Bruins Overtake Avalanche as Favorites to Win 2023 Stanley Cup

Bruins Are New Cup Favorites

The Boston Bruins are the new betting favorite to win the 2023 Stanley Cup at online sportsbooks. The Bruins are priced at +500 at FanDuel Sportsbook, which means they have a 15.38% implied probability to win hockey’s ultimate prize.

Boston officially overtook previous favorite Colorado in the Stanley Cup odds right around the beginning of the New Year. It’s hard to argue with the oddsmakers, as Boston has been the NHL’s best team this season with an incredible 34-5-4 record.

The Bruins are on pace to finish with a league-record 64 wins and 137 points. It’s hard to envision Boston maintaining that pace right until the playoffs, especially if they clinch home-ice advantage early, but it speaks to their overall dominance.

Boston has failed to make it past Round 2 of the postseason in three consecutive years, but they’ve reached the Stanley Cup Final twice in the last decade. The Bruins have a talented and experienced core led by Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak.

The biggest upgrade for Boston this season comes in net, where goalie Linus Ullmark has become the Vezina Trophy favorite. In 27 starts in the Boston crease this year, Ullmark has posted an astounding 23-2-1 record with a .936 save percentage and 1.92 GAA.

Avalanche Sliding in Stanley Cup Odds

The Colorado Avalanche were the NHL’s best team one season ago, but they find themselves out of a playoff spot at the midpoint of the season. Oddsmakers have dropped Colroado’s Cup odds to +700 after opening them around +500.

It says something that the Avalanche still have the second-best odds to win the Stanley Cup despite the fact they wouldn’t make the postseason if it started today. Colorado has been decimated by the injury bug, which is clearly factored into their odds.

The Avalanche are currently without captain Gabriel Landeskog, plus defensemen Bowen Byram and John Manson due to injury, while Nathan MacKinnon and Val Nichuskin have also missed time. When the Avs are fully healthy, they are still one of the NHL’s best teams.

The Avalanche can’t be counted out in the Stanley Cup odds, even though they lost some key pieces from that Cup-winning roster such as Nazem Kadri and Darcy Kuemper. Oddsmakers are still giving the Avs a 12.5% chance to repeat.

Perhaps the best reason to wager on the Avs right now is the lack of competition in the Western Conference. There is only one team in the West listed with better odds than +1500 to win the 2023 Stanley Cup, and that’s the Vegas Golden Knights at +850.

Best Bets to Win 2023 Stanley Cup

At the midpoint of the season, we’re not counting out Colorado in the 2023 Stanley Cup odds. Sure, the Avalanche are struggling this year, but this is a powerhouse team that outscored the opposition by an 85-55 margin in last year’s postseason.

The team that sticks out as the best value at the midpoint of the season, however, is the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canes appear to be building towards a long playoff run in 2022-23 after two straight second-round postseason exits.

Not only do the Hurricanes only trail the Bruins by 10 points in the standings, but they also recently got starting goalie Freddie Andersen back from injury. Furthermore, Carolina is dominating puck possession.

NHL Top Possessions Teams 2022-23

All stats at 5v5 as of January 18. 

The Hurricanes took down the Bruins in seven games last spring and lost in overtime to them in the first regular-season meeting this season. The Canes have added Max Pacioretty and Brent Burns to an already star-studded roster.

The value on Carolina right comes stems from Andersen’s return from injury and being a possible difference-maker in the spring. Carolina has never had Andersen for a playoff run, and the former Vezina finalist helps the Canes matchup with the B’s in the most important position.

Carolina’s Stanley Cup odds have shortened considerably after opening at +1100, and there’s a good chance that trend continues in the second half of the season. With excellent metrics and one of the game’s best coaches in Rod Brind’Amour, the Canes are worth a wager right now.