Updated NHL Futures (Feb. 2014)
The Blackhawks and Penguins are in a deadlock for first place on the NHL futures list.
The National Hockey League arrived at its Olympic hiatus Sunday, waving goodbye to action for the next 17 days.
While the crème de la crème of the sport make their way to Sochi, Russia, BettingSports.com decided to cast a quick glance over the latest NHL futures.
Not much has changed since we took our last look at the NHL futures. In fact, after about two thirds of the season, things are looking very familiar at the top of the list.
According to leading sportsbook, Bovada, the Chicago Blackhawks (35-11-14, 84pts) and Pittsburgh Penguins (40-15-3, 83pts) once more share the accolade as favorite to win the 2014 Stanley Cup, both with 11/2 odds of lifting the giant cup.
The two sides began the season in the No. 1 and No. 2 spot and have flip-flopped as to who is considered the favorite for much of the season. It appears now there’s nothing to separate the two.
The St. Louis Blues (39-12-6, 84pts) retain the third spot with 6/1 odds of lifting Lord Stanley’s cup, narrowly edging out the NHL-best Anaheim Ducks (41-14-5, 87pts), who have been assigned 7/1 odds.
The Boston Bruins (37-16-4, 78pts) round out the top five, but confidence in Claude Julien’s side appears to be waning a little bit.
You can see a complete list of NHL futures below.
Elsewhere on the list, the New York Rangers (32-24-3, 67pts) have played their way back up the standings, and are currently considered 22/1 to win a championship.
The Philadelphia Flyers (30-23-6, 66pts) have also earned their way up the list. The team, which was at one stage considered 66/1 to win the Stanley Cup, is now listed at 25/1.
Both the Rangers and Flyers have the potential to be dark horses come playoff time.
At the other end of the spectrum, Western Conference cellar dwellers the Calgary Flames (22-29-7, 51pts) and Edmonton Oilers (20-33-7, 47pts) have been taken off the futures list.
In the Eastern Conference, the NHL-worst Buffalo Sabres (15-34-8, 38pts) – last listed at 1000/1 – are long gone.
By the time we next check on the NHL futures, expect the Florida Panthers (22-29-7, 49pts) and New York Islanders (22-30-8, 52pts) – currently listed at 500/1 and 300/1 – to have joined the list of also-rans.
Olympic Hockey Odds
Canada (2/1) is now the favorite to win gold in Sochi, displacing hosts Russia (12/5) at the top of bookmakers’ lists.
The Canadians will be looking to become the first nation to win consecutive Olympic tournaments since the then-Soviet Union won back-to-back gold medals in 1984 and 1988.
2006 gold medalists Sweden (9/2) are currently expected to take Bronze ahead of the United States (6/1) in fourth place.
The United States has not won gold in the event since the 1980 Olympics at Lake Placid. The side finished in the silver medal place in both 2010 and 2002, losing to Canada in both finals.
Finland (11/1) and the Czech Republic (12/1) close out the top six, before odds begin to look mighty long.
Russia’s Alex Ovechkin (11/2) is favored to finish as the competition’s top goal scorer. Ovechkin leads the NHL this season with 40 goals for the Washington Capitals.
Sidney Crosby (15/2) is second on the list. Crosby was lambasted by the media at Vancouver 2010 for having a poor tournament, but came through with the game-winning goal in the final. The Pittsburgh center is the NHL’s top point getter this season, having tallied 78 points (28 goals, 50 assists) on the season.
Crosby’s Penguins teammate Evgeni Malkin (11/1) is third on the list.
You can find the full list of top goal scorer odds as well as more Sochi 2014 ice hockey tournament odds over at Bovada.
The men’s ice hockey tournament commences on February 12 with the group stage. The Gold medal game is scheduled for February 23, with the Bronze medal game played a day earlier.
The tournament grouping is as follows:
Group A: Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, U.S.A
Group B: Austria, Canada, Finland, Norway
Group C: Czech Republic, Latvia, Sweden, Switzerland
The NHL season will resume on February 26.
