STANLEY CUP ODDS

The first half of the NHL season is in the books. The Boston Bruins continued to lead the league in points and posted a +68 goal differential through their first 40 games. That was 33 goals better than the Dallas Stars, who ranked second in that stat through the halfway point with a +35 goal differential.

The Eastern Conference saw several elite teams separate themselves in the standings, with both the New Jersey Devils and Carolina Hurricanes putting together double-digit win streaks. The Metropolitan Division remained one of the tightest in the league with the top four teams separated by just five points through 40+ games. The Hurricanes, Devils, and New York Rangers all ranked in the top 10 in the Stanley Cup NHL odds through the midway point of the NHL season.

Parity remained the story in the Western Conference. Through 40+ games, eight teams had between 47 and 56 points, and there was just a 12-point difference between tenth place and first place in the Western Conference. One of the biggest surprises was the struggles of the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche, who ranked just 11th in the West through their first 39 games. Despite their struggles, they remained steady at second in the NHL playoff odds for the Stanley Cup with many bettors clearly expecting a turnaround.

Despite the Edmonton Oilers struggling to keep up with the leaders in the West, Oilers C Connor McDavid secured the best NHL odds for the Hart Trophy. McDavid led the league with 35 goals through his first 43 games and was on a career-best 1.83 point-per-game pace through that span.