Stanley Cup Odds: Avalanche, Hurricanes Overwhelming Favorites After First-Round Sweeps

While the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs continues for most teams, two squads have already advanced to the second round.

The Carolina Hurricanes completed the sweep of the Ottawa Senators on Saturday afternoon, and the Colorado Avalanche finished off the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday evening.

Those two teams were favored to win the Stanley Cup ahead of the NHL playoffs, and their odds only got shorter after dominating the first round.

Let’s take a look at the updated Stanley Cup odds for the 14 teams remaining after two weekend eliminations.

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Stanley Cup Odds After Avalanche, Hurricanes Sweeps

Colorado Avalanche: +225
Carolina Hurricanes: +285
Tampa Bay Lightning: +750
Buffalo Sabres: +1100
Dallas Stars: +1200
Vegas Golden Knights: +1400
Minnesota Wild: +1900
Utah Mammoth: +2200
Philadelphia Flyers: +2500
Montreal Canadiens: +2800
Anaheim Ducks: +3000
Edmonton Oilers: +4000
Pittsburgh Penguins: +15000
Boston Bruins: +20000

The Avalanche’s Stanley Cup odds haven’t even shortened that much considering how dominant they were in the first round against the Kings. They were at +300 before the series, and are now at +225. Granted, there wasn’t a ton of room for them to move, but honestly, this still seems a bit long for the one team that appears to be head and shoulders above the rest.

That’s with all due respect to the Hurricanes, of course, who have come down from +475 to +285 after sweeping the Senators. However, Carolina has shown in recent years that it wears down as the playoffs move along, winning just one game in the Eastern Conference Final in the last two years. But with the Panthers out of the picture, perhaps the Hurricane will take advantage of an easier path to the Stanley Cup Final.

While the Panthers aren’t in it, the Lightning are going to be a tough out as well. Despite being tied 2-2 in their first-round series, they still have the third-shortest odds for the Stanley Cup due to their path (they’d play the Sabres or Bruins in the next round) and championship pedigree.

I’m a bit surprised that the Sabres are ahead of the Stars, if only slightly. Minnesota is a better team than Boston, and Dallas has looked better than Buffalo through each team’s first four games.

The Golden Knights are still getting some respect despite being down 2-1 to Utah. They were +1000 before the playoffs and haven’t gotten much longer at +1400.

After that, I’m not too sure if any of those other teams have a legitimate chance of winning the Stanley Cup, or are even worth betting on at those longer odds. If anything, maybe the Canadiens at +2800 given how they’ve battled against the Lightning.

But for now, the Avalanche are the rightful favorites and are probably the best bet on the board, even at a short +225 price. Besides Colorado, I’d consider the Stars at +1200 as it really does feel like whichever Central Division team emerges from the pack will lift Lord Stanley’s Cup.

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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