All posts by Eric Patterson

Stanley Cup odds: Hurricanes favored to win it all

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The NHL's playoffs are set. Both sets of first-round series are finalized with exciting matchups in the Eastern and Western conferences.

Here are the odds for the remaining 16 teams that have a chance at hoisting the Stanley Cup.

Stanley Cup odds

Team Odds Implied Prob.
Hurricanes +550 15.4%
Panthers +650 13.3%
Stars +750 11.8%
Rangers +750 11.8%
Avalanche +800 11.1%
Oilers +800 11.1%
Bruins +1200 7.7%
Maple Leafs +1200 7.7%
Golden Knights +1200 7.7%
Canucks +1600 5.9%
Jets +2000 4.8%
Kings +2500 3.8%
Lightning +2500 3.8%
Predators +3000 3.2%
Islanders +5000 2.0%
Capitals +15000 0.7%

Odds via theScore Bet.

The Hurricanes are the Stanley Cup favorites at +550, which equates to an implied probability of 15.4%. They started the season as the favorites with odds of +800 and drifted to as long as +1200 during the season.

Carolina will face the Islanders, who earned the third spot in the Metropolitan Division, in Round 1. The Hurricanes are -425 to advance to the next round, meaning oddsmakers give Carolina an 81% chance of beating New York.

The Atlantic Division champion Panthers are the second favorites at +650. Florida advanced to the Stanley Cup Final last season as the second wild card, upsetting the Bruins, Maple Leafs, and Hurricanes before losing to the Golden Knights.

The Panthers are -190 favorites to win their first-round series over the Lightning.

Here are the odds for each team that could represent the Eastern Conference in the Final.

Eastern Conference odds

Team Odds
Hurricanes +275
Panthers +300
Rangers +375
Bruins +550
Maple Leafs +700
Lightning +1200
Islanders +2500
Capitals +6000

The Maple Leafs have longer odds than the Bruins to win the East despite having the same odds to win the Stanley Cup. That suggests Toronto is slightly overvalued in the Stanley Cup market.

The smarter bet - if you can say that when discussing the Leafs' chances to win it all - would be to pick them to win the Eastern Conference, then roll that into a series wager in the Final, where they'll likely be plus-money underdogs to the Western Conference representative.

As for the West, the Stars narrowly top the Oilers and Avalanche as the betting favorites to win the conference.

Western Conference odds

Team Odds
Stars +350
Oilers +375
Avalanche +400
Golden Knights +600
Canucks +750
Jets +800
Kings +1200
Predators +1400

Dallas won arguably the best division in hockey to earn the No. 1 seed, and their reward is an opening-round matchup against the defending champion Golden Knights.

The Kings vaulted Vegas on the final night of the regular season to set up a matchup versus Connor McDavid and the Oilers. Edmonton, which is a -190 favorite over L.A. in Round 1, is +800 to win the Cup and +375 to reach its first Final since 2006.

In the other two Western Conference series, the Avs are -135 favorites over the Jets, while the Canucks are -150 over the Predators.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs begin Saturday.

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Matthews favored to win Hart Trophy amid scoring surge

Auston Matthews took over as the Hart Trophy favorite following his recent scoring surge that helped the Maple Leafs rattle off seven straight wins.

Toronto's sniper is +185 (35.1% implied probability) at theScore Bet to be named the NHL's MVP thanks to his 52 goals in 57 games. He was held scoreless in his last two contests but potted 19 goals in his 15 games before that.

However, Matthews has some stiff competition to fend off if he's going to claim his second career Hart Trophy. Oddsmakers believe it's a four-horse race, with Nathan MacKinnon, Nikita Kucherov, and Connor McDavid also in contention.

On Feb. 1, MacKinnon was a -120 favorite to win the award and Matthews was +1300. Matthews' monstrous scoring month increased his implied win probability by 28%.

Kucherov's and McDavid's odds remain largely unchanged since the beginning of February.

Matthews has garnered 30% of all bets placed on the Hart Trophy market at theScore Bet, which is only available in Ontario. A large portion of those wagers on the Leafs superstar - 55% to be exact - came within the last two weeks.

Furthermore, 80% of bets placed on the Hart Trophy market within the past two weeks were backing Matthews.

The bet splits for the remainder of the Hart Trophy contenders are as follows: 14% for McDavid; 10% for MacKinnon; and 4.6% for Kucherov.

Matthews is also -10000 (99% implied probability) to win the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the league's top goalscorer. He has a 13-goal advantage over second-place Sam Reinhart.

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What the odds say: Will the Oilers break NHL’s win-streak record?

The Oilers are on an absolute heater, winning 14 straight games to get within three of the NHL record held by the 1992-93 Penguins.

But will Connor McDavid and Co. break the 17-game mark?

Oddsmakers at theScore Bet have set their odds of Edmonton winning at least 18 straight at +275 for an implied probability of 26.7%.

You may think those odds for the Oilers to win four more games in a row aren't long enough, but when you look at their upcoming schedule, it makes more sense.

The Oilers host the NHL's worst team - the Blackhawks - on Thursday. A lot would have to go wrong for this streaking Edmonton side to walk away from that game without two points.

They then host the Predators on Jan. 27. Nashville is in the mix for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, but the Oilers will be decent-sized favorites in that contest as well.

Following the All-Star break, the Oilers are in Vegas for the toughest matchup of their next four games. If they can get past the Golden Knights, a contest against the Ducks on Feb. 9 would be the potential record-breaking game.

Thanks to this incredible run, the Oilers are now co-favorites to win the Stanley Cup alongside the Avalanche at +750. During their rough start to the season and shortly after they fired their head coach, the Oilers were +2000 to win the Cup.

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What the odds say: Will the Oilers break NHL’s win-streak record?

The Oilers are on an absolute heater, winning 14 straight games to get within three of the NHL record held by the 1992-93 Penguins.

But will Connor McDavid and Co. break the 17-game mark?

Oddsmakers at theScore Bet have set their odds of Edmonton winning at least 18 straight at +275 for an implied probability of 26.7%.

You may think those odds for the Oilers to win four more games in a row aren't long enough, but when you look at their upcoming schedule, it makes more sense.

The Oilers host the NHL's worst team - the Blackhawks - on Thursday. A lot would have to go wrong for this streaking Edmonton side to walk away from that game without two points.

They then host the Predators on Jan. 27. Nashville is in the mix for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, but the Oilers will be decent-sized favorites in that contest as well.

Following the All-Star break, the Oilers are in Vegas for the toughest matchup of their next four games. If they can get past the Golden Knights, a contest against the Ducks on Feb. 9 would be the potential record-breaking game.

Thanks to this incredible run, the Oilers are now co-favorites to win the Stanley Cup alongside the Avalanche at +750. During their rough start to the season and shortly after they fired their head coach, the Oilers were +2000 to win the Cup.

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Stanley Cup odds: Jets, Canucks soar; Devils plummet at halfway point

The majority of NHL teams have played their 41st game to mark the crossing of the season's halfway point.

As the All-Star break quickly approaches, let's take a look at who the betting market views as Stanley Cup contenders and pretenders.

Stanley Cup odds

Team Odds Implied Prob (%)
Avalanche +750 11.8
Bruins +800 11.1
Rangers +800 11.1
Oilers +1000 9.1
Panthers +1000 9.1
Hurricanes +1200 7.7
Stars +1200 7.7
Maple Leafs +1200 7.7
Kings +1400 6.7
Golden Knights +1400 6.7
Canucks +1600 5.9
Jets +1600 5.9
Devils +2000 4.8
Lightning +3000 3.2
Flyers +4000 2.4
Penguins +4000 2.4
Islanders +6000 1.6
Flames +7500 1.3
Wild +7500 1.3
Predators +7500 1.3
Kraken +7500 1.3
Red Wings +10000 1

Odds via theScore Bet and ESPN Bet. Teams above +10000 are not listed.

Three teams have odds shorter than +1000 - the Avalanche, Bruins, and Rangers - meaning they have an implied winning probability of over 10%.

Of the three, only the Avs, who were +900 at the beginning of the season, opened the year in this range. The Rangers were +1400 and the Bruins were +1600 before the season started, which were eight and nine on the oddsboard, respectively. But with the two teams holding the top two spots in the Eastern Conference standings, the betting market has reacted accordingly.

The Hurricanes opened the year as slight Stanley Cup favorites at +800 but have drifted to +1200 as they sit fifth in the Eastern Conference at 24-14-5. The Maple Leafs, who were +900 to start the season, have also drifted to +1200. However, not one of the preseason favorites has fallen down the oddsboard more than than Devils.

New Jersey has battled injuries all season long and, after beginning the year at +900, is now +2000 with a 22-16-3 record, which puts them in 12th in the Eastern Conference and two points out of the second wild-card spot.

As for teams in the West other than Colorado, the Oilers began the year at +900 and fell all the way down to +2000 when they sat at 5-12-1 near the end of November. But thanks to their current 11-game winning streak, they are back among the favorites to hoist the Stanley Cup.

The biggest movers in the West are by far the Canucks and Jets. They both opened the year at +6000 and have shortened drastically to +1600. They sit first and second in the league with 62 points each, but the Jets' game in hand currently gives them a slight edge in the standings.

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Matthews clear-cut favorite to win ‘Rocket’ after 1st to reach 25 goals

Auston Matthews is the clear-cut favorite to win the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy after the Maple Leafs sniper became the first to reach 25 goals this season on Tuesday night.

Matthews is even money to lead the NHL in goals based on betting odds at theScore Bet, which equates to an implied probability of 50%.

"Rocket" Richard Trophy odds

Player Odds 2023 Goals
Auston Matthews +100 25
David Pastrnak +360 19
Nikita Kucherov +650 22
Connor McDavid +900 11
Brock Boeser +1200 23
Leon Draisaitl +1400 13
Artemi Panarin +3000 17
Mikko Rantanen +3000 15
Sam Reinhart +4000 18

Matthews' outing against the Rangers was his third straight two-goal contest, extending his scoring streak to five games. He has 11 goals in his last seven contests and is on pace to reach 60 goals for the second time in his career.

Brock Boeser is only two goals behind Matthews but is much further down the bettingboard. At +1200, Boeser is only given a 7.7% implied probability of catching Matthews.

David Pastrnak is Matthews' stiffest competition, according to the odds. Pastrnak potted a career-high 61 goals last season, but he'll have to find another gear if he's going to match that total. He's on pace to score 51.

Despite only having 11 goals in 27 games, oddsmakers are giving Connor McDavid plenty of respect at +900. McDavid won the "Rocket" last season with 64 tallies.

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NHL awards odds update: Can the Hughes brothers pull off a sweep?

With the NHL's holiday break approaching, it feels like a natural time to look at how three awards markets - the Hart, Norris, and Calder - stand as we head into the new year.

The markets we'll focus on all feature a common name: Hughes.

The trio of brothers - Jack, Quinn, and Luke - are all in the running to claim hardware at the end of the season. The odds are heavily stacked against them, but could the Hughes brothers pull off an unprecedented sweep?

Let's dive in.

Hart Trophy odds

Player Odds
Nikita Kucherov +325
Connor McDavid +325
David Pastrnak +550
Jack Hughes +600
Nathan MacKinnon +1000
Auston Mattews +1100
Artemi Panarin +1200
Elias Pettersson +2000
Quinn Hughes +2500
Leon Draisaitl +2500
Cale Makar +3000

Odds via theScore Bet

Nikita Kucherov and Connor McDavid are co-favorites in the Hart Trophy market, with David Pastrnak and Jack Hughes hot on their tails.

Kucherov tops the NHL in points and is three short of the league lead in goals. He carried a Lightning team that struggled - relative to expectations - early in the season as it awaited Andrei Vasilevskiy's return. Kucherov's a deserving candidate but far from a sure thing at this point in the season.

As long as McDavid is healthy and the Oilers are winning games, the league's best player will always be in the Hart conversation.

As for Jack Hughes, he led the NHL in points before an upper-body injury caused him to miss multiple games. While his 37 points don't place him in the top 10 overall, he sits third in points per game behind Kucherov and McDavid.

For Jack to have any shot at winning this award, he needs to stay healthy for the rest of the season and the Devils, currently sitting outside a wild-card spot, have to make the playoffs. Jack's +600 odds suggest he has roughly a 14% chance of being honored as the league's MVP.

Norris Trophy odds

Player Odds
Quinn Hughes +115
Cale Makar +175
Evan Bouchard +1000
Miro Heiskanen +2500
Rasmus Dahlin +2500
Adam Fox +3000
Charlie McAvoy +3000
Victor Hedman +3000

Quinn Hughes is the favorite to win top-defenseman honors. He leads all blueliners in goals (nine) and assists (30) while captaining the Canucks' hot start. Vancouver is battling with the Golden Knights for the Pacific Division lead.

Cale Makar entered the season as the +200 betting favorite to win his second Norris Trophy and is neck and neck with Hughes. Makar trails the Canucks defenseman by two points for the league lead.

The Norris appears to be a two-man race between Western Conference foes. However, Evan Bouchard has an outside chance to throw his name into the hat if he can continue to rack up points alongside McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on the Oilers' power play.

Either way, the battle for the Norris between two of the league's best young stars will be one to watch for the remainder of the season.

Calder Trophy odds

Player Odds
Connor Bedard -350
Luke Hughes +1100
Logan Cooley +1400
Brock Faber +2200
Adam Fantilli +3000

The Calder will be the toughest for a Hughes family member to claim as Connor Bedard is a -350 favorite - a 77.8% implied probability - to win the NHL's top rookie award.

Bedard has 26 points in 30 games for the Blackhawks, who sit last in the NHL with 19 points. The 2023 first overall pick is doing all he can to carry Chicago, but the team lacks talent in all areas. Bedard simply cannot do it on his own.

Luke Hughes is Bedard's closest competitor on the oddsboard at +1100. The Devils defenseman has 16 points in 29 games while playing alongside his brother Jack. Luke was +700 to win the Calder before the season, but Bedard's sensational play caused his odds to lengthen.

If you were to parlay each Hughes brother to win the Hart, Norris, and Calder, the odds would be roughly +17000, or an implied probability of under 1%. Sweeping these three awards is very unlikely for the Hughes family, but the odds are still greater than zero!

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Matthews overtakes McDavid as ‘Rocket’ Richard favorite after 1 game

Auston Matthews overtook Connor McDavid as the favorite to lead the NHL in goals after his hat trick performance against the Canadiens on Wednesday night.

Matthews is now +250 to McDavid's +260 to win the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy at theScore Bet with 81 games remaining on the schedule. Prior to Wednesday's slate of games, McDavid was +200, and Matthews was +350.

Player Odds Oct. 11 (Implied prob.) Odds Oct. 12 (Implied prob.)
McDavid +200 (33.3%) +260 (27.8%)
Matthews +350 (22.2%) +250 (28.6%)

Odds via theScore Bet

McDavid and his Oilers were also in action on Wednesday but were blown out 8-1 by the Canucks. McDavid assisted on Leon Draisaitl's lone goal for the Oilers.

Now, is one game enough to warrant this type of reaction? Probably not. But Matthews is essentially getting a three-goal head start on McDavid for the remainder of the season.

If McDavid doesn't replicate his 64-goal season from last year, Matthews' three goals from Wednesday could prove to be the difference.

Season Matthews goals McDavid goals
2016-17 40 30
2017-18 34 41
2018-19 37 41
2019-20 47 34
2020-21 41 33
2021-22 60 44
2022-23 40 64

For the first five seasons of Matthews' career, 13 goals was the most the two were separated by. Either Matthews or McDavid has led the league in goals each of the past three seasons.

Meanwhile, the Canucks' Brock Boeser, who potted four goals on McDavid's Oilers Wednesday, wasn't even listed as a betting option to win the "Rocket" Richard Trophy prior to the season. He's now +2500 as the 10th favorite on the oddsboard.

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Pacific betting preview: Oilers vs. Golden Knights in a top-heavy division

We've covered the Atlantic, Metropolitan, and Central Divisions, which leaves us with the Pacific as the last one to cover before regular-season games start on Oct. 10.

The group out west is headlined by the defending Stanley Cup champion Golden Knights and one of this year's top favorites, the Oilers.

The betting market suggests these two powerhouses should be fighting for the division crown all season.

Futures

Team Stanley Cup Western Conf. Pacific Div.
Oilers +900 +500 +185
Golden Knights +1200 +600 +245
Kings +2500 +1000 +425
Flames +3500 +1200 +800
Kraken +3500 +1800 +1000
Canucks +7500 +2500 +1500
Ducks +30000 +10000 +20000
Sharks +30000 +10000 +20000

The Oilers head into another campaign with Stanley Cup aspirations. Connor McDavid is coming off the best season of his career, tallying 153 points and winning his third MVP award. Alongside Leon Draisaitl, this duo is by far the best one-two punch in the league.

However, Edmonton's core lacks playoff success. The team's reached the conference finals only once in McDavid's eight-year career, getting swept by the Avalanche in 2022.

Oddsmakers are giving the Oilers a 10% chance of winning their first Cup since 1990.

The Golden Knights hoisted their first Stanley Cup last season in the franchise's sixth campaign. A large portion of the roster is returning, and the betting market believes Vegas has a 7.7% chance of repeating.

Defending isn't all that uncommon. Two teams - Lightning and Penguins - have won back-to-back Cups in the past eight years.

To Make The Playoffs

Team Yes No
Oilers -750 +450
Golden Knights -650 +400
Kings -400 +280
Flames -180 +135
Kraken -130 +100
Canucks +125 -160
Ducks +1500 -5000
Sharks +1800 -5000

The betting market indicates that three teams from the Pacific should make the playoffs. The Kings have an implied probability of 80% before a steep drop off to the remainder of the clubs.

The Flames, Kraken, and Canucks appear to have a decent chance of reaching the postseason. Only Seattle made the playoffs of this group last season.

What could work in this trio's favor is that two of the worst teams in the NHL are also in the Pacific. Playing additional games against the Ducks and Sharks is a luxury that clubs on the bubble in the Central Division don't have. Those extra contests could prove extremely important when the wild-card spots are up for grabs late in the campaign.

The Sharks (+275) and Ducks (+350) are the favorites to have the worst regular-season record.

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Metropolitan betting preview: The best division in hockey?

We've already previewed the Atlantic Division, so let's look at the other teams in the Eastern Conference.

The Metropolitan Division boasts two of the top four Stanley Cup favorites and four clubs priced under +2000 to win it all, making it - in oddsmakers' eyes - the best division in hockey.

The Hurricanes are the favorites to hoist the Cup, and the Devils share the second shortest odds with three other teams.

Futures odds

Team Stanley Cup Eastern Conf. Metro Div.
Hurricanes +800 +450 +180
Devils +900 +550 +230
Rangers +1400 +800 +400
Penguins +1800 +1200 +650
Islanders +6000 +2500 +1500
Capitals +7500 +3000 +2500
Blue Jackets +15000 +8000 +10000
Flyers +20000 +8000 +10000

All odds via theScore Bet.

The Canes narrowly edged the Devils for the division crown last season and made it to the Eastern Conference Final before getting swept by the Panthers. They didn't lose anyone notable in the offseason but managed to bolster their blueline by signing Dmitry Orlov.

The Devils have one of the youngest rosters in the league and added two top-line forwards to their opening-day roster from last year. They re-signed Timo Meier, who they acquired at the previous trade deadline, and traded for Tyler Toffoli in the offseason after his 73-point 2022-23 campaign with the Flames.

The Rangers and Penguins are expected to be the next two best teams in the Metropolitan.

New York went for it all last season by acquiring Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko before the deadline. However, it was ousted in the first round of the playoffs, and neither of those names are on the roster heading into this campaign. Blake Wheeler and Nick Bonino are the team's two biggest offseason additions, meaning the Rangers will likely need Vezina Trophy candidate Igor Shesterkin to be the league's best goalie for a second time to make some noise.

The Penguins made a splash by landing Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson in what could be the last best chance Pittsburgh has of winning another Cup with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin up the middle.

To Make The Playoffs

Team Yes No
Hurricanes -1000 +550
Devils -750 +450
Rangers -500 +340
Penguins -200 +160
Islanders +100 -130
Capitals +225 -310
Blue Jackets +900 -2000
Flyers +600 -1200

The betting market believes the top four teams in the Metropolitan have a great chance of making the playoffs. The Penguins -200 odds (66.7% implied probability) are the longest of the group.

The Islanders, who have made the postseason in four of the past five seasons, are sitting at even money to clinch a playoff spot. Their +2500 odds of winning the Eastern Conference puts them in the same neighborhood as the Senators and Red Wings, according to the betting market.

The aging Capitals, who missed the playoffs for the first time last campaign since the 2013-14 season, aren't expected to contend with the Hurricanes or Devils but are given a 30.8% chance of making the playoffs.

As for the Blue Jackets and Flyers, they're expected to be two of the worst teams in the league.

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