The first step to winning a Stanley Cup title after making the playoffs is winning a conference championship to earn a spot in the best-of-seven NHL Finals. Breaking down the 16 teams in the quest for this season’s Eastern Conference title, you have 15 entries chasing a "lead horse" that continues to create separation with the pack down the stretch run of this race.
Anything can happen in playoff hockey to help keep things interesting right through the conference finals. This, in turn, does add some value to the NHL futures odds to win the East this season at 5Dimes online sportsbook.
2019 NHL Eastern Conference Championship Futures - Top Favorite
With the start of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs less than two months away, the updated futures to win the Eastern Conference title are still heavily skewed towards the Atlantic Division’s Tampa Bay Lightning as +180 favorites. This also mirrors their +365 betting odds to win the 2019 Stanley Cup.
With 19 games left to play in the 82-game regular season schedule, Tampa Bay has posted an NHL-high 96 points on a record of 46-11-4. The Lightning continues to keep their foot planted firmly on the gas with an 8-0-2 record over their last 10 games. The gap between first and second place in the division race stands at a full 18 points.
Tampa Bay has proven itself to be the most complete team in the NHL all season long. Motivated by last year’s loss to Washington in Game 7 of the conference finals as the No. 1 seed, the Lightning a gearing up for a championship run that could easily result in the organization’s second NHL title after last hoisting the Stanley Cup in 2004.
2019 NHL Eastern Conference Championship Futures - Top Contenders
If you are looking to stretch the odds by betting against Tampa Bay to win the East, the Toronto Maple Leafs are next on the list at +450. A recent slide to third in the Atlantic standings behind Boston takes some of the shine off of this pick. However, the most significant factor in this head-to-head matchup is Toronto’s ability to beat Tampa Bay in a best-of-seven series while having to win at least one game on the road.
With a 4-2 road victory against Tampa Bay as +125 underdogs on Jan. 17, the Maple Leafs tied the season series at one game apiece. These two will meet twice in Toronto on March 11 and April 4.
The team with the best odds to win the East out of the Metro Division is the New York Islanders at +900. Boston is also listed as a +900 third-favorite followed by the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins at +950. The odds start to fall off from there with the Columbus Blue Jackets at +1450 and the Montreal Canadians at +1700.
The Islanders have a three-point lead over Washington in the Metro through 58 games, but the better value between the two would lie with Washington as the defending Stanley Cup Champ. The Islanders have been the most consistent team in this division after missing the playoffs last season, but that lack of postseason experience could work against them against veteran playoff teams such as Washington and Pittsburgh.
Going with the Capitals out of the Metro, playing form would dictate that they could have some issues keeping pace with this version of Tampa Bay over a seven-game series if the two teams should meet again this season in the playoffs.
The Bruins are making some noise in the Atlantic Division with an 8-0-2 run in their last 10 games, and they could be an interesting team to watch down the stretch.
NHL Eastern Conference Championship Odds Posted at Bovada Sportsbook 03/04/2019
- Tampa Bay Lightning +105
- Boston Bruins +500
- Toronto Maple Leafs +550
- New York Islanders +1100
- Pittsburgh Penguins +1100
- Washington Capitals +1100
- Columbus Blue Jackets +1200
- Carolina Hurricanes +1600
- Montreal Canadiens +2000
- Philadelphia Flyers +5500
- Florida Panthers +6000
- Buffalo Sabres +8000
- New York Rangers +17500
- Detroit Red Wings +60000
- New Jersey Devils +60000