Of the top five teams in Westgate’s preseason odds to win the Stanley Cup, only one – the Tampa Bay Lightning – remains within the Top 5 at the halfway point of the NHL season.
The Lightning opened at 12/1, tied for the third-best odds to win it all behind the defending Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins and the Edmonton Oilers, who were 6/1 and 9/1 respectively back in September. At midseason, the Lightning have the best odds to win the Stanley Cup at 5/1 – no surprise since the Bolts sit atop the league with 31 wins and 65 points.
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Of course, the biggest surprise in the NHL this season is the success of the expansion Vegas Golden Knights, who are in first place in the Western Conference with a stunning 60 points. Before the season, Westgate listed the Golden Knights as one of five teams with 200/1 odds to win the Stanley Cup, worst in the league. Now, Vegas is right behind Tampa Bay with 7/1 odds.
In the midst of a dreadful season, the Oilers fell from the No. 2 slot all the way to 20th currently at 40/1. Of the seven Canadian-based teams, the Winnipeg Jets have the best current odds to rasie the Cup at 18/1, a big jump from their original 50/1 odds.
The last overall Arizona Coyotes have the worst odds to win the Stanley Cup at 2,000/1.
Here is the complete list of all 31 NHL teams and their odds to win the Stanley Cup, according to Las Vegas-based oddsmaker Westgate:
