Sitting atop the Pacific Division standings, the Edmonton Oilers are making steady gains on the 2020 Stanley Cup odds and are now just a step back of the betting favourites as a +1600 wager at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Edmonton opened the campaign amid tempered expectations, sporting lengthy +4000 odds on those NHL futures after failing to crack 80 points in each of the past two seasons. But the Oilers then got out to a strong 7-1-0 start to the season, with superstar forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl leading the way atop the NHL scoring race. The Oilers, though, have cooled off in recent weeks, with a 5-4-1 record over their past 10 games.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, meanwhile, have endured a tumultuous start to the season that resulted in the firing of head coach Mike Babcock, but they continue to lead all Canadian clubs at +1100 on the latest Stanley Cup odds.
A steady presence at or near the top of the futures board throughout the offseason, the Maple Leafs quickly lost ground during a shaky start. The team dipped as far as +2000 on those NHL odds during the six-game losing streak that led to Babcock's dismissal, but has quickly gained ground under new bench boss Sheldon Keefe.
Currently locked in a tight three-way race for second place in the Central Division, the Winnipeg Jets sit as a +2200 Stanley Cup wager ahead of the Vancouver Canucks at +2800. Mired in controversy in the early going, the Calgary Flames have dipped to +3000 on the latest Stanley Cup odds, while the freefalling Montreal Canadiens have tumbled to a lengthy +6000. The Ottawa Senators sit as +10000 longshots.
Meanwhile, feeling no effects of a Stanley Cup hangover after suffering heartbreak in a championship-deciding Game 7 loss to St. Louis last spring, the Boston Bruins have emerged as the +800 betting favourites on the futures while climbing to the top of the NHL standings.
The Washington Capitals have kept pace with Boston, and have been rewarded with +900 odds to win the 2020 Stanley Cup, followed by the Colorado Avalanche, who join Toronto as a +1100 wager, while the Blues join the Tampa Bay Lightning at +1200 at sportsbooks.
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