2015 Stanley Cup PlayoffsPlayoffs start Wednesday, April 15The NHL playoffs are here, with the New York Rangers coming in as the favorite with 9-to-2 odds to win it all. The Chicago Blackhawks are once again the favorites to win the Western Conference with 7-to-1 odds, but there are two other conference foes right there with them with Anaheim at 8-to-1 and St. Louis at 15-to-2. The Winnipeg Jets are the biggest longshot at 30-to-1 to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup in mid-June. Odds to Win 2015 Stanley Cup(For the latest Odds, connect to Sportsbook.ag)| Team | Odds | | New York Rangers | 9-to-2 | | Chicago Blackhawks | 7-to-1 | | St. Louis Blues | 15-to-2 | | Anaheim Ducks | 8-to-1 | | Minnesota Wild | 17-to-2 | | Montreal Canadiens | 9-to-1 | | Tampa Bay Lightning | 12-to-1 | | Nashville Predators | 14-to-1 | | Vancouver Canucks | 16-to-1 | | Pittsburgh Penguins | 20-to-1 | | Washington Capitals | 20-to-1 | | Calgary Flames | 25-to-1 | | Detroit Red Wings | 25-to-1 | | New York Islanders | 25-to-1 | | Ottawa Senators | 25-to-1 | | Winnipeg Jets | 30-to-1 |
Teams to WatchNew York Rangers (9/2) - It’s never exciting to pick chalk, but this team has been absolutely dominant in the second half of the season. The Rangers are going to be fueled by last season’s defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Kings and will look to hoist the trophy come June. LW Rick Nash (42 G, 27 A) is a different player now than he was a year ago, playing with more confidence than he did at any point last season. If he gets it going then few can get in the way of the Rangers. The addition of D Keith Yandle (6 G, 46 A) also gives this team a nearly flawless blueline. The Rangers will, however, need a healthy D Kevin Klein (9 G, 17 A) in order to win it all this season and he has not played since Mar. 11. Chicago Blackhawks (7/1) - The Blackhawks finished the season with just the fourth most points in the Western Conference, but the team was also without RW Patrick Kane (27 G, 37 A) for a big chunk of the season. Kane, who was dealing with an upper body injury at the end of the year, was cleared for contact on Monday and should return at some point in the first round for this team. Even without their best player, the Blackhawks still finished the season with a +40 goal differential. This team is explosive offensively and G Corey Crawford (32-20-5, 2.27 GAA, 92.4 SV%) has plenty of big game experience. The Blackhawks are an excellent pick to come out of the west and win the Stanley Cup. Tampa Bay Lightning (12/1) - The Lightning are a very interesting pick to win the Stanley Cup this season, as this team is extremely well rounded. Tampa Bay finished the season with more goals than any other team in the league, putting in 262 on the year. C Steven Stamkos (43 G, 25 A) is one of the league’s most dominant players when he gets it going and the Lightning also have guys like C Tyler Johnson (29 G, 43 A), RW Ryan Callahan (24 G, 30 A) and C Brian Boyle (15 G, 9 A) who bring a bit of everything to this lineup. Tampa Bay has the perfect mix of scoring and toughness and will be a tough out for many in the postseason. The Lightning also went 32-8-1 at home this season, so it will not be easy for their opponents to win when they’re not on their home ice. Washington Capitals (20/1) - The Capitals are one last team that would be a good pick to win the Stanley Cup out of the Eastern Conference. The Caps are getting very favorable odds and were one of the hottest teams in the league to end the season. From the start of December until the end of the season, Washington went 35-18-7. LW Alex Ovechkin (53 G, 28 A) is still the toughest player in the entire league to stop on offense and he will make it so that opposing teams are always keeping an eye on him. The Capitals also scored on 25.3% of their power-play opportunities this season, and that type of efficiency will make them very tough to beat in the postseason. Calgary Flames (25/1) - The Flames won five of their past seven games heading into the postseason and that was ultimately the reason they were able to take the final spot in the Western Conference playoffs. This team is not considered threatening by many, but it can really light it up offensively. The Flames are averaging 2.9 goals per game (6th in NHL) and scoring on 18.8% of their power-play opportunities (13th in NHL). LW Jiri Hudler (31 G, 45 A), LW Johnny Gaudreau (24 G, 40 A) and C Sean Monahan (31 G, 31 A) are all very talented offensive players and if they can get hot, the Flames could make an improbable run to the Stanley Cup Finals. This team is a longshot to win, but is worth a small play at 25-to-1 based on talent alone.
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