cup odds favorite Avalanche started the season with a price of around +380 at most bookmakers. They were the defending champions. After a dismal start to the season, Colorado is at +650 at most sportsbooks, while the Boston Bruins have the fewest chances to win hockey’s coveted cup at +475. Below is a more comprehensive list:
Colorado Avalanche
Compared to the prior two seasons, Colorado hasn’t been quite as dominant. But the market hasn’t significantly lowered its Stanley Cup odds. The Avs’ xGF at 5-on-5 this season is only 51.00%, which ranks them 16th nationally. Their real GF% is a little lower at 50.55%. Despite battling its fair share of ailments, Colorado does not appear to be a serious Cup contender.
Carolina Hurricanes:
Carolina is sixth in the actual GF rate (56.35%) and leads the league in xGF rate (59.60% vs. New Jersey’s 54.85%). Carolina’s odds to win the Cup have decreased from +800 a month ago, and the 3-percent gap here suggests some positive regression may be in order.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Leafs’ playoff chances won’t be assured unless they go past the opening round. The issue for Toronto is that the Maple Leafs were never at an advantage in goals while playing elite competition, despite having an elite collection of offensive players and admirable defense players. To lift the Cup, though, they’ll need more goals in the net.
Tampa Bay Lightning
With 73 points through half of February, the Lightning rank fifth in the NHL with an xGF ranking of 8th (52.82%). They will always have a secret weapon in goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, regarded as the greatest in the NHL regarding the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers have a talented goaltender and the advantage of youth. Shesterkin ensures that New York will nearly always have the upper hand in the net. But he can’t do it alone, and if this team hopes to contend for the championship, they will need to add other players around the trade deadline.
Edmonton Oilers: Now in fourth place in the weak Pacific Division, the Oilers have been a letdown this year. Edmonton has recently cranked up the pace, though, and is tied for first place in the division with Vegas regarding goal differential (+25). The Oilers’ offense undoubtedly has the playmakers to be a Cup contender, and their league-average defense up until this point may be enough to sustain a run.
Vegas Golden Knight: The Golden Knights are in first place in the Pacific Division with a goal differential of +25 as of mid-February. Vegas has a 52% goals-for rate in 5-on-5 play, but its projected goals-for rate, 54.86%, is third in the league, indicating some potential for future improvement.
Dallas Stars: The Dallas Stars have established themselves as a legitimate competitor, sitting atop the Central with 71 points, thanks to Jason Robertson’s breakout season. Dallas is third in the NHL overall (NJ +43, Boston +81) and first in the Western Conference with a +41 goal difference.
New Jersey Devils
No other team this season has moved up the odds board as much as the Devils, who went from +50000 to +1600. With the sixth-most high-danger chances (581) and the third-fewest high-danger chances (444) allowed in the league, New Jersey has the third-highest HDCF% (56.58). With a GF rate of 58.69%, New Jersey is ranked second, and its performance is supported by an xGF of 54.85%, which is also the second-highest.
Conclusion
As hockey fans wonder about NHL Stanley cup winners, online roulette players wonder why do players prefer outside bets over inside bets in roulette. Gamblers have learned through experience that roulette inside bets provide an enormous payoff with a lower probability of winning. In contrast, outer bets offer a low payout but with a higher chance of winning, even though neither inside bets nor outside bets have any established winning strategies.
