Odds to Win 2016 Stanley Cup

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The NHL regular season has finally ended and it’s now time to take a look at who might win the 2016 Stanley Cup. The Capitals were the most dominant team all year, but there are plenty of teams that will be gunning for that trophy. Here’s a look at some of the better picks one can make before the madness begins:

Washington Capitals	7-to-2
Chicago Blackhawks	13-to-2
Dallas Stars	7-to-1
Pittsburgh Penguins	15-to-2
Anaheim Ducks	8-to-1
Los Angeles Kings	8-to-1
St. Louis Blues	9-to-1
New York Rangers	15-to-1
San Jose Sharks	15-to-1
Tampa Bay Lightning	18-to-1
Florida Panthers	20-to-1
New York Islanders	20-to-1
Nashville Predators	25-to-1
Minnesota Wild	35-to-1
Detroit Red Wings	40-to-1
Philadelphia Flyers	40-to-1

Pittsburgh Penguins - The Penguins are entering the postseason in fantastic form, as they have now won 14 of their past 16 games. This is a team that has been extremely impressive on the season and actually has the highest power rating (4.9) in the NHL. Pittsburgh gets it done on both ends of the ice, as the team is scoring 2.9 goals per game (3rd in NHL) and allowing just 2.4 (6th in NHL). C Sidney Crosby (36 G, 49 A, 85 PTS) is still one of the best players in the entire league and he’s been on a mission since getting snubbed out of this year’s All-Star Game. He’ll look to get hot in the opening series against New York and he should be able to do that. The Rangers struggled down the stretch and are very vulnerable along the blue line. The return of C Evgeni Malkin (27 G, 31 A, 58 PTS) will also give this team a huge boost. He is expected back at some point in the first round and this Penguins offense was dangerous enough without him in the lineup. Pittsburgh will, however, need G Marc-Andre Fleury (35-17-6, 2.29 GAA, 92.1% SV%) back as soon as possible. Fleury is a rock in the net for this team and the Penguins will have trouble making it out of the first round if he does not return soon. That isn’t expected to be the case, though. He should be back at some point in the first round and that makes this team an easy one to back at 15-to-2.

Anaheim Ducks - The Ducks started the season with just one victory in their first 10 games, but they really caught fire in the second half of the year. Anaheim won 31 games from Jan. 1 up until the end of the regular season and is now a true threat to win the Stanley Cup. The Ducks finished the season with a power rating of 3.8 (t-3rd in NHL) and that’s quite impressive considering the way they started the year. The real reason this team is going to be a factor in the postseason is because of its defense and goaltending. Anaheim allowed just 2.3 goals per game (1st in NHL) during the regular season and will be confident that it can shut down its opponents in any seven-game series. It also doesn’t hurt that the Ducks have C Ryan Getzlaf (13 G, 50 A, 63 PTS) and RW Corey Perry (34 G, 28 A, 62 PTS) to rely on offensively. Both of them have plenty of playoff experience and Perry is a guy that could change a series if he catches fire. They’re getting great odds and are a wise team to put a few units on.

St. Louis Blues - The Blues are an odd team, but they are loaded with talent and know what it takes to win games. The reason St. Louis is not your average playoff team is because it isn’t currently relying on one goalie. The Blues would be more than happy to roll out either G Brian Elliot (23-8-6, 2.07 GAA, 93.0% SV%) or G Jake Allen (26-15-3, 2.35 GAA, 92.0%) on any given night, but it does seem that Elliot is going to be their guy in the postseason. Regardless, the Blues have a very good defense and allowed just 2.4 goals per game (4th in NHL) during the regular season. This team is also tremendous on special teams, as they scored on 21.5% of their power plays (6th in NHL) during the regular season and killed off 85.1% (2nd in NHL) as well. St. Louis also happens to have guys like RW Vladimir Tarasenko (40 G, 34 A, 74 PTS) and C Paul Stastny (10 G, 39 A, 49 PTS). Tarasenko is one of the most talented players in hockey and is a threat to score every time he touches the puck. Stastny, meanwhile, has been a bit of a disappointment in St. Louis, but this is when the team is hoping he’ll shine. He knows how to create for his teammates and is capable of having a big postseason. The Blues are a very good team to take with their current odds.

Philadelphia Flyers - The Flyers are one team to keep an eye on if you’re looking for a dark horse play in this postseason. Philadelphia may be going up against the team that won the President’s Trophy, but that same Capitals team has some real playoff demons. The Capitals have been talented before, but they have never been able to do any serious damage in the postseason. Philadelphia also happens to be a lot better than its final record indicated. The Flyers are a very tough team and could have folded when their season didn’t start the way they hoped. They were, however, able to rally and get the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia will now be hoping that guys like C Claude Giroux (22 G, 45 A, 67 PTS) and RW Wayne Simmonds (32 G, 28 A, 60 PTS) can lead them to the Stanley Cup. Giroux is a fantastic offensive player and will make sure that the Flyers don’t go down easy. Simmonds, meanwhile, is extremely tough and will rough up whoever gets in his way. He also happens to be a great scorer around the net. This is a good team to put a unit or two on, as it wouldn’t be crazy if the Flyers were to make a deep run.