The First Round of Stanley Cup Playoffs get underway Tuesday and the favourite out of the Western Conference is the Vegas Golden Knights. The No. 1 Golden Knights swept their round-robin play, earning “home-ice” after going into the bubble as a three seed. Their reward? The 12 seed Chicago Blackhawks.
With the two largest underdogs advanced out of the Western Conference qualifying round, it’s David and Goliath in more than one First Round series. But as always in the NHL, these Davids’ have their value, especially when it comes to western Canada.
Western Conference First Round Betting Odds
Odds Courtesy of SportsInteraction.com
Chicago Blackhawks (8) vs Vegas Golden Knights (1)
The Golden Knights are a heavy -342 favourite to defeat the Blackhawks, and rightfully so. As The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn points out, Vegas is stronger in essentially all aspects. The Blackhawks have their playoff mantra, but for a team that struggles defensively, Chicago lacks even a fighter’s chance in this series — especially at five-on-five.
You’ll need to bet a lot to make some respectable money, but Vegas is worth it. The Golden Knights should take this series before it reaches Game 6. Vegas in five.
Official bet: Vegas to win -342
Arizona Coyotes (7) vs Colorado Avalanche (2)
Entering this best-of-seven at -313 to win, the Colorado Avalanche should cruise to the semi-finals. But as the Arizona Coyotes showed last week, a hot goalie and timely scoring is the perfect upset recipe. The Coyotes got stellar goaltending from Darcy Kuemper, who stopped 152 of 163 shots faced in the qualifying round.
Unfortunately for Arizona, the Avalanche are another animal. Led by Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado possesses one of the league’s most potent offences. Phenom Cale Makar anchors what’s an underrated d-core with the perfect blend of offence-pushers and stay at home bruisers. Even if Keumper’s saving .955% of five-on-five shots, the Avs got this.
Official play: N/A. The price isn’t worth it. Colorado in five, but no thanks to the -313.
Calgary Flames (6) vs Dallas Stars (3)
It’s a tale of two opposite weeks between the Calgary Flames and Dallas Stars. The Flames dominated a wounded Winnipeg Jets squad in four games off the performances of series-leading scorer Sean Monahan and goalie Cam Talbot‘s .953% even-strength save percentage. On the other hand, the Stars could be without number one goalie Ben Bishop and leading scorer Tyler Seguin, fresh off a 1-2 round-robin.
The Flames are one of many qualifying round teams who should use the momentum gained from their postseason games and carry it over to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. If Bishop is out for Dallas, Anton Khudobin‘s three career playoff starts do not inspire confidence. Calgary needs to make it happen, and Dallas is a solid matchup right now. Flames in seven.
Official bet: Calgary to win -106.
Vancouver Canucks (5) vs St. Louis Blues (4)
Speaking about momentum, the Vancouver Canucks are oozing with confidence. Whether it’s Quinn Hughes posting a series-high six points or scoring 11 seconds into series-clinching overtime, Vancouver is feeling it. Then there are the defending champs in the St. Louis Blues who went zero for three in the round-robin.
For obvious reasons, the regular-season’s top Western team won’t be an easy out. The Blues are a gritty but talented team backed by Jordan Binnington, who isn’t afraid of the bright lights. With Vladimir Tarasenko back St. Louis is a legitimate cup contender, but something says Cinderella about this Canucks team, at least for now. Vancouver in seven.
Official bet: Vancouver to win +161.
Western Conference Winner Betting Odds
Lastly, what would this be without some real value picks? Vegas at +250 is definitely the safe, smart pick but we’re aiming higher. If you want some value, take the Flames and Canucks at +900 each. Not only do these clubs have what it takes to go on a run, but there is a very small chance they meet in Round Two.
If Calgary and Vancouver do happen to catch fire, you’ll be laughing in the conference finals when all you have to do is wait to collect some money at +450 odds.
The choice is yours and yours alone. But we are here to guide through this difficult process. Again this is for entertainment purposes only. Nothing guaranteed, and please enjoy responsibly.
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