Stanley Cup Odds Update at the NHL All-Star Break

Credit: Geoff Burke

Dec 21, 2019; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom (19) waves to the crowd while being saluted by teammates after being acknowledged for his 900th NHL point during a timeout against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first period at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

by OddsShark (@OddsShark)

The Tampa Bay Lightning got off to a slow start to the 2019/20 campaign, but a surge heading into the NHL’s all-star break has boosted them into a tie with the Washington Capitals as +800 co-favorites on the Stanley Cup odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

The Lightning enter the break with eight victories in their past 10 games, allowing them to gain some ground on the faltering Boston Bruins in the Atlantic Division standings where they now trail top spot by only eight points. And a return to Vezina-winning form by Bolts starting netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy has been key to the team’s resurgence; Vasilevskiy enters all-star weekend with victories in each of his last 10 starts.

The Capitals, meanwhile, hold a four-point lead on the Pittsburgh Penguins atop the Metropolitan Division standings at the break and have the best record in the NHL at 33-11-5. Caps winger Alex Ovechkin has 34 goals through the team’s first 49 games this season.

The defending champion St. Louis Blues are then tied with the Bruins and the Penguins at +900 on the updated Stanley Cup odds at sportsbooks, with St. Louis holding a six-point lead on the Colorado Avalanche atop the Central Division standings at the break. Veteran winger David Perron lead the Blues in scoring with 21 goals and 49 points on the season.

The Avalanche are siting sixth at +1000 on the Stanley Cup odds at the break, with the Dallas Stars at +1400, and the Toronto Maple Leafs at +1500 on those NHL odds. The Stars sit third in the Central Division, 10 points back of St. Louis, while a middling 4-3-3 run heading into all-star weekend has the Maple Leafs sitting back in fourth in the Eastern wild card race.

The Vancouver Canucks hold a slim lead in the tight Pacific Division standings at the break, but they’re back at +2000 on the Stanley Cup odds, behind the top teams on the futures plus the Vegas Golden Knights (+1800). The Carolina Hurricanes are also at +2000 on those betting lines, with the Edmonton Oilers at +2200 after going 6-3-1 in their past 10 games.

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