Updated NHL Futures
The Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins once again top the NHL futures list.
Online sportsbook Bovada unveiled its latest set of NHL futures odds over the weekend, giving bettors a chance to make their pick for the 2015 Stanley Cup championship.
Check out the latest hockey futures odds
The Chicago Blackhawks (7/1) remain at the top of bookmakers’ standings despite a somewhat subpar start to the season.
The Pittsburgh Penguins (8/1) meanwhile have climbed into second place on the list, usurping the Boston Bruins (9/1) as the Eastern Conference’s top team.
A tightly-bunched pack of Western Conference contenders follows, with the St. Louis Blues (10/1) narrowly edging out the defending champion Los Angeles Kings (11/1) and Anaheim Ducks (12/1).
The Montreal Canadiens (12/1) – Canada’s highest ranked club – and Tampa Bay Lightning (12/1) sit level with the Ducks.
The top 10 is rounded off by the trio of the Minnesota Wild, San Jose Sharks and Vancouver Canucks (all 16/1), who share the No. 9 spot.
The Canucks are one of the big movers on the list, having seen their odds shorten from 28/1 on October 16.
While the top 10 may not have changed all that much since we last looked at the NHL futures list, there has been plenty of movement elsewhere.
Enjoying a rare season of success so far, the New York Islanders (20/1) have seen their odds of winning the Stanley Cup shorten once more. The Isles were considered 66/1 long shots when the season began. Now they sit just outside the top 10.
Another team that has seen its stock improve is the Toronto Maple Leafs (28/1). Hockey’s most famous franchise is in the thick of things in the Eastern Conference and looking more appealing by the game.
The Nashville Predators (33/1) have seen their odds slashed in half over the past month, further improvement for a team that begun the year 100/1 to lift Lord Stanley’s gargantuan cup.
Other teams trending upwards include the Philadelphia Flyers (was 50/1, now 33/1), the Ottawa Senators (was 66/1, now 50/1), Calgary Flames (was 100/1, now 66/1) and Winnipeg Jets (was 100/1, now 66/1).
Of course, for every team trending in the right direction there has to be a team falling by the wayside.
The Colorado Avalanche (50/1) is one such team tending in the wrong direction. Patrick Roy’s team opened the season at 18/1 after a surprising season last year, but the team from Denver is struggling this campaign.
The Columbus Blue Jackets (75/1) are another team freefalling down the futures list. The side opened the season with 33/1 odds, which shrunk to 28/1 after the first week of action. Now the club has emerged as a long shot as it languishes towards the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
The Detroit Red Wings (was 22/1, now 30/1) and Dallas Stars (was 22/1, now 40/1) also find themselves struggling right now, although both have the potential to reverse trends and move into contention in the near future.
Other teams watching on as their odds stretch towards the horizon include the New Jersey Devils (was 33/1, now 50/1), the Edmonton Oilers (was 100/1, now 150/1), the Arizona Coyotes (was 66/1, now 100/1), and Carolina Hurricanes (was 150/1, now 300/1).
Meanwhile, the Buffalo Sabres (300/1) continue to do what is necessary to prop the National Hockey League up, both in the standings and on the NHL futures list.
You can see the full list of NHL futures below.
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You can find the latest NHL futures odds here.
You can find an assortment of NHL team props here.
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