Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks soaring towards Stanley Cup playoffs

A month ago the Minnesota Wild and Washington Capitals looked destined to face off in the Stanley Cup Final, such was their dominance in each conference. What a difference a month makes as both teams are now struggling badly and a raft of new contenders has emerged. The Chicago Blackhawks are flying, while the form of the Pittsburgh Penguins has been superb, and dark horses are arising, from the Columbus Blue Jackets to the Calgary Flames. It is all shaping up to be extremely exciting, with just 10 points left in the regular season.

Futures

The Caps’ lead in the Metropolitan Division has been cut to just one point as Washington is 5-4-1 in its last 10 games. The Penguins have now accrued 101 points, the second highest in the NHL, bettered only by the Caps’ 102. But The Penguins are in much better form – 8-1-1 in the last 10 – and they have the momentum to overtake Washington. Pittsburgh, the 2016 champion, is now a real threat and looks an interesting bet at 2/1 to win this division with Bet365.

The Montreal Canadiens are 1/2 with Paddy Power to win what looks a pretty weak Atlantic Division. They have a three-point lead and should maintain it.

In the Pacific Division, the San Jose Sharks are on a four-game losing streak but are still four points ahead of the Oilers and Ducks with 10 games to go. They should hold them off, but the threat may come from the Calgary Flames, who are 8-2 in their last 10, compared to 4-6 for San Jose, and are just five points behind. Still, the Sharks should cling on and the 5/13 at Bet365 on them winning it looks reasonable.

It is remarkable to see the odds in the Central Division, where Chicago is now 1/4 favourite with William Hill and Bet365 to win it. The Wild were odds-on just a few weeks ago, but have now gone out to 10/3 with Ladbrokes on the back of a miserable run that has seen them lose seven of their last 10 games. It is now hard to fancy them for the Stanley Cup, where they are 7/1 with 888 Sport. The Caps are still favourites at 6/1 with Ladbrokes, but the interesting choices are surely the Blackhawks (7/1 with William Hill) or the Penguins (8/1 with 888 Sport). The Blue Jackets also look a good longer shot at 10/1 with Bet Victor.

Upcoming Games

The in-form Flames travel to Nashville to face the Predators on Friday and it should be a close-fought game, with Nashville favoured by bookmakers. But the Flames are the most consistent team in the NHL right now and the 19/16 available on them winning this looks great. The Blackhawks play the Dallas Stars on the same day and should beat a team that is second bottom of the Central Division. Chicago is 5/12 so Calgary and Chicago could make an interesting double bet.

NHL Betting Gets Interesting as Divisional Leaders All Falter

Someone has clearly lit the blue touch paper in Calgary as the Flames are burning brighter than ever and look invincible at present. They have become the fourth team this season to go on a 10-game winning run and have set a franchise record in the process. That recent 10-0 record has sent them second in the Pacific, and they are now hot on the heels of San Jose in the running for the division and looking like an interesting long-shot for the Stanley Cup.

Pacific Division

The Sharks have led the way all season and Calgary have simply been battling to stay in playoff contention. But a 10-game winning streak has seen the Flames move to within three wins of San Jose, with 13 games to go before the end of the regular season. The Sharks are 7-2-1 and it is now game on. The Sharks are best priced at a meagre 1/9 with BetVictor and should be good for it, but a speculative flutter on the Flames at 9/1 looks intriguing. Goaltender Brian Elliott has impressed and if they can keep it going, the 33/1 on offer at SkyBet for them winning the Stanley Cup might be worth a go too. But San Jose is very strong and Brent Burns, Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton are in fine form, so they look like the biggest threat from this division.

Central Division

The Chicago Blackhawks have hit form at the perfect time of the season and are 8-2 in their last 10, while Minnesota has slumped and is 4-6. Chicago has now won three of its four games against Minnesota this season and established itself as the leading franchise in the west. The 3/1 on offer at SkyBet, PaddyPower and BoyleSports on Chicago winning the west looks great, and the evens BetVictor has on the Blackhawks winning the Central Division looks good as they are one win ahead of Minnesota, with one game extra played but in better form.

Metropolitan Division

Just like the Minnesota Wild, the Washington Capitals looked like running away with their division, but a poor patch has coincided with the Pittsburgh Penguins going on a great run. Pittsburgh has injury problems in defence but has moved to within two wins of the Caps, with a game in hand, thanks to a superb offence. The Caps endured a four-game losing streak for the first time since November 2014, and that has opened the door for Pittsburgh, which now looks a good bet at 6/4 with PaddyPower for the division.

Atlantic Division

A three-way fight is playing out between the Canadiens, Senators and Bruins. All three are in similar form and picking a winner here looks like a nightmare; so, it is perhaps best to leave this one alone. The winner of the east is highly likely to come from the Metropolitan Division, as three teams – the Caps, Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets – head the betting before you get to the Canadiens, who are 6/1 outsiders.

Upcoming Games

The Flames have home advantage as they bid to make it 11 wins in a row against the Boston Bruins, and the 10/11 at SkyBet on them doing just that looks a great bet. The Bruins, led by Brad Marchand, are in fine form too (11-3 in their last 14) and have consolidated their playoff position, but the Flames have serious momentum right now. The Blackhawks face the Senators in another tough game on Thursday but should prevail at odds of 17/20. The St Louis Blues visit San Jose to face the Sharks on Friday and that should be a win for the Sharks at odds of around 5/7.