NHL Betting – Introducing Your Final Eight

The playoffs are like a sitcom from the glory days: you can all of a sudden re-cast one or two supporting characters and no one will bat an eye. But when you remove core characters and just expect everybody to be cool with it, that’s when shows get into trouble.

The NHL Playoffs accidentally opened that Pandora’s box; betting favorites and postseason mainstays alike were dispatched in the first round. Gone are the Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, and New York Rangers, teams who’ve held six of the eight final four spots over the last two seasons. Replacing them are the likes of the St. Louis Blues, San Jose Sharks, Nashville Predators, and New York Islanders, teams with weird colors and players you never bother remembering because they’re never around for long. Until now.

With the NHL guaranteed to crown a new champ this year, we have no idea if the kind of hockey we’re going to get in the second round and beyond will be good. Perhaps these new teams will end up stealing our hearts, or perhaps the Cup Finals will end up being 1997-level bad?

Either way, we thought it was only fair to give peripheral hockey fans a quick introduction to the remaining playoff teams.

Eastern Conference

Washington Capitals

Why you recognize them: Alex Ovechkin. And the many playoff chokes.

What you may not have known: As disappointing as the Capitals have been in the playoffs, they have to be viewed as one of the successful franchises in the capital city. Since the Redskins won the Super Bowl in 1991, the Capitals are the only Washington team to win more than one playoff round in a single postseason. And that came all they way back in 1998!

Why you should like them: Not only do they have the league’s best pure scorer, but goalie Braden Holtby is making a case that he’s the number one netminder in the NHL. With Holtby leading the way, the Capitals have finally embraced a more defensive style of hockey that can win in the playoffs. Despite that change, this team can still light the lamp with the best of them.

Not only are most of these players looking for their first ring, head coach Barry Trotz is the winning-est coach to have never been to a Stanley Cup finals. And how can you cheer against this face?

Odds to win the Stanley Cup: 10/3

Pittsburgh Penguins

Why you recognize them: Sidney Crosby. And the many playoff chokes.

What you may not have known: The NHL is known as a league full of Canadians, but Pittsburgh is actually one of the few teams that has more Americans than Canucks. In fact, just six players on the Penguins’ Game 1 playoff roster were from the Great White North.

Why you should like them: Because penguins are adorable. And so is Crosby’s attempt at growing a playoff beard. The longer Pittsburgh lasts, the more we get to enjoy his wispy chin hairs.

And if you’re more for on-ice talk, the Penguins make for some super fun hockey. A very quick end-to-end team with a rookie netminder, Pittsburgh would guarantee some barn burners in the finals. Plus, I’m curious to see how Phil Kessel celebrates winning a Cup. (My guess: he eats pudding out of it.)

Odds to win the Stanley Cup: 13/2

Tampa Bay Lightning

Why you recognize them: They were in the Cup finals last year.

What you may not have known: The Lightning’s General Manager is former Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman, who ranks seventh all-time in NHL scoring. Despite such an accomplished career, Yzerman still isn’t even the highest scoring GM in the league. (That honor goes to Carolina’s Ron Francis.)

Why you should like them: Even though they were last year’s finalists, this season’s Lightning are a story of resilience. They lost Steven Stamkos, their best player, to blood clots for possibly the entire playoffs. That meant they had to call up Jonathan Drouin, an unhappy 21-year-old who demanded a trade this year after being sent to the minors. Now he’s playing top-line minutes and is one of the team’s best two-way players.

Tampa’s best weapon this postseason is once again “the triplets.” Youngsters Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov, and Alex Killorn shocked everyone with 63 combined points last playoffs and they’ve picked up right where they left off this year. Throw in giant defenseman Victor Hedman and even-gianter goalie Ben Bishop, and Tampa has enough pieces to make a return to the finals.

Odds to win the Stanley Cup: 8/1

New York Islanders

Why you recognize them: Your friend got free tickets to a game once and wouldn’t stop tweeting about the terrible view.

What you may not have known: Thanks to their first round series win, the Islanders just ended a 22-season run without a playoff series victory. The streak was the longest in the NHL; that dishonor has now been passed off to the loser of that six-game affair, the Florida Panthers.

Why you should like them: John Tavares. A top five player in the NHL, Tavares never gets the recognition he truly deserves, toiling away in New York’s secondary market. After an underwhelming season points-wise, he put the team on his back in the first round, notching five goals and nine points, including the series-clinching OT goal.

The Islanders are not a solo effort, though. Along with usual contributors like Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen, the team has had a number of unheralded players emerge in big spots, like Alan Quine, Shane Prince, and goalie Thomas Greiss (who had zero playoff starts before this year).

Odds to win the Stanley Cup: 11/1

Western Conference

Dallas Stars

Why you recognize them: If you live in Buffalo, you’ll never forget the Stars! Otherwise, you probably forget about them all the time.

What you may not have known: Since relocating from Minnesota in 1993, the Stars haven’t always been great, but they’ve never been a charity case. Dallas has had just one top-five draft pick in their existence, selecting fifth overall all the way back in 1996.

Why you should like them: Unless you’re a Devils fan still in love with the neutral zone trap, you probably enjoy a little scoring with your hockey. The Stars have taken out the “a little” and replaced it with “only.” An all-out offensive juggernaut, Dallas is just as capable of coming back from a four-goal deficit as they are of blowing one.

Led by Jamie Benn, another stud who doesn’t get enough credit, the Stars play some of the most exciting hockey in the league. Their style of play has never been proven to work in the playoffs, but when fully healthy, the Stars may have enough talent to rewrite that narrative. The biggest question is will star Tyler Seguin be able to overcome an Achilles injury and help this team?

Odds to win the Stanley Cup: 17/3

St. Louis Blues

Why you recognize them: They were one of the teams St Louisans threw out as an example while in denial about whether they would miss the Rams.

What you may not have known: Toronto Maple Leafs fans whine so much about never winning the Cup that you may not even realize, over the last 47 years, the St. Louis Blues have quietly suffered the exact same drought. The Leafs won the last title before the league expanded and, since then, neither team has lifted the trophy. But the Blues have had far more opportunities, making the playoffs in 39 of 48 seasons.

Why you should like them: So far, St. Louis has been following the “How to Build a Championship Team” textbook to the letter. But, despite drafting well and rehabilitating players other teams thought were done, the Blues haven’t been able to get it done in the playoffs. Ever.

This group may finally be the outlier. With a bona fide sniper in Vladimir Tarasenko, great leadership from David Backes, and a loaded blue line led by Alex Pietrangelo, this hungry Blues team looks to be the new favorites in the wild, wild West.

Odds to win the Stanley Cup: 9/2

San Jose Sharks

Why you recognize them: You may have seen their jersey pop up in various rap music videos, including the team’s terrible, self-produced, holiday rap.

What you may not have known: The 181 playoff games the Sharks have played without ever reaching the Stanley Cup Finals is an NHL record, albeit a dubious one.

Why you should like them: The Sharks playoff futility is embodied perfectly by two men; Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton are two of the game’s finest, combining for over 2,300 points and 2,700 games played. Despite all that time, neither one has ever reached the Cup finals. Hopefully they don’t meet St. Louis in the West finals. It would be a head-scratching debate over which team was more due.

Outside of plain old pity, the Sharks also have some great players, and great beards. Brent Burns checks both boxes, scoring 75 points from the blue line this season, all the while looking like a wookie. Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture are also pretty fun to watch, and Joel Ward always seems to score big goals in big spots.

Odds to win the Stanley Cup: 7/1

Nashville Predators

Why you recognize them: Some of your favorite country stars are fans. Or – for the vast majority of us that hate country – you might recognize Nashville from the climactic scene of the John Scott movie.

What you may not have known: “Defense first” has always been Nashville’s mantra. They’re the only franchise left in the playoffs to never have a player break 100 points in a season. In fact, Filip Forsberg just tied the franchise record for goals in a season with 33, in only his second full year as a pro.

Why you should like them: Nashville’s a weird team. They win by grabbing a quick lead then wearing teams down with really solid defense. But they aren’t even an overpowering physical team. Everybody just plays good positional hockey. Sounds fun, eh?

Well that’s the only way an underdog like the Predators can win it all. And this team of unknowns definitely can win it all. If Nashville has any star power working for it, it’s at the back end with defensemen Shea Weber and Roman Josi and goalie Pekka Rinne. The trio are some of the league’s best at keeping the puck out of the net, and will give the Preds a real shot at making their first conference finals and beyond.

Odds to win the Stanley Cup: 9/1

(Photo Credits:

• Top photo: clyde (Originally uploaded to Flickr)[https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/]);
• Sidney Crosby: Michael Miller (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons;
• John Tavares: Michael Miller (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons;
• David Backes: Michael Miller (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons;
• Pekka Rinne: Jason Mrachina (Originally uploaded to Flickr)[https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/])