As the NHL shutdown enters its third week, with the resumption date of the season and playoffs still in question, the Toronto Maple Leafs continue to lead all Canadian teams as a +1800 wager on the Stanley Cup odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Winners of just one of their last four games before the NHL suspended play on March 12 due to the widening COVID-19 pandemic, the Maple Leafs were holding a tenuous grip on third place in the Atlantic Division standings, and remained far from assured of a playoff spot.
However, with a lineup that has been plagued by injury all season long the Maple Leafs could benefit from the unexpected break, and they have enjoyed a slight boost of late in their Stanley Cup odds, which sat a step back at +2000 going into the league shutdown.
Facing injury troubles of their own, the Edmonton Oilers sit second to Toronto among Canadian teams at +2200 on the latest Stanley Cup odds at online sports betting sites, ahead of the Vancouver Canucks at +2800, and the Calgary Flames at +3300.
Sitting just three points back of the first-place Vegas Golden Knights in the Pacific Division, Edmonton had looked poised to return to the NHL playoffs for the first time since 2017. However, like Toronto, the Oilers have endured a recent rash of injuries that sidelined several regulars including Connor McDavid, James Neal, Mike Green, and Kris Russell.
For the Flames and Canucks, the shutdown has clouded where, and if, they would start postseason play. The Flames sit in third place in the Pacific Division, four points back of Edmonton. But if the NHL elects to jump right into the playoffs upon a return to action, and bases seeding on points percentage rather than total points, Calgary could find itself facing a tougher playoff road as the second wild card in the Western Conference.
As for the Canucks, they entered the shutdown deadlocked with Nashville in the hunt for the second wild card in the West, with tiebreakers giving the final playoff spot to the Predators. However, Vancouver’s points percentage would move it past Calgary into third place in the Pacific Division, and hand the Canucks their first playoff berth in five years.
Winners of four straight games before play was suspended, the Winnipeg Jets currently own the top wild card in the Western Conference but lag at +5500 on the Stanley Cup betting futures, while the Montreal Canadiens trail at a distant +100000 on those NHL odds.
The league-leading Boston Bruins continue to maintain their perch as +600 Stanley Cup favourites, just ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Vegas Golden Knights at +700, and the Colorado Avalanche at +800, with the Philadelphia Flyers and St. Louis Blues both at +900.
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