Lightning’s Stanley Cup Odds Improve to +500; Is Tampa Bay a Good Bet as Favorites?

• The Tampa Bay Lightning are listed as the favorites to win the Stanley Cup
• They are looking for redemption after being swept by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round in 2019
• The Lightning are the deserving favorites and should be your pick to win the championship for three key reasons

The Tampa Bay Lightning are the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. The reason why is simple: they are the only team in the National Hockey League that is truly without a weakness.

2020 Stanley Cup Odds

Odds as of August 5th.

On average, the Bolts are the +500 chalk in the latest Stanley Cup Odds, but BetMGM is still offering Tampa at +600. Note that the odds above were posted before Pittsburgh and Edmonton had their nightmares come true Wednesday night.

Andrei Vasilevskiy Deserves More Credit

It’s tough to be nominated for the Vezina Trophy one year after winning the award and claim you’re underrated, but Andrei Vasilevskiy could do just that. For all the fire power on Tampa Bay’s roster, he may be the most elite player they have. This year, he posted a 2.56 goals against average and .917 save percentage, helping back the Lightning to the league’s third-best record (43-27-6).

G BABY 🔥 pic.twitter.com/XP4OPBnywH

— x – Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) August 6, 2020

There is a reason the Lightning committed $76-million over the next eight years to Vasilevskiy. They know he is a key component to playoff success. Goalies can still win championships, even in the new NHL. The Russian superstar will give them a decided edge between the pipes in most potential playoff matchups.

Lightning Have Unmatched Offensive Depth

No team can roll out the cast of forwards the Lightning can. Nikita Kucherov is a former Art Ross winner and league MVP, Steven Stamkos has won the Rocket Richard Trophy for most goals, and Brayden Point is a budding star.

As if they didn’t have enough to work with, the team was aggressive at the deadline, trading high picks to add depth players in Barclay Goodrow and Blake Coleman. The lines come in waves and don’t provide opposing defenses a chance to let up.

Nikita Kucherov with a beautiful snipe pic.twitter.com/4Sv6ZYVqfQ

— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) August 3, 2020

Tampa Bay ranked first scoring 3.47 goals per game in the regular season, thanks in large part to the fifth-ranked power play. If the officials have shown us anything through the first week of play-in series and round-robin games, it’s that they will not be keeping the whistles in their pockets. More power plays means more time for the Lightning’s stars to dish the puck around and score goals.

Victor Hedman the Player To Watch

Victor Hedman won the Norris Trophy in 2018 and is nominated again. (Are you seeing a theme with all the awards?) While the Lightning may not have six defenseman you’d love to play late in a playoff game, you really only need one strong pair. Hedman plays so many minutes, he’s able to erase the other team’s biggest scoring threat. While he has 49 points in 86 career playoff games, focus on his ability as a shutdown defenseman when needed to help push Tampa Bay over the top.

Cooper called Victor Hedman an "elite athlete" and said he hasn't skipped a beat since rejoining team for practice despite staying behind in Tampa until Friday. #Bolts

— Bryan Burns (@BBurnsNHL) August 2, 2020

Trust Tampa Bay to Finally Win The Cup

The team hasn’t won the cup in the Steven Stamkos era and I believe that changes this year. They’ll erase the demons of last year’s playoff upset to the Columbus Blue Jackets and win it all. They have the advantage in all three aspects of the game against most teams, and that will be what wins out in this condensed playoff year.

PICK: Tampa Bay Lightning (+600)