Stanley Cup Picks – Syndication Server

The 2019-20 Stanley Cup will be up for grabs later this summer as the NHL season resumes with a 24-team playoff structure. The expanded postseason has opened up the odds, providing greater profit margins for sports bettors. Below, we’ll look at the Stanley Cup futures odds, and make our picks and best bets at BetMGM.

2019-20 Stanley Cup Champions Odds: Favorite

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list.
Odds last updated Thursday, May 28 at 2:40 p.m. ET.

St. Louis Blues (+1000)

The defending Stanley Cup champions finished the abbreviated regular season atop the ultra-competitive Central Division at 42-19-10 for 94 points through 71 games. They scored 225 goals and allowed just 193, all without star RW Vladimir Tarasenko (shoulder) for the majority of the season.

Tarasenko will return following the break and unlike most teams who try to defend a Stanley Cup title, the Blues are plenty rested after going the distance in 2018-19. The pressure has also faded, at least slightly, due to the prolonged break.

The Blues are only sixth by the odds to win the Cup despite finishing first in the Western Conference and receiving a Qualification Round bye. They’re a strong pick as the first team with odds of 10/1 or higher.

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Blues to win the Stanley Cup returns a profit of $100.

Get some action on the NHL playoffs by placing a legal sports bet (in NJ, IN, CO and WV) at BetMGM.com.

2019-20 Stanley Cup Champions Odds: Contender

Edmonton Oilers (+2300)

The extended mid-season interruption will help level the competitive playing field for all 24 teams in the expanded playoffs. For this reason, it’s smart to trust the Oilers, who are led by C Connor McDavid and C Leon Draisaitl. Draisaitl and McDavid finished 1-2 in both points and assists in the regular season, and they’ll be able to take advantage of any team showing signs of rust defensively.

Believe in the raw talent of the Oilers’ two stars as they’ll look to outscore the competition in what’s sure to be a more wide-open playoff-style than to which we’re accustomed.

2019-20 Stanley Cup Champions Odds: Long shot

Florida Panthers (+6500)

Alternatively, look at the Panthers as your Stanley Cup dart throw. They ranked sixth in the Eastern Conference with 231 goals in the regular season while going 35-26-8. G Sergei Bobrovsky, a marquee free-agent addition, struggled through 50 games to post a .900 save percentage and a 3.23 goals against average.

The two-time Vezina Trophy winner is the biggest X-factor in this new playoff structure. The break has given him plenty of time to regroup and move past his regular-season struggles. If he can return to form, the Panthers could be vaulted into a long postseason run.

Want some action in the 2019-20 NHL Playoffs? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

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Contenders have started to separate themselves from the pretenders as the NHL comes off its 2019-20 All-Star break and the regular season heads into the stretch run ahead of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Below, we analyze the NHL futures odds and make our picks and best bets to be crowned Stanley Cup champions in mid-June.

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list.
Odds last updated Monday at 1:20 p.m. ET.

2019-20 Stanley Cup favorites

Tampa Bay Lightning (+800)

Last year’s Presidents’ Trophy winners are back to form after a poor start to their 2019-20 campaign. The Lightning have surged into second place in the Atlantic Division and fourth place in Eastern Conference through 52 games. Reigning Vezina Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy has improved month-over-month and posted an other-worldly .948 save percentage and 1.58 goals against average over 10 games in January.

The Lightning lead the league in 5-on-5 scoring-chance percentage since Dec. 1 and rank third by Corsi For Percentage (total shot attempts). These odds aren’t great with this much time left in the season, but they’re likely to only go down from here.

Vegas Golden Knights (+1700)

The Golden Knights, who fired head coach Gerard Gallant Jan. 15, have the league’s best Corsi rating since Dec. 1. Puck luck has been a real issue for the NHL’s youngest franchise, as the Golden Knights rank 24th by PDO (shooting percentage plus save percentage) at 5-on-5 with a .989 mark.

Goalies Marc-Andre Fleury, Malcolm Subban, Garret Sparks and Oscar Dansk have combined for a .903 SV%, but Fleury should take over down the stretch run in an attempt to pass the overachieving Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers in the Pacific Division.

Place a sports bet on the 2019-20 Stanley Cup winner or other NHL games at BetMGM.

2019-20 Stanley Cup longshots

Feb 1, 2020; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) clears the puck during the first period against Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. (Photo Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern – USA TODAY Sports)

Florida Panthers (+2500)

The Panthers will likely need to rely on a wild-card berth for a postseason spot, as it’s difficult to see them surpassing any of the Boston Bruins, Lightning or Toronto Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division. They rank second behind the Lightning, by PDO since Dec. 1, but are still just 17th on the season as a whole.

Highly paid G Sergei Bobrovsky was much better in December and January following an awful start to his tenure in Florida. If the two-time Vezina Trophy winner can return to true form, Florida’s fourth-ranked offense could become even more dangerous.

Philadelphia Flyers (+3500)

The Flyers offer a 35-1 return on your investment and that’s as high as bettors should be looking with a realistic chance of cashing this bet. The Flyers are tied for fifth in the Metropolitan Division with the Carolina Hurricanes, but the two teams are tied for ninth in the NHL (ahead of both the Golden Knights and Panthers) with 63 points through 52 games each. The Hurricanes are priced at +1650, making the Flyers an incredible value.

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @EstenMcLaren and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.