21+ to wager. Please Gamble Responsibly. Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (KS, NV), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help (MI). Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (CO, DC, IL, IN, LA, MD, MS, NJ, OH, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY). Call 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY) Call 1-800-327-5050 (MA).
Which NHL team will be hoisting the Stanley Cup when June finally rolls around? Can the Colorado Avalanche win back-to-back titles? These questions will be answered before we know it!
The Boston Bruins look to be the class of the Eastern Conference. They have a rather large point lead over both the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Tampa Bay Lightning for the Atlantic Division.
The 3 other divisions are almost dead heats, as only the Carolina Hurricanes have any semblance of a commanding lead. Stay tuned to get our best bets for the 2023 Stanley Cup.
Think your favorite NHL team has a shot to bring home the game's most coveted piece of hardware? Check out each team's odds to win the 2023 Stanley Cup below. As you can see from the following list, 3 teams really stand out as the favorites.
Can any team sneak past Boston, Colorado, or Carolina? Here are the current Stanley Cup odds from our friends over at Caesars Sportsbook. These were last updated on February 17, 2023.
Latest Odds from Caesars SportsBook
Bruins | +400 |
Avalanche | +600 |
Hurricanes | +650 |
Lightning | +1000 |
Rangers | +1000 |
Stars | +1200 |
Maple Leafs | +1200 |
Oilers | +1200 |
Devils | +1500 |
Golden Knights | +1700 |
Wild | +2200 |
Flames | +2500 |
Kraken | +2500 |
Jets | +2800 |
Kings | +3000 |
Capitals | +3500 |
Islanders | +4000 |
Panthers | +4000 |
Penguins | +4000 |
Sabres | +7500 |
Blues | +10000 |
Predators | +10000 |
Senators | +15000 |
Red Wings | +25000 |
Canucks | +25000 |
Flyers | +100000 |
Sharks | +200000 |
Canadiens | +500000 |
Coyotes | +500000 |
Ducks | +500000 |
Blue Jackets | +500000 |
Blackhawks | +500000 |
The Colorado Avalanche hoisted the Stanley Cup last year for the first time since 2001 and broke the franchise record for points in a season set by that 2000-01 team led by Joe Sakic, Patrick Roy, and Peter Forsberg.
The Avs were favorites to win Cup at +650 entering the season, which marked the third time in the last decade that the preseason favorite went on to win. The other two were the Chicago Blackhawks in 2014-15 and the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019-20.
Colorado lost just four games the entire postseason en route to their franchise’s third championship. It was a chalky kind of year as the Avalanche defeated Tampa Bay, who were second-favorites in the 2021-22 preseason odds.
According to Hockey Reference, the top five favorites entering the 2022-23 season were the Avalanche (+425), Toronto Maple Leafs (+800), Florida Panthers (+900), Carolina Hurricanes (+1000), and Tampa Bay Lightning (+1200).
Four of those teams remain in the top five of the current odds to win the Stanley Cup. The Panthers, who won the President’s Trophy with 122 points last season, find themselves in the familiar position of fighting for a Wild Card berth this year and have fallen down the midseason odds as a result.
The team that has stormed up the standings in the Eastern Conference and is now the favorite to lift the Cup is the Boston Bruins. Boston is 14 points clear of the next team in the NHL and is on a trajectory to test the Montreal Canadiens’ record of 132 points in a season set in 1976-77.
Boston began the season with odds of +2800 to win the championship and an over/under for points of 96.5. They’ll likely cash the over with 20 games remaining on their schedule and look to be on a collision course with Lord Stanley.
The Bruins have won more than 75% of their games this season, allowed the fewest goals in the league by a wide margin, and have a goal differential of +81. The next closest team by that measure is New Jersey at +43.
The Devils are a more extreme example of a team that went from long shot to contender in 2022-23. Their championship odds were +6600 when the puck dropped for the first time this season, and they now have the third-most points in the NHL with roughly 25 games to go.
New Jersey’s record on the road is a staggering 20-3-3, by far the best mark in the league. It has buoyed their mediocre performance on home ice in 2022-23 and vaulted them to among the top ten teams favored to compete for the Stanley Cup.
Other teams near that top ten, depending on where you play, include the Edmonton Oilers, Vegas Golden Knights, Dallas Stars, New York Rangers, Calgary Flames, Minnesota Wild, and Pittsburgh Penguins. Each of these teams is in playoff position or within a point of a playoff berth if the season ended in mid-February.
Several long-shot teams, in addition to the Bruins and Devils, have proven their mettle this season and have a chance to make a run come postseason time. The Winnipeg Jets were side by side with the Devils at +6600 to begin the season and have played their way into the race for the Central division championship to this point.
The Jets have won the most games and allowed the fewest goals in the Western Conference, and have raised their odds to the point where they appear to be on the cusp of challenging the top teams.
One interesting note, their record in games that have gone to overtime is 8-1 this season, the best in the NHL. Whether this bodes well for their chances come playoff time or indicates their record may be inflated is up for debate.
The Seattle Kraken has been a nice surprise in their second season competing in the NHL. They’ve elevated their odds to a similar position as Winnipeg after starting the season as long shots of +15000 and have scored the second-most goals in the West behind the high-flying Edmonton Oilers.
Their balanced offensive attack is comprised of just one 20+ goal-scorer and 10 players with double-digit goals this season. Jared McCann leads the team with 25 goals and is third in the league with a 23.1% shooting percentage.
Elsewhere in the NHL, the two-time champion Los Angeles Kings are in playoff position while holding steady around their +3500 preseason odds number across the board. The Washington Capitals, Stanley Cup champions in 2017-18, are in a tussle for the Wild Card positions in the East as Alex Ovechkin closes in on Wayne Gretzky’s goals record. The New York Islanders are also in that congested Eastern Conference playoff chase and are seeking their first postseason berth since 2020-21.
Four teams with odds of +1000 or longer entering the playoffs have won the Stanley Cup since 2009-10, according to various sources. The Bruins, Hurricanes, Avalanche, and Maple Leafs meet that criteria based on the current odds, although the three Eastern Conference teams in that group are well ahead of the Avs in the standings.
For our best bets, we’ll include a favorite, a contender, and a long shot in an attempt to find value at each level. The three teams we’ll be playing at this point in the season are:
Just eight teams who have won the President’s Trophy in the last 35 years have gone on to win the Cup. As dominant as Boston looks right now, there’s a lot of hockey left to be played, and we’ve seen those kinds of teams get beat in a four-game series plenty of times.
The Hurricanes are a disciplined bunch with recent playoff experience who can give anyone in the league trouble. The Devils are being undervalued despite an impressive season and have a chance to make a conference finals run or better if they maintain momentum into the postseason.
Finally, the Jets are winning games with defense, and that translates well to the kind of hockey that’s played in the playoffs. They’ve won games in crunch time during the regular season, and that could contribute to their confidence when the games have higher stakes.
Ready to brush up on your hockey history? The following table shows a list of all Stanley Cup Winners from 2000 to 2022. After that, we'll dive into some frequently asked questions about the NHL and the Stanley Cup.
Have a hockey question that you'd like to see answered in this section? Reach out to us at [email protected] or find us on Twitter @EatWatchBet.
Year | Winner | Runner-Up |
---|---|---|
2002 | Detroit Red Wings | Carolina Hurricanes |
2003 | New Jersey Devils | Anaheim Ducks |
2004 | Tampa Bay Lightning | Calgary Flames |
2005 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Detroit Red Wings |
2006 | Carolina Hurricanes | Edmonton Oilers |
2007 | Anaheim Ducks | Ottawa Senators |
2008 | Detroit Red Wings | Pittsburgh Penguins |
2009 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Detroit Red Wings |
2010 | Chicago Blackhawks | Philadelphia Flyers |
2011 | Boston Bruins | Vancouver Canucks |
2012 | Los Angeles Kings | New Jersey Devils |
2013 | Chicago Blackhawks | Boston Bruins |
2014 | Los Angeles Kings | New York Rangers |
2015 | Chicago Blackhawks | Tampa Bay Lightning |
2016 | Pittsburgh Penguins | San Jose Sharks |
2017 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Nashville Predators |
2018 | Washington Capitals | Vegas Golden Knights |
2019 | St. Louis Blues | Vegas Golden Knights |
2020 | Tampa Bay Lightning | Dallas Stars |
2021 | Tampa Bay Lightning | Montreal Canadiens |
2022 | Colorado Avalanche | Tampa Bay Lightning |
The Montreal Canadiens have won the most Stanley Cups in NHL history, with a total of 24 championships.
The NHL player who has scored the most goals in the Stanley Cup Finals is Henri Richard of the Montreal Canadiens, with a total of 20 goals.
The NHL goaltender who has the most saves in Stanley Cup Finals history is Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils, with a total of 752 saves.
Wayne Gretzky won 4 Stanley Cup titles in his career. He won two with the Edmonton Oilers in 1984 and 1985 and two more with the Los Angeles Kings in 1991 and 1992.
The NHL player with the most assists in history is Wayne Gretzky, with a total of 1,963 assists.
Gordie Howe won 4 Stanley Cup titles in his career. He won all four of them with the Detroit Red Wings in 1950, 1952, 1954, and 1955.
Nicholas Berault is a proud Penn State alum whose past work has been featured on FantasyPros. He is an avid golfer and a collector of pin flags and sneakers. He covers NBA betting for EatWatchBet.
21+ to wager. Please Gamble Responsibly. Call 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (KS, NV), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help (MI). Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (CO, DC, IL, IN, LA, MD, MS, NJ, OH, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY). Call 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY) Call 1-800-327-5050 (MA).