The 2021-22 NHL regular season is entering its stretch run and the Colorado Avalanche remain the betting favorites to hoist the Stanley Cup this summer at +400. Remember, though, the Avalanche also were Cup favorites entering the 2021 playoffs but were ousted in the second round by the Vegas Golden Knights.

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Odds to Win the 2022 Stanley Cup

NHL Power Rankings are back, and we have a new face in the Top 5 ?@seangentille and @domluszczyszyn explore the impact of the Rangers' strong trade deadline and rank the teams 1-32 ⤵️https://t.co/pBQY1WBTXK

— The Athletic NHL (@TheAthleticNHL) April 1, 2022

*Updated on March 31st, 2022

• Colorado Avalanche +375
• Florida Panthers +475
• Carolina Hurricanes +750
• Calgary Flames +850
• Tampa Bay Lightning +950
• Toronto Maple Leafs +1000
• Minnesota Wild +1400
• New York Rangers +1500
• Pittsburgh Penguins +1500
• Boston Bruins +1600
• Los Angeles Kings +2200
• St. Louis Blues +2200
• Nashville Predators +2200
• Edmonton Oilers +2500
• Dallas Stars +2500
• Vegas Golden Knights +2500
• Washington Capitals +2800
• Winnipeg Jets +7500
• Vancouver Canucks +15000
• New York Islanders +35000
• Columbus Blue Jackets +60000
• San Jose Sharks +100000
• Anaheim Ducks +100000
• Chicago Blackhawks +350000
• Detroit Red Wings +499900

Who are the Favorites to Win the 2022 Stanley Cup?

Colorado was the Presidents’ Trophy winner last season, which goes to the team that finished with the most regular-season points. Thus, the Avalanche had home-ice advantage throughout. They may win that Trophy again this season as they currently have a three-point cushion atop the NHL and if Colorado does get home-ice advantage throughout, it should be favored to win the Cup with an absurd 26-4-3 home record. Playing in the thin air of Denver also is a big advantage as opposing teams can get gassed earlier.

The Presidents’ Trophy has been awarded 35 times. Eleven of those times, the Presidents’ Trophy winners at least reached the Stanley Cup Final. Eight of those times, the Presidents’ Trophy winners also won the Stanley Cup.

Although the Avalanche have been eliminated in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the past three seasons, there is belief that this season will be different.

“Listen, we thought we had a really good shot last year and it didn’t happen,” GM Joe Sakic said this week. “Whether you lose the first round, second, third, the goal is to try to win the Stanley Cup. I know the guys came back focusing more on little details, game details, being more consistent in those areas. I think our guys have grown and matured. Now we still have to get to the playoffs, and a lot of good things have to happen, but we see the maturity and sense of purpose. It’s there.”

Two Avalanche players rank in the top 10 in average on-ice time: Defenseman Cale Makar (25:29) and Devon Toews (25:25), holding eighth and ninth respectively. It’s a tad concerning that the team is so dependent on those two on the blueline.

Nazem Kadri is the team’s surprise leading scorer this season. It’s a combination of Kadri having a career year with 81 points and some injuries to Colorado’s top players helped get him there, but he has been sensational.

The Florida Panthers are +475 second-favorites from the Eastern Conference and also in the running for the Presidents’ Trophy, which they have never won. The Panthers also are nearly unbeatable at home with a 26-6-0 record. Florida has lost to an Atlantic Division foe just twice in regulation this season, which is amazing considering how good the Atlantic is.

The Panthers rank first in the NHL on the power play since March 1 with a 36.8% success rate in 11 games. After playing nine of their last 10 games on the road, the Panthers will now head back to South Florida to play four of their next six games in front of their own fans. The Panthers rank first in the NHL in wins (tied-26) and goals (148) at home.

Florida and Colorado split two meetings this season. They last played on Dec. 12 in Denver and the Avalanche won 3-2. Andre Burakovsky notched his first career hat trick.

Which Other Teams Should You Keep into Consideration?

The Calgary Flames (+850), two-time reigning Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning (+900) and Carolina Hurricanes (+1000) round out the Cup favorites. Calgary is a stellar offensive team with Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk sitting third and fifth in league scoring, respectively. Jacob Markstrom is a Vezina Trophy candidate.

It’s silly to ever count out the Lightning after what they have accomplished the past two postseasons as they look to join some very exclusive company with a threepeat. One issue is that Tampa is in the same loaded Atlantic Division as Florida, Boston and Toronto so just getting to the East Finals will be a challenge.

Tampa Bay will play 11 of its next 13 games at home 12 of 17 to close out the regular season. The Lightning are 7-7-0 in March and are looking to avoid finishing a month with more losses than wins for the first time since going 2-3-1 in May 2021. Tampa Bay is one win away from 20 home wins this season, which would be the 18th time in franchise history recording 20+ home wins in a season.

2022 Stanley Cup Expert Cup Pick

Calgary over Florida

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