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Updated Stanley Cup Odds for All 8 Teams After First Round of 2021 NHL Playoffs

Brady Trettenero

by Brady Trettenero in NHL Hockey

Updated Jun 1, 2021 · 5:46 AM PDT

Updated Stanley Cup odds NHL Playoffs - Colorado Avalanche - Boston Bruins
Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon is congratulated as he passes the team box after scoring his second goal of night, during the third period of Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday, May 19, 2021, in Denver. Colorado won 6-3. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
  • Updated 2021 Stanley Cup odds have been released ahead of Round 2 of the NHL Playoffs
  • The Avalanche remain the favorites after sweeping the Blues in Round 1
  • See the updated Stanley Cup odds for all eight remaining teams along with betting analysis below

Round 2 of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs begins on Saturday, May 28th, and updated Stanley Cup odds have been released for the eight remaining teams. The four teams that advance in each division will be reseeded for the semi-finals.

The Colorado Avalanche remain the favorite to win the 2021 Stanley Cup after sweeping the Blues in Round 1. The Boston Bruins and Winnipeg Jets are the biggest risers in the updated odds after pulling off impressive upsets in the opening round.

We layout the updated Stanley Cup odds for all eight teams entering Round 2 and provide best bets.

2021 Stanley Cup Odds

Team Odds at DraftKings
Colorado Avalanche +135
Tampa Bay Lightning +400
Boston Bruins +550
Vegas Golden Knights +900
Carolina Hurricanes +1300
New York Islanders +1400
Winnipeg Jets +1500
Montreal Canadiens +1700

Odds as of June 1st

Stacked Avs a Tier Above Rest 

The Colorado Avalanche remain the favorites to win the 2021 Stanley Cup entering Round 2 of the NHL Playoffs. The Avs have seen their Stanley Cup odds shorten from +450 to +135 after they swept the St. Louis Blues in Round 1 and won their first game of the second round. Colorado outscored St. Louis 20-7 in the series and were the better team in every facet.

The value on Colorado is quickly disappearing considering they were available around +700 in the early goings of the season. The reason they aren’t even bigger favorites entering Round 2 is due to the quality of their second-round opponent. The Vegas Golden Knights have made the Conference Finals in two of their first three seasons.

The Avalanche are still a solid Stanley Cup bet given their plus-money price. Nathan MacKinnon is favored in the Conn Smythe odds after exploding for nine points (six goals) in Round 1, while Cale Makar has already become one of the league’s top defenseman. Furthermore, goalie Philipp Grubauer owns an outstanding .936 save percentage.

Bruins, Isles Upset the East 

The Boston Bruins and New York Islanders are both trending upwards in the Stanley Cup odds after pulling off upsets in their respective first-round playoff series’. Boston handled Washington in five games, while the Isles beat Pittsburgh in six. The Bruins’ odds have shortened from +1000 to +550, while the Isles have moved from +2000 to +1400.

The updated odds are pretty telling of how oddsmakers believe this series will go. Boston has become the second favorite to win the entire thing, while the Isles are still a Stanley Cup longshot. The Bruins are now 16-4-2 since acquiring Taylor Hall at the trade deadline and appear to be on track to make another serious run at Lord Stanley.

The Isles weren’t as dominant in their first-round series, but they went 5-2-1 against Boston during the regular season. The Bruins are still the better bet, as goalie Tuukka Rask has been lights out (.941 SV %). The Isles allowed the third-highest number of shots in the opening round and took advantage of a poor goaltending performance from Pittsburgh goalie Tristan Jarry.

Are Jets Best Longshot? 

The Winnipeg Jets have seen major improvement in their Cup odds after sweeping the Edmonton Oilers in Round 2. The Jets kept Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid off the scoresheet in the opening two games and got stellar goaltending from Connor Hellebuyck. Paul Maurice’s team was listed at +3500 entering the postseason.

Winnipeg has been flying under the radar this season, and they have the talent to pull off another upset. The Jets possess one of the best top-six forward groups in the league, and Hellebuyck is the reigning Vezina winner. They’re likely to face the Maple Leafs in Round 2, a team they went 4-4-2 against this season.

Winnipeg is worth considering given their price, but even if they advance, they’ll be hard-pressed to pull off a third straight upset. Colorado has blown out Winnipeg in the last two meetings, while Vegas took down the Jets in five games when the two teams last met in the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Final Word

It’s hard not to be all-in on Colorado after how good they looked against a solid St. Louis team in Round 1. Unfortunately, the best value for this powerhouse was much earlier in the year. I like the Avs chances of getting past Vegas, but that’s not an ideal price given how capable VGK is of stealing the series. These two teams are very evenly matched.

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The Hurricanes at +800 sticks out as the best value bet entering Round 2. Carolina has won two of the last three meetings with Tampa Bay and appear ready to take that next step in the playoffs. Having home-ice advance will be key against Tampa, as Carolina is 23-3-5 at PNC Arena this year (reg. season + playoffs). The Bolts have lost three of their last four games in Carolina.

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