The sports betting world is following the NHL playoffs with a high levels of interest in the results. The top seeds are either out of the playoffs or on their way out and the teams that no one expected to be competitive seem to be taking over. The best online betting sites have updated their Stanley Cup odds, and the results may shock a lot of hockey fans. Los Angeles Kings – 2 to 1 odds to win the Stanley Cup The team that no one expected to even make the playoffs this season enters the conference finals round as the odds-on favorite to win it all this year. It could be easy to try and point to one thing that makes the Kings so good, but the truth is that a lot of things have come together in the playoffs to make Los Angeles the team to beat. Goaltender Jonathan Quick has been the best kept secret in the NHL for years and he is finally getting the recognition he deserves. The only thing that could derail the Kings is that it still has a problem generating consistent offense. If Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter can get into gear, then there is nothing that can stop the Kings. New Jersey Devils – 10 to 3 odds to win the Stanley Cup The price per head sports experts had grown accustomed to seeing the New Jersey Devils in the playoffs for years. That is why the sudden demise of the Devils over the past few seasons was so hard to understand. The Devils have adjusted its familiar trap-style defense in lieu of something a bit more aggressive and it seems to be working. Will future hall of fame goaltender Martin Brodeur win one more Stanley Cup? It is not out of the question. Phoenix Coyotes – 7 to 2 odds to win the Stanley Cup The one major difference between the Coyotes of last season and the Coyotes of this season is that goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov is in Philadelphia and Mike Smith has taken over in the Phoenix goal. A sportsbook review of the season each goaltender has had shows that Phoenix made a good choice. The only problem the Coyotes will have in the Western Conference Finals is that it does not have the scoring potential that the Kings have. It will be interesting to see how it shakes out when the series begins. New York Rangers – 4 to 1 odds to win the Stanley Cup NHL fans in New York stopped chilling the celebratory champagne weeks ago. When the Rangers needed seven games to close out the Ottawa Senators, it became apparent that New York is not as dominant as once thought. Now that New York needs a seventh game to beat Washington, and there is no guarantee that the Rangers will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, the enthusiasm for a Stanley Cup in New York is waning. Washington Capitals – 13 to 2 odds to win the Stanley Cup No one would have expected a New Jersey – Washington Eastern Conference Finals when the season started. But if the Capitals put away the Rangers, then there is a very good chance that Washington advances to the Stanley Cup Finals.
