The NHL playoffs have hit full throttle and with eight teams remaining, let's take a look at who had the best shot to win the cup!
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ST. LOUIS BLUES (ODDS TO WIN STANLEY CUP +1700)
After already stunning the world in their 2019 cup run, the 2022 edition of the St. Louis Blues are coming into the postseason with the same upset mentality. Already taking down the heavily favored Wild in round one, the Blues were saved by their goaltending with Jordan Binnington finding his playoff form again and Ville Husso shutting down some of the top Wild scorers. It’s a long shot, but with solid goaltending, the Blues have a shot to upset the Avalanche.
NEW YORK RANGERS (ODDS TO WIN STANLEY CUP +1300)
In a nail biting game seven, Artemi Paneri punched the Blueshirts ticket to the next round with his overtime winning goal against the Penguins. Goaltending has been shaky at times, but Chris Kreider and Artemi Panerin have found their shooting gloves. Don't rule out the Rangers entirely, but if they want to go any deeper, they will need to find other scorers. Still, this team is a dark horse to win the cup, or at least make it to the final.
EDMONTON OILERS (ODDS TO WIN STANLEY CUP +1200)
Connor McDavid. Remember that name as he continues to be the leader for the Oilers, especially in their 2-0 game seven win against the Kings. McDavid nabbed 14 points in the first round, only three behind the record of 17 from Mario Lemieux. Against the Flames, he had seven points during the regular season and now in the second round, McDavid will continue to be the backbone of this Oilers team.
TAMPA BAY LIGHTING (ODDS TO WIN STANLEY CUP +650)
The Lighting find themselves in a strange spot after back to back cups, and that is not the favorite to win. Still, the Lightning have relied on scorers across the board with Nikita Kucherov leading the way with eight points and Ross Colton leading in goals with three. 13 skaters have registered one goal and if their attack stays balanced, consider them a dark horse pick to win the cup.
CALGARY FLAMES (ODDS TO WIN STANLEY CUP +600)
The Flames have moved on after a hard fought seven game series, but their team has been led by 2011 fourth round pick Johnny Gaudreau who has tallied eight points. In net, Jacob Markstrom has been a rock, allowing two goals or less in three of his previous four contests. With Markstrom a brick wall in net and Gaudreau leading the offense, the Flames can burn the Oilers and head to the conference finals.
CAROLINA HURRICANES (ODDS TO WIN STANLEY CUP +600)
The Hurricanes outlasted the Bruins in seven game series yet had a fatal flaw, all three losses came on the road. The Hurricanes were perfect at home, but not so perfect on the road with most losses coming by 2.5 goals. With six former Rangers on the team, including starting goalie Antti Raanta, the Canes have some insider knowledge. With home ice they are a good bet based on prior results, but not the safest considering if the Rangers steal a game, it could avert the storm warning.
FLORIDA PANTHERS (ODDS TO WIN STANLEY CUP +380)
After winning their first playoff series since 1996 (for reference, the author of this article was not born until 2000), the Panthers are in very unfamiliar territory. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky has found his form, but in losses looked rough, including a 6-1 loss in game three. The Panthers have ridden or died by the man in net, so it’s up to him to lead this team to their second ever conference finals appearance.
COLORADO AVALANCHE (ODDS TO WIN STANLEY CUP +190)
A top tier offense, a brick wall in net, and the top seed in the West, it’s Colorado’s cup to lose this year. The Avalanche have had the most time off as they swept the Predators 4-0 with Cale Makar registering ten points in four games. The Avalanche have struggled historically in the second round, not advancing since 2002 in six tries since. With Darcy Keumper back healthy for game one, expect the Avalanche to get by the Blues, just not as easy as some might think.
BEST BET TO TAKE: CALGARY FLAMES (ODDS TO WIN STANLEY CUP +600)
