After storming out of the gate with nine straight wins the Montreal Canadiens have cooled off over the past two weeks, winning just four of their past eight games.
However, they have maintained their perch atop the odds to win the Stanley Cup at 15/2 at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The Habs produced mixed results in the past week, topping the Boston Bruins by a 4-2 score last Saturday night before dropping a 4-3 shootout decision to the Penguins in Pittsburgh on Wednesday.
Montreal kicks off a brief three-game homestand on Saturday when the Colorado Avalanche arrive at the Bell Centre, followed by a date with the Vancouver Canucks on Monday.
The Canadiens have won three straight games against the Avalanche, who kicked off a six-game road swing with a 4-0 win over Philadelphia on Tuesday night, just their fourth victory of the season.
The Dallas Stars enter the weekend deadlocked with the Canadiens in NHL futures betting after tallying 12 wins in their first 16 games. The Stars also opened a three-game homestand this week, suffering a shocking 3-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, but still entered their Thursday night meeting with the Winnipeg Jets in first place in the Western Conference.
The Penguins have quietly racked up the victories, moving to 8-2 in their last 10 games with their win over Montreal on Wednesday, and will look to close the gap on the Metropolitan-leading New York Rangers when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday as early -180 betting favourites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Pittsburgh pulled to within four points of the Rangers with their win over the Habs, but their strong play has done little to lift their Stanley Cup odds which remain stalled at 14/1 ahead of Friday’s Blue Jackets vs. Penguins betting matchup.
The Rangers, meanwhile, took a six-game win streak into their Thursday night tilt with St. Louis, and closely trail the Canadiens and Stars with 8/1 Stanley Cup odds.
Elsewhere on the updated Stanley Cup futures, the Washington Capitals head into the weekend alongside the Anaheim Ducks at 10/1, followed by the Chicago Blackhawks, who are joined by the Blues at 12/1.
The Jets have fallen off the pace in the Central Division, but hold steady at 33/1, while the Canucks have yet to be rewarded for their fast start, trailing at 40/1. The Ottawa Senators have fallen slightly to 50/1, ahead of the Calgary Flames at 66/1 and the Edmonton Oilers at 75/1, while the Maple Leafs remain 150/1 longshots.
