The 2025-26 NHL season has begun its second half, and with that, it’s time to look at the betting favorites, picks, and predictions when it comes to which team will hoist the Stanley Cup at the end of the year.
While the two-time defending Cup champion Florida Panthers remain in the mix for a threepeat, the Panthers look like a long shot at this point of the season, as they are currently out of the playoff hunt. Instead, the betting odds favor the Tampa Bay Lightning to represent the Eastern Conference. Tampa Bay won back-to-back Cups in 2020 and 2021. As for the West, the 2022 Cup-winning Colorado Avalanche are the favorites to represent that conference and win the Cup in 2026.
Below, we break down the three betting favorites to lift the Stanley Cup in 2026.
| To Win 2025-26 Stanley Cup |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Avalanche | +270 | +250 | +275 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | +650 | +550 | +600 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | +750 | +800 | +800 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | +850 | +900 | +850 |
| Edmonton Oilers | +900 | +1000 | +950 |
| Florida Panthers | +950 | +1100 | +1000 |
| Dallas Stars | +1400 | +2000 | +1600 |
| Minnesota Wild | +1900 | +1800 | +1800 |
| Washington Capitals | +2500 | +3300 | +3000 |
| Los Angeles Kings | +5000 | +4000 | +4000 |
| Buffalo Sabres | +6600 | +6000 | +6000 |
| Montreal Canadiens | +6600 | +4500 | +5000 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | +6600 | +5000 | +4000 |
| Utah Mammoth | +6600 | +6600 | +6000 |
| Anaheim Ducks | +8000 | +8000 | +10000 |
| Detroit Red Wings | +8000 | +6600 | +5000 |
| New Jersey Devils | +8000 | +5500 | +6000 |
| New York Islanders | +8000 | +6600 | +7000 |
| Ottawa Senators | +8000 | +6600 | +7000 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | +10000 | +10000 | +10000 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | +10000 | +8000 | +10000 |
| Nashville Predators | +15000 | +12500 | +20000 |
| Boston Bruins | +30000 | +12500 | +12500 |
| Calgary Flames | +30000 | +30000 | +30000 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | +30000 | +15000 | +20000 |
| New York Rangers | +30000 | +20000 | +25000 |
| San Jose Sharks | +30000 | +20000 | +25000 |
| Seattle Kraken | +30000 | +20000 | +30000 |
| Winnipeg Jets | +30000 | +10000 | +10000 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | +40000 | +50000 | +50000 |
| St. Louis Blues | +50000 | +40000 | +40000 |
| Vancouver Canucks | +100000 | +50000 | +50000 |
The Colorado Avalanche opened the NHL season as the favorites to win the Stanley Cup in 2026. With the team sporting the best record in the league with 47 games played (34-5-8), the Avalanche remain the betting favorites.
Not only do the Avalanche have the best record in the NHL (10 points above the second-best Carolina Hurricanes), but they also have the lowest goals against average in the league (2.30) and the highest goals per game average (4.02). The club’s goals for is more than half a goal per game higher than the second-best Tampa Bay Lightning (3.49). Meanwhile, Nathan MacKinnon leads the NHL in points (85), goals (38), and plus/minus (+49). MacKinnon is third in the league in assists (47). The Avalanche goaltending tandem of Scott Wedgwood and Mackenzie Blackwood rank No. 1 and No. 5 in goals against in the league at 2.19 and 2.26, while being tied for first in save percentage at .917.
Colorado also has the best penalty kill in the league at 84.8 percent.
The Avalanche have an amazing home record of 20-1-3, with their only regulation home loss coming on January 16, when they lost 7-3 to the Nashville Predators.
If Colorado can keep playing at the level they have established for this season, they will be hard to beat, especially if they make a move at the trade deadline.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have one of the best coaches in NHL history in Jon Cooper. Cooper has coached 1,008 games for the Lightning, posting a 602-319-87 record. His winning percentage of .597 is the highest of any coach in the league with a minimum of 1,000 games. Meanwhile, his 602 wins are the most by an NHL coach over that time with a single team. This season, Cooper has the Lightning in first place in the Atlantic Division with a 30-13-4 record.
Cooper has led the Lightning to Cup wins in 2020 and 2021, and the team reached the Cup final in 2015 and 2022. Last year, the Lightning’s season ended in the first round of the playoffs with a five-game loss to the Florida Panthers.
As of this writing, Tampa Bay is on a 12-0-1 run. The team’s most recent regulation loss came on December 18 when they fell 2-1 to the Los Angeles Kings.
The Lightning have the second-best goal differential in the NHL, first in the Eastern Conference at +46, and the team’s defense is second in the NHL with a goals-against average of 2.51. As for offense, the team is second in the league in goals scored per game with 3.49.
The only thing that might hurt the Lightning down the stretch is injuries.
The Carolina Hurricanes are perennial Stanley Cup favorites under coach Rod Brind’Amour. However, the team has not made the finals since 2006 when they won the Cup. As of late, the team has seemed poised to win the Cup, but has struggled in the playoffs when goals are at a premium.
The Hurricanes are the top team in the East with 50 games played, sporting a 31-15-4 record, with a healthy plus-28 goal differential.
One thing that might help the Hurricanes down the stretch is the team’s cap space. The club has $16 million available and could look to upgrade its net for the playoffs, as the team is eighth in goals against (2.86) and 24th in save percentage(.889).
Carolina has nine players with double-digit goals. Seth Jarvis leads the team with 22 markers, and Sebastian Aho is the top point scorer with 52. The Hurricanes play a disciplined team game under Brind’Amour, and that has kept them in the hunt this season.
With the way the Colorado Avalanche have been playing, especially on home ice, it’s hard to bet against the team to win the Cup in 2026, and we will not do that. The betting pick is that the Colorado Avalanche will win the 2026 Stanley Cup.
Before making any bets on the NHL, check out the current NHL online Las Vegas odds. Being aware of the latest Vegas betting site bonuses too helps this time of year, and make sure to look at our betting picks to win the 2026 Hart Trophy for the league MVP.
