Following the completion of 82 regular season games and two best-of-seven playoff rounds, the race to be the best side in the National Hockey League (NHL) this year is now down to four teams.
In the Western Conference, the heavily favoured Chicago Blackhawks are going up against the San Jose Sharks while the Eastern Conference has the Philadelphia Flyers meeting the Montreal Canadiens. The winners of these two best-of-seven tournaments will then meet for the right to hoist the championship Stanley Cup.
One of the oldest franchises in professional ice hockey, Chicago has won three Stanley Cups in its 84-year history but the last of these came in 1961 meaning that the franchise holds the unenviable record for the longest streak in NHL history without a championship. However, a young Chicago side lost to the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference Finals last season and is being offered at odds of 63/100 by WBX.com to win it all this time out.
Slightly longer, PaddyPower.com has the Blackhawks at odds of 10/11 to lift the Stanley Cup followed by Coral.co.uk, WilliamHill.com, StanJames.com and bet365.com showing Evens and Ladbrokes.com with 21/20.
Chicago finished with the second best regular season record in the Western Conference before disposing of the Nashville Predators and the Vancouver Canucks in the earlier playoff rounds by four games to two. 888Sport.com, Bodog.com, BlueSq.com and SportingBet.com show the franchise at odds of 11/10 to win the Stanley Cup while BetDaq.com is offering 111/100 before Betfair.com with 57/50. For their part, punters can get 6/5 on Chicago going all the way from BoyleSports.com and SkyBet.com followed by BetFred.com with 5/4.
Another contender for this year’s Stanley Cup are the San Jose Sharks, who have appeared in the playoffs in each of the last four seasons. PaddyPower.com is offering the Western Conference team at odds of 7/4 to win the Stanley Cup this season, although the franchise is currently one game down to Chicago in their best-of-seven series.
The California franchise only has 17 seasons under its belt and is often seen as a perennial underachiever owing to its record of twelve playoff appearances without a single Stanley Cup. However, this year could finally bring success with SportingBet.com, BetFred.com, BoyleSports.com, WilliamHill.com, StanJames.com and Coral.co.uk offering odds of 5/2 followed by Ladbrokes.com with 13/5.
The Sharks defeated the Colorado Avalanche and the defending Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings in the previous rounds, which has seen BlueSq.com and 888Sport.com offer odds of 27/10 on a maiden Stanley Cup for the franchise. This is being followed by SkyBet.com, Bodog.com and bet365.com showing 11/4 while WBX.com is going with 16/5.
Rounding out the odds on the Sharks lifting the Stanley Cup this season is BetDaq.com with 171/50 while punters can get 361/100 from Betfair.com.
In the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia Flyers are the favoured team to lift the Stanley Cup this season with SportingBet.com and WilliamHill.com offering odds of 11/4 followed by PaddyPower.com with 14/5.
Slightly longer, WBX.com has odds of 143/50 on Philadelphia winning its third championship while BetFred.com, bet365.com, Bodog.com, Coral.co.uk and Ladbrokes.com list 3/1. This is followed by Betfair.com with 157/50 and SkyBet.com showing 16/5 while punters can get 323/100 from BetDaq.com.
Philadelphia defeated its near neighbour New Jersey Devils in the first round of the playoffs before subsequently dumping out the Boston Bruins with 888Sport.com, BoyleSports.com and BlueSq.com offering odds of 10/3 on the Flyers winning it all.
Last but not least is the historic Montreal Canadiens franchise, which was given no hope of getting past the first round of the playoffs after just scrapping in at the expense of New York Rangers on the final day of the regular season.
Canada’s sole representative in this year’s final four is listed at odds of 49/10 by WBX.com to win its first Stanley Cup since the 1992/93 season while Ladbrokes.com shows 11/2.
Montreal defeated the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in the previous round but is still being offered at odds of only 6/1 by SportingBet.com to win it all. This is followed by BlueSq.com, 888Sport.com, Bodog.com, WilliamHill.com, SkyBet.com and BetFred.com showing 13/2 while punters can get 34/5 from StanJames.com and BetDaq.com.
At the far end of the spectrum are Coral.co.uk, PaddyPower.com and bet365.com showing odds of 7/1 on Montreal winning its 25th Stanley Cup this season while BoyleSports.com is going with 15/2 followed by Betfair.com offering 38/5.
