Founded in 1917, the National Hockey League only had four teams, all coming from Canada. As years passed by, more and more teams were added to the league, from both Canada and the USA. Today, 32 teams compete in the league, 25 from the USA and 7 from Canada.
The league is divided into 2 conferences, Eastern and Western, both consisting of 16 teams. Now, those two conferences are divided into two separate divisions. The Eastern conference is divided into the Central and Pacific division, and the Western Conference is divided into the Atlantic and Metropolitan division. Throughout a regular season, each team will play an equal amount of home and away games.
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If a team finishes the season in one of the top 8 positions in a conference, they will advance to participate in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Like in the NBA, the conference winner will go up against the 8th seeded team, the 2nd team will play the 7th team, the 3rd will play against the 6th, and 4th and 5th place will play against each other.
Three rounds will have been played until two teams meet in the conference finals. The team that wins the conference finals, played in a best of seven formats, will advance to the Stanley Cup playoffs finals.
Odds to Win the Stanley Cup 2021-22
With the 2021-22 NHL Pre-season, all gambling sites are starting to calculate their NHL odds. Players will have the chance to visit their preferred sports betting site and bet on the teams they expect to win.
Now, because we are a few weeks away from the pre-season, you won’t be able to find any odds at the moment; however, some websites give out pre-season odds and even 2022 Stanley Cup odds. Some of the bigger and more popular sportsbook sites won’t give out odds for the winner of the 2022 Stanley Cup because they want to see how well the teams do in the pre-season.
A lot of factors affect the odds for the upcoming season. For starters, many teams have dabbled in free agency or signed new players that can make a difference in the team. Many teams have gathered young talent that may uplift the team’s performance.
Even if online sportsbooks wait out the pre-season, they certainly know which teams are the favourites for the upcoming NHL regular season. Also, if a team played poorly in the pre-season, it doesn’t mean they will be a flop in the regular season. Things can change quickly, but online sportsbooks want to ensure their minimum odds and highest odds are on point.
Upcoming NHL Games
The hockey world is excited for yet another pre-season. Fans get the chance to watch their favourite team once again before NHL’s regular-season starts. Usually, every team will play at least six games in the pre-season. Performances in pre-season shouldn’t be taken seriously because these games are only played to get the players up to speed with their fitness and try out some new game plans.
The Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs will kick off the pre-season. Some sportsbook sites have already given their odds for the game, and players can now go and place their bets. The interesting thing about pre-season is that anything can happen. For example, last season, the Maple Leafs finished above the Canadians, which means that most sportsbooks will give the Maple Leafs better odds for winning the game. But, because it is pre-season, teams aren’t 100% ready, and you can see some upsets coming.
NHL Stanley Cup Odds
Once the pre-season ends, all teams will be ready for the start of the regular season. This year, the Seattle Kraken will start off their inaugural season against the Vegas Golden Knights. However, home fans will have to wait to see their team at home, where they will go up against the Vancouver Canucks.
Once season starts, fans worldwide will see their favourite team playing again! Also, it will take some time for betting sites to start featuring their Stanley Cup odds for upcoming season games, but bettors can still go on certain online sportsbooks and find odds for who will win the 2021-22 NHL playoffs.
Right now, most sportsbooks are giving odds of +600 for the Colorado Avalanches to be the Stanley Cup winners. Coming in close second, betting sites are giving +700 for the Tampa Bay Lightning to be back-to-back champions.
How To Bet On The Stanley Cup
Being one of the most popular professional sports leagues globally, the NHL certainly provides thrilling excitement. That is why many, not just Canadians and Americans, but people from all around the world, are betting on every game.
Once the season starts, gambling sites are all over the NHL, featuring competitive odds to attract more customers. Like any other sport, bettors can place bets even before a game is played, predicting which team will win the Stanley Cup. That is maybe even the best time for players to get the best odds for the Stanley Cup final.
Now, if you are new to online betting, there are a few steps you need to know before jumping in and placing bets. First of all, you will need to find a legit and reputable online betting site or an online casino with sports betting as one of its features. Next, you will have to create and verify an account.
The process of creating an account is pretty simple. Find the signup button on the main page of the preferred website, type in the required information, like username, password, email address, phone number, and you are set. You will instantly get an email from the website, giving you the link to verify your account. Once you have done all that, it is time to grab some bonuses if available and start placing bets.
Some sports gambling sites will offer their members a free bet or multiple free bets once they have created an account. If players choose to claim them, they will get a chance to place some bets without depositing a penny. The final step is checking the NHL odds the site provides, picking your favourite team, and placing a bet.
Furthermore, there are multiple types of bets that bettors can place. Stanley Cup Moneylines, puck lines, over/under, NHL futures, and prop bets are just some of the types that can be found on every sports betting site.
Types Of Bets
Most of you already know how NHL betting works, but for those that are new to this, we would like to guide you and help you with your first bet. Maybe you have placed bets before, and you already know that there are numerous types of bets on the betting market. Here is what you can expect when visiting an online betting site to find Stanley Cup odds.
Stanley Cup Moneylines
Not only for NHL matches but any type of sports match, a money line bet is the most straightforward bet that you can make. This is the type of bet that new bettors or gamblers with no experience should stick to. You should always research a bit, watch some previous games, and figure out which teams are the best in the league. Check out which playoff team had a good pre-season and how far they made it the previous year.
Once you have accumulated some information, head over to your preferred sportsbook website and place a bet on a match you are almost certain will win. This is why this bet is the easiest and most used. Bettors pick a team that they think they will win, and they put some money on them.
Bettors should always remember that the better team will have lower odds, and the payout won’t be that big. The underdog, on the other hand, will have higher odds, meaning the payout will be way bigger. Different matches will have different odds because not every team is the same.
Stanley Cup Puck Lines
A puck line bet is a bet for more experienced bettors who pay attention to the sport. The puck line bet is quite the same as a handicap bet in other sports. There are two options that form this bet.
The first option is to bet on a team to win a match by a certain goal difference, and the other option is to place a bet on a team not to lose by a certain amount of goals. Odds vary from game to game, and betting sites will alter the number of goals to bet on. Some will place odds on a team winning by 1.5 goals and a team to lose by less than 1.5 goals.
Like we said previously, a puck line bet is for more experienced NHL bettors. You can certainly place this kind of bet, but it is better to stick to the money line bet if you are just starting to dabble in NHL betting.
Stanley Cup Over Under
An over/under bet is when a sportsbook website will give odds to bettors for predicting the number of goals that will be scored in a game. So, for example, the oddsmakers will give out odds on whether both teams will score more than 5.5 or less than 5.5 goals. It is quite similar to a puck bet, but here you predict both teams’ total number of goals.
Again, this bet is for bettors that have watched the sport and know the teams. If a beginner placed this bet randomly, and let’s say he placed a bet that will see both teams score more than 5.5 goals, it might backfire because those two teams are not quite popular for scoring many goals in a game. A more experienced lover of the NHL will see which teams are playing, check some previous results, and place a bet knowing how much the two teams can score.
The odds will vary depending on which two teams are playing. Plus, odds can also change depending on the importance of the game. For example, the first round and second round of the playoff series will be less intense than the later stages of the competition. A true fan of the game will know that this is the time where more goals will be scored because, in later stages of the competition, teams will be more focused, will try to play safer, and won’t risk a lot. This is the type of information that experienced bettors and lovers of NHL betting are aware of.
Stanley Cup Futures
You know how we said that the money line bet was the most popular? Well, NHL futures bets probably take second place. All the previous types of bets that we mentioned will typically be placed the same day as the game or a couple of hours before the game starts. NHL futures bets are ones that are placed way before.
Bettors will put down this type of bet months in advance of the season or the start of the NHL playoffs. The most popular NHL futures bet is who is going to win the Stanley Cup. Many NHL fans will almost always put money on their favourite team. However, Stanley Cup futures odds are quite different for every team.
It is pretty obvious and logical for the better teams to have lower odds and the lower-rated teams to have higher odds. For example, last year’s winners of the Stanley Cup finals, the Tampa Bay Lightning, or a better team like the Vegas Golden Knights will have lower odds compared to teams like the Columbus Blue Jackets or the New Jersey Devils which are lower-rated teams.
Either way, even if we give out all the best tips to place NHL futures bets for the Stanley Cup final, loyal fans will always put money for their favourite team to be champions, regardless of their odds to win the Stanley Cup.
Prop Bets
One of the most fun and exciting types of bets is a prop bet. This type of bet can be anything your betting site has made odds for except the outcome of the game. Most prop bets will circle around statistics. What we mean by that is, bettors can place a bet on who will score in the game first or who will score the last goal.
Another type of prop bet can be the type of performance an individual player could have, for example, how many saves a goalie will have or how many goals or assists one player is going to make during a game. You can even bet on who will win the MVP award or the Conn Smythe Trophy at the end of the Stanley Cup finals.
We have to mention that different types of prop bets won’t be available at all betting sites. Some of the best betting sites will have dozens of prop bets and odds ready for you, but smaller sportsbooks will only stick to some of the more classical betting types.
New bettors don’t know that money line bets and puck bets get pretty boring after a while, so a prop bet can be a breath of fresh air to punters.
Best Welcome Bonus for Stanley Cup Odds
When it comes to offering bonuses, many online betting websites will offer new members ridiculous promotions. A welcome bonus can consist of a free bet, bet credits, and other lucrative offers. Keep in mind that a welcome bonus can be a no deposit offer, or players will have to make a minimum deposit at the sports betting site.
The best welcome bonus will always be the one that offers players no deposit perks. This gives new members of the site, or new bettors in general, a chance to place one bet to test out the waters. Also, if the sports betting site is offering this type of bonus, chances are that the Stanley Cup final odds will be great as well.
Which Sportsbook has the Highest Stanley Cup Betting Odds
Because there are so many sports betting sites today, there is no way of telling which betting site is giving you the best odds. The best thing you can do is browse around the internet and check out as many sports betting sites as you can.
Almost every sports betting site will say that they have the highest Stanley Cup odds, but if you go to the next one, it could have higher Stanley Cup odds. At the end of the day, browse around a bit, let’s say visit about 10 to 15 betting sites, and out of those, pick the one that has the highest Stanley Cup odds.
Nonetheless, we’ve handpicked the sportsbooks featured in our article, and they’re most likely your best choice if you’re looking for competitive odds.
Which Sportsbooks has the Most Current Stanley Cup Odds
At this moment, almost every sports betting site that you can find will offer you odds for the upcoming games and some futures odds. Pre-season games don’t have high odds, so it’s best for you to wait for the season to kick off.
Once the season has started, sports betting sites will dish out odds for every game and for every type of bet. Things get even more interesting when the Stanley Cup playoffs come. The stakes will be higher, and sportsbooks will go wild. This is the time when the NHL Stanley Cup odds are through the roof.
The Best App For NHL Ice Hockey Betting
Many sports betting sites or online casinos that have a sports betting feature rarely spend time developing a mobile application. All they do is make their website fully mobile-optimized, and players can simply register, claim bonuses, and place bets all through their mobile browser.
However, sportsbooks that wish to take the extra mile exist, and they’re your best choice if you wish to compile betting slips through your mobile.
Stanley Cup Betting: By The Numbers
This year’s 2022 Stanley Cup odds can be pretty interesting. There are plenty of good teams in the league, and all of them are ready to start chasing after that Stanley Cup Finals trophy.
A lot of sports betting sites are predicting that the Colorado Avalanches will be 2022 Stanley Cup winners. They have the best odds to win the NHL Stanley Cup finals, coming in at +600. Last year’s champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Vegas Golden Knights, are not far behind with +700 and +850.
Some other interesting 2022 Stanley Cup odds for teams to win the 2022 Stanley Cup are +10,000 for the Columbus Blue Jackets and +10,000 for the New Jersey Devils. These odds are set before the season even starts and act as predictions on who has the best chance of lifting the 2022 Stanley Cup trophy.
We also want to mention that you should always gamble responsibly. A gambling problem can occur out of the blue, and you won’t even have the slightest idea. Responsible betting is something that should be a priority to you. Always make sure that the primary reason to visit an online sports betting site is to spice up your daily life – not make an income.
All-Time Stanley Cup Final Champions
Since the start of the NHL, the Montreal Canadiens have won the Stanley Cup 24 times. Even though they haven’t won the Stanley Cup finals in over 28 years, they are still number one, and the closest team being the Toronto Maple Leafs with 13 Stanley Cup Finals trophies.
Other honourable mentions that we can showcase that have won the Stanley Cup finals multiple times are the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks, New Jersey Devils, and many more. The likes of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Vegas Golden Knights are still yet to win an NHL Stanley Cup.
Past Canadian Winners Of The Stanley Cup
There are only four teams that have previously won the Stanley Cup, and those teams are the Montreal Canadiens, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Edmonton Oilers, and the Calgary Flames.
There are also a couple of teams that managed to get to the Stanley Cup finals but were a bit short in the end; those two teams are the Vancouver Canucks and the Ottawa Senators. The last team from Canada who is yet to make a finals appearance is the Winnipeg Jets.
The 2022 Stanley Cup odds are not quite in favour of Canadian teams, except for the Montreal Canadiens. However, because there are so many games to be played and the sport is quite competitive, maybe other Canadian teams can beat the 2022 Stanley Cup odds and surprise everyone.
NHL Stanley Cup betting FAQ
Is betting on the NHL Stanley Cup legal in Canada?
Of course, it is! Imagine if one of the biggest sports in Canada was illegal to bet on. However, there are certain regulated sports betting sites where players can place their bets that are approved by the government. You should always stay away from irregulated bookies.
How do you read Stanley Cup odds?
It depends on what odds you look at. For example, Canadian punters use decimal odds, contrary to the USA, where players use American odds. The simplest way to understand American odds is to know that the favourites will have a minus(-) and the underdogs will have a (+).
What are the most popular Stanley Cup bets?
The money line is one of the most used and popular Stanley Cup bets. It is the most used because it is the most straightforward bet that you can make. You are simply picking which team will win the game.
Which are the best Stanley Cup betting sites?
The best Stanley Cup betting sites are the ones that offer their members exclusive and special promotions. These lucrative promotions can be in the form of a welcome bonus, no deposit perk, free bets, bet credits, and other types of offers.
Why do the Stanley Cup betting odds change so often?
This is because the sport is pretty unpredictable, and teams can dip in and out of form. This can clearly be seen by the number of different teams that have won the Stanley Cup playoffs. At the beginning of the season, the NHL Stanley Cup odds can favour one team, and a month into the season, another team can have greater odds for winning the trophy.
When is the Stanley Cup?
Annually, the NHL season starts at the beginning of October, concluding the regular part right around May. Mid-May is probably the time when the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin and last until the two finalists are known.
How heavy is the Stanley Cup?
Over the years, the shape and weight of the Stanley Cup trophy have changed. Today, the trophy is approximately 34.5 lbs or around 15.5kg. Compared to the Stanley Cup Trophy, the Conn Smythe trophy is 2 times lighter.
What player has the most Stanley Cups?
To this day, Henri Richard is the record holder for the most Stanley Cup championships won. Nicknamed Pocket Rocket, the Canadian hockey player has won 11 Stanley Cup trophies – all of them when playing for the Montreal Canadiens.
Has any player won 3 Stanley Cups in a row?
There have been multiple players that have won the Stanley Cup three times in a row. Matter of fact, there are even some players that have won more than 3 trophies consecutively.
