With the NHL season having passed the symbolic half-way point following the All-Star Game on Saturday, the attentions of the players will quickly return to normal service as the pressure of securing a post-season berth ramps up.
There are still plenty of games to go for things to change dramatically, either in a good or bad way, but a definite hierarchy has emerged over the first half of the campaign to indicate where the power may lie.
The Coronavirus pandemic has of course played its part in disrupting the season so there are some discrepancies in terms of games played, but it is still clear enough who are the haves and who are the have-nots in each conference.
The Eastern Conference play-off places could already have been sewn up with Boston Bruins in the final wild card place holding a nine-point advantage over the side immediately below them. Even if the New York Islanders were to win their games in hand, the Bruins would still have an eight-point cushion and games in hand do not equate to automatic wins of course.
Things do look a little more competitive in the Western Conference, certainly in terms of the race for a wild card, with the Pacific Division in particular looking the most open. There is a situation where those sides in and around the wild card positions have games in hand on most above them, and the picture will be much clearer when they have caught up.
Avalanche the Team to Beat
Colorado made an inauspicious start to the campaign by losing four of their opening six fixtures but their subsequent turnaround in form has cemented their pre-season favourites tag and they remain the team to beat in the betting for Stanley Cup glory, leading the market at 19/4.
Even a shock home defeat to the worst side in the Conference, Arizona Coyotes, before the All-Star break, will not have dampened expectations as it came after a shootout, while they have only lost eight times in regulation, with just four more defeats suffered beyond normal time.
The Avalanche have built their success on their all-round ability to score goals, second only to Florida Panthers in terms of goals scored, although both share a goals for per game played ratio of 4.09.
Colorado’s play-off destiny seems certain and it appears a question of whether they can continue their form into the post-season, having been knocked out of the play-offs in the second round last season having won the Presidents’ Trophy.
Minnesota Offer Some Western Value
Vegas Golden Knights are perhaps not performing at their very best but they still top the Pacific Division, with the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers arguably offering the most threat to divisional honours, providing they win their games in hand.
Vegas are priced at available at 16/5 to deny 2/1 favs Colorado the Western Conference title, although the Minnesota Wild look to offer some value at 8/1. The Wild boast a points percentage of .720, one of only two teams in the conference better than .700 along with the Avs, having won 28 of their 41 games played.
Those three sides are the only teams from the west in the top 10 of the betting for overall glory, with the Eastern Conference seen as having greater strength in depth.
Even though there is a sense that the final eight in the East has already been established, finding a winner looks a tricky puzzle to solve.
Hurricanes Can Emerge From Stronger East
Two-time defending Stanley Cup champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning, are very much in the mix and are co-second favourites to “three-peat” at 7/1, alongside the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers.
Florida have been dominant offensively and lead the league with 192 goals scored, while Toronto look a more rounded unit compared to previous seasons and boast last season’s top goalscorer, Auston Matthews (joint third this season), in their ranks.
However, their lack of recent positive play-off experience compared to the Lightning is a downside on the prices. Like Tampa Bay, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins have been there and done it and might tempt a few at bigger odds, but the Carolina Hurricanes offer some real value at 13/1 to go all the way.
The Hurricanes look genuine contenders to win the Presidents’ Trophy or to at least secure top seeding in the Conference, lying third in the standings but with multiple games in hand on both sides above them.
Although not as potent offensively as the Panthers, Carolina are the strongest team in the NHL without the puck, boasting the best defensive records of goals against (98), shots against per game (28.2) and penalty kill percentage (89.0).
While there are plenty of positives for a number of their rivals, a double-digit price is well worth considering.
*All odds correct at time of writing