This weekend sees another exciting round of NHL fixtures and a chance for Tampa Bay Lightning to get back to winning ways after last night’s thrilling 3-2 defeat to the Colorado Avalanche.
Not only did the Colorado Avalanche win last night, but the Edmonton Oilers fired Dave Tippett and replaced him with a new coach, Jay Woodcroft.
The Oilers went down 4-1 at home to the Blackhawks. Check out the odds from top-rated NHL betting sites right below.
| NHL 2022; Odds to win Stanley Cup |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado Avalanche | +450 | +450 |
| Florida Panthers | +650 | +620 |
| Maple Leafs | +800 | +790 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | +650 | +720 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | +750 | +770 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | +800 | +710 |
In the latest Stanley Cup betting odds, the best Vegas sportsbooks still have it down as a six-horse race.
The top sportsbooks seem to think the winners will come from the Avalance, Lightning, Panthers, Maple Leafs, Golden Knights, or the Hurricanes.
First up is the struggling Arizona Coyotes against the high-flying Tampa Bay Lightning.
It’s a season to forget for the Coyotes, who sit bottom of the Central Division, with little hope of catching the sides above them.
The only thing they have to play for now is the possibility of finishing above Seattle Kraken in the Western Conference.
They are 6 points behind Kraken and gave themselves a lifeline by winning 5-2 away to Seattle on Wednesday.
As for Tampa Bay, their eyes are looking at the top end of the table.
They sit in second place of the Atlantic Division behind Carolina Panthers and are one of the six teams we feel has a chance of winning the Stanley Cup.
So what’s the recent form?
In their last ten matches, the Coyotes have a 3-7-0 record, which is as hot as they’ve been all season, in fairness.
They are on a winning streak of one, the prementioned win over Seattle, which isn’t anything to write home about.
As for Tampa Bay Lightning, their ten-match record reads 7-2-1.
They lost to Colorado last night, but the Lightning still looked strong, and I expect them to be too good for Seattle.
I have to go for Tampa Bay Lightning to win on the handicap here for my betting pick.
Our Las Vegas sportsbook reviews page has plenty more betting offers you can use for betting on the NHL.
Next up is a match involving the struggling Seattle Kraken, and they face the unenviable task of facing a refreshed Anaheim Ducks in California tonight.
The Ducks haven’t played in the NHL since January 31st. On that occasion, they lost 2-1 to the Red Wings in O|T.
That was also the last of the Ducks’ five successive games on the road, a brutal run that saw Dallas Eakins’ team win three and lose two.
For the record, the other defeat was 4-3 away to the Maple Leafs.
As for Seattle Kraken, they’ve just been wiped out at home by the Arizona Coyotes.
They’re bottom of the Pacific Division with just 15 wins from 47 matches.
In their last ten, they are 5-5-0, which is red hot form by their standards. Calgary Flames are the only side to have won more in their previous ten in this division.
But how can you pick a team to win who has just been thrashed by Arizona!
The Ducks are back on the road for a further three matches after tonight’s fixture. I’m sure they will want to give their fans something to shout about in what is a rare home appearance these days.
The Las Vegas NHL betting odds are very short on a Ducks win tonight, so it’s worth looking at alternative markets.
So I’m taking the Ducks to win on the handicap at +160, and I also think over 5.5 goals could be a good call tonight.
Finally, I want to look at Sunday afternoon’s match between the mid-division Dallas Stars and division topping Colorado Avalanche.
Dallas has been their usual selves this season. Floundering around in mid-table, unable to put a worthwhile run together.
They’re +5000 to win the Stanley Cup, and they are those odds for a good reason.
At home, they are strong. It’s on the road they struggle.
Colorado Avalanche saw their winning run come to a spectacular end when they lost 3-2 (S|O) at home to none other than the Coyotes on a week last Tuesday.
They bounced back by beating Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday (3-2). But is the previous loss significant? And is there potential for an upset here?
There possibly is, so I’m going to leave the match-winner markets alone.
Instead, I’ve been looking at the total goals market.
With a lot of the Stars’ recent home fixtures ending with six or more goals scored, I’m going for over 5.5 Goals to be my betting pick here.
