The Washington Capitals, Ottawa Senators, and the Los Angeles Kings are the three hottest teams in the league heading into the month of February. In their last 10 games combined they are 29-1. The Capitals have vaulted to the top of the points standings with 82 and the Senators and Kings are making up some ground in their division.
In the East, Washington now has a 25 point lead over Tampa Bay in the Southeast division and a 10 point lead over the next closest team in the conference. New Jersey’s lead in the Atlantic division is down to one point over Pittsburgh. In the Northeast division, Buffalo is clinging to a three point lead over Ottawa as the Senator’s 10 game winning streak has all but erased their once dominant lead.
In the West, San Jose still has an eight point lead over Phoenix and a 10 point lead over the red hot Kings in the Pacific division. Chicago’s lead over Nashville and Detroit in the Central division is 14 points. In the Northwest division, Vancouver has a two point lead over Colorado and a six point lead over Calgary.
The following are my top four teams in the league along with their opening and current odds to win it all.
Washington Capitals Odds to win the Stanley Cup: Open 10/1 Current 6/1
The Capitals are currently 38-12-6 with a total of 82 points. They are 10-0 in their last ten games and have won 11 straight. In a 4-1 win over Florida, Mike Nuble’s third period goal sealed the win; it was his second of the night. They made it two in a row over the teams from Florida with a 3-2 win over Tampa Bay. On the road against Boston they fell behind early, but three third period goals buried the Bruins 4-1. Alex Ovechkin is the leading goal scorer with 36 and is tied with Nicklas Backstrom in assists with 41. Mike Green has 40 assists and G Jose Theodore has a 2.86 GAA (goals against average).
San Jose Sharks Odds to win the Stanley Cup: Open 10/1 Current 11/2
The Sharks are currently 36-11-9 with a total of 81 points. They are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games. In a big match up with Chicago, they came away on the short end of a 4-3 loss in overtime, unable to overcome the 0-3 hole they dug for themselves in the first period. Against the Wild they overcame a 2-1 deficit by scoring four unanswered goals in the 5-2 win. They dropped their third straight game to Detroit this season after the Red Wings outscored them 2-0 in the third, losing 4-2. Patrick Marleau is the leading goal scorer with 37 and Joe Thornton leads the way with 55 assists. G Evgeni Nabokov has a 2.24 GAA.
Chicago Blackhawks Odds to win the Stanley Cup: Open 12/1 Current 5/1
The Blackhawks are currently 37-15-4 with a total of 78 points. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games. Troy Brouwer’s overtime goal, his second of the game gave the Blackhawks a big 4-3 win over San Jose. Carolina goalie Cam Ward shut them down, recording 39 saves in a 4-2 loss to Carolina. They could not overcome the Blues three second period goals as they lost 3-2. Patrick Kane leads the team in goals with 22 and in is tied with Duncan Keith with 39 assists. G Chistobal Huet’s GAA is 2.25.
Pittsburgh Penguins Odds to Win the Stanley Cup: Open 7/1 Current 9/2
Last Thursday night, the Penguins were completely shut down by the streaking Senators, 4-1. Against the Red Wings, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin scored in the overtime shootout to come away with a 2-1 win. The win moved Pittsburgh to 7-0 in shootouts. In their next game Crosby scored three goals in the second period for his third hat trick of the season in a 5-4 win over Buffalo. Crosby leads the team in goals with 37. Malkin leads in assists with 38 and G Mark-Andre Fluery has a 2.59 GAA.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.