Sharks Have Second-Best 2019 Stanley Cup Odds After Winning 6 Straight

• The San Jose Sharks have won six straight games
• They currently hold a one-point lead over the Calgary Flames in the Pacific
• San Jose has seen their Stanley Cup odds improve, seeing the second-best odds in the NHL

The San Jose Sharks extended the NHL’s longest current win streak to six games with a thrilling 5-4 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night, and now trail only the heavily favored Tampa Bay Lightning as a +375 wager on the Stanley Cup odds.

Odds to Win 2019 Stanley Cup

*Odds taken March 13

Sharks a Model of Consistency During Current Surge

The Sharks have enjoyed a steady rise on the NHL odds since bottoming out at +2000 in early December, and with good reason.

San Jose has been a model of consistency since late January, avoiding consecutive defeats while racking up a sparkling 15-3-1 record in 19 contests since January 22.

Sharks’ Hot Streak Driven by Jones & Secondary Scoring https://t.co/eUDcuqXSIr #THW #SJSharks #NHL

— The Hockey Writers (@TheHockeyWriter) March 13, 2019

Goal scoring has not been a problem for the Sharks. The club has produced steady offense during their current 19-game surge, averaging 3.9 goals per game.

The Sharks continued their high-scoring ways in Winnipeg on Tuesday, with Joe Pavelski’s game-winner with just five seconds left, marking the ninth time in 19 outings that the team has potted five or more goals.

The Sharks on-ice dominance has helped it maintain one of the league's most lethal attacks, and if they keep this up, San Jose is going to be difficult to stop, writes @THNJaredClintonhttps://t.co/PV2R87Ss9z

— The Hockey News (@TheHockeyNews) March 13, 2019

San Jose has Dominated Western Conference Opponents

Even more impressive is San Jose’s recent performance against opponents from the Western Conference.

The Sharks have recorded 11 straight victories over Western rivals, and have suffered just one defeat in 16 dates against Western Conference opponents since New Year’s Day.

But despite their recent surge, the Sharks have yet to set themselves apart from the pack on the NHL standings.

Entering Wednesday night’s action, San Jose sits just one point up on second-place Calgary in the Pacific Division standings, with the Flames closely trailing the Sharks at +800 on the Stanley Cup odds.

Calgary has enjoyed a revival this season after missing the NHL playoffs last year, and is on pace to record its best regular season since the Flames last Stanley Cup victory in 1989.

Jets, Predators Poised to Challenge Sharks in the West

And unlike the Eastern Conference, where the Lightning have amassed an insurmountable lead in the standings and have emerged as a clear +125 favorite to return to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 2015, the Sharks face no shortage of challengers for the Western Conference crown.

Perched among the early-season favorites on the Stanley Cup odds, the Jets remain a serious contender in the West after reaching the Conference Finals last season.

But Winnipeg needs to snap out of a lengthy slump that has resulted in losses in 11 of 17 contests, capped by Tuesday’s demoralizing defeat.

The Nashville Predators should also benefit from the experience gained from deep playoff runs in each of the past two years, including a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2017, and likely provide the most value of any Western Conference squad as a +1500 wager on the NHL futures.

Predators' PK Subban on a tough season: 'I never think adversity is a bad thing' https://t.co/8B5TDLHS2r

— tnsports (@tnsports) March 2, 2019

The Predators have endured an injury-plagued campaign, including lengthy injuries to PK Subban, Filip Forsberg, and Viktor Arvidsson. But the club made significant additions at the NHL Trade Deadline, picking up Wayne Simmonds from the Philadelphia Flyers and Mikael Granlund from the Minnesota Wild.

Plus, they enter the final four weeks of the season in relatively good health and enter Wednesday just one point back of the Central Division-leading Jets.