Three teams begin to pull ahead in updated Stanley Cup Odds.

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HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 3 years ago
Three teams begin to pull ahead in updated Stanley Cup Odds.

The hardest time to predict what will happen in the National Hockey League is in the weeks leading up to the league's official trade deadline. Not only do we not yet have a clear picture of what all 31 rosters will look like heading down the stretch, but there are still plenty of games left to play that could shake up the standings or could even lead to injuries on a roster. 

In spite of that each and every year oddsmakers do their very best to predict the outcomes of the regular season and the playoffs, and on Sunday the oddsmakers over at Money Puck released their latest odds for the upcoming 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs. They use a percentage based model to weigh the chances of every team as they progress through the playoffs, and as is always the case one team emerges as the favorite to win it all. This time around we have 3 teams that have taken something of a lead over their competitors, with those teams being the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Colorado Avalanche.

The guys and girls at Money Puck currently have the Colorado Avalanche standing alone at the very top with a 13.7% chance of winning the Stanley Cup. That may not seem like a big number to you but in a league with 31 teams that is actually very high for any contending team, and it indicates to me that the oddsmakers believe the Avalanche are the heavy favorites to go all the way this season.

Second place takes a considerable dip down with the Tampa Bay Lightning registering a 9.2% chance of winning Lord Stanley's Holy Grail of hockey. The Lightning are of course the defending Stanley Cup Champions and after another strong performance throughout the regular season it's not difficult to imagine why they would rank up near the top of the list.

Coming in third place are the Toronto Maple Leafs who see a much slighter dip than the gap between first and second, with an 8.5% chance of winning it all according to the oddsmakers. The Leafs cemented their spot at the top of Canada's North Division this season with a win over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night, and it would appear this has made them the clear favorite to emerge as the contenders from the Canadian division.

For a full breakdown you can check out the graph below courtesy of the good people over at Money Puck.


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