Lightning trail Avs, Knights on 2022 Stanley Cup odds
by OddsShark (@OddsShark) – Sponsored Post
The 2021 NHL season was completed on Wednesday night when the heavily favored Tampa Bay Lightning hoisted the Stanley Cup for the second time in as many years, defeating the underdog Montreal Canadiens in five games. The Lightning took advantage of yet another shortened season by playing their best in the playoffs when it mattered the most, surviving their toughest tests in the earlier rounds as the third-best team in the Central Division before ousting the Habs.
However, the upcoming campaign figures to be much more difficult with regards to Tampa Bay’s quest to three-peat considering the expansion draft, salary cap and a full regular season. For those reasons, along with the fact that no team has won three straight Cups since the New York Islanders won four in a row between 1980 and 1983, the two-time defending champion Lightning are the third choice at +700 on the opening 2022 Stanley Cup odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Ahead of them are the same teams that were favored over them in 2021 – the Colorado Avalanche and the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Avalanche are the +500 favorites to win their first Stanley Cup since 2001 behind one of the most fearsome top lines in the NHL in Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog (a UFA this summer), and Mikko Rantanen. The good news for Colorado this year is that Vegas will not reside in the same division as the format goes back to how it was prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Golden Knights (+600) knocked out the Avs in the second round of the playoffs before falling to the Canadiens in the semifinals after finishing second in the West Division due to a tie-breaker between the teams.
The Carolina Hurricanes won the Central Division ahead of Tampa Bay and the Florida Panthers this past season, and they are the +1100 fourth choice to take the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2006. The Hurricanes were able to retain head coach Rod Brind’Amour, ending speculation that he could go to the expansion Seattle Kraken, and their goal again will be to get past the Lightning after falling short in five games this postseason. Florida lost in the first round to Tampa Bay and is listed behind both the Boston Bruins (+1400) and Toronto Maple Leafs (+1400) at +1800 on the odds to win the 2022 Stanley Cup.
Wondering about Seattle and the team’s long odds to follow in the footsteps of Vegas by making it to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural year? The Kraken are one of six teams listed at +10000 to win the Cup along with the Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings and New Jersey Devils. The Sabres will be a team to watch this offseason as well because former No. 2 overall pick Jack Eichel is still looking for a way out of Buffalo.
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