Heading into the first week of winter which will undoubtedly bring cold weather to much of North America over the next several months, the NHL season is just starting to warm up. The top teams in the league are jockey for post season position while the rest are trying to keep their playoff hopes alive. In the Eastern Conference the New Jersey Devils are riding a five game winning streak to remain tied with Pittsburgh for the Atlantic division lead with both teams having 53 points. In the Northeast division, Buffalo has opened up a four point lead over Boston and a seven point lead over Ottawa. In the Southeast division, the Washington Capitals have separated themselves from the competition and lead Atlanta by 12 points.
Turning to the Western Conference, Chicago now holds a four point lead over Nashville and a 10 point lead over Detroit in the Central division. Colorado has opened up a three point lead over Calgary in the Northwest division and San Jose is back on top of the Pacific division with a three point lead over Phoenix and a four point lead over Los Angeles.
The following are my top four teams in the league along with their current odds to win it all.
Washington Capitals Current Odds to win the Stanley Cup +575
The Capitals are currently 23-8-6 and have a total of 52 points. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games. They have a two game winning streak including an impressive 5-2 win over Buffalo where they scored on two power play goals in the third period 75 seconds apart to seal the win. Alex Ovechkin is the leading goal scorer with 28, Nicklas Backstrom leads in assists with 28, and Semyon Varlamov has a 2.21 GAA (goals against average).
Pittsburgh Penguins Current Odds to win the Stanley Cup + 400
The Penguins are currently 26-11-1 and have a total of 53 points. They are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. Coming off an embarrassing 4-0 loss to division foe New Jersey this past Monday night, they rebounded with a blowout 8-2 win over Ottawa on Wednesday, outscoring the Senators 5-0 in the second period. Sidney Crosby is the team’s leading goal scorer with 22, Evgeni Malkin is tied with Crosby in assists with 24, and Marc-Andre Fleury has a 2.39 GAA.
San Jose Sharks Current Odds to win the Stanley Cup +450
The Sharks are currently 22-8-7 and have a total of 51 points. They are 5-2-3 in their last 10 games. They have won their last three games including a 4-2 win over the Dallas Stars on Monday and a 3-2 win over Chicago on Tuesday night. The Blackhawks outplayed the Sharks for most of the game, but Evgeni Nabokov’s 45 saves helped secure the win. Patrick Marleau is the leading goal scorer with 23, Joe Thornton has been a force with 41 assists, and Nabokov has a 2.33 GAA.
Chicago Blackhawks Current Odds to win the Stanley Cup +525
The Blackhawks are currently 24-9-3 and have a total of 51 points. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games. After a tough 3-2 loss to San Jose last Tuesday, they quickly got back to their winning ways with a 3-0 white wash of division rival, Detroit. Antti Niemi stopped 33 shots to gain his fourth shutout of the season. Patrick Kane leads the team in both goals; 12 and assists; 26. Niemi’s GAA is 1.59 and Christobal Huet’s GAA is 2.05
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