Posted on 12/18/2007 2:56:28 PM

Hockey Betting - Devils’ Stanley Cup odds on the rise

By BetUS Staff

Brent Sutter’s tenure with the New Jersey Devils didn’t exactly start out with a bang, but his team has been one of the best in the league over the past four weeks. That means those doing any NHL betting on the Devils over that span have been rewarded with some extra cash, and it also means that New Jersey’s Stanley Cup odds are on the rise.

The Devils were listed with just +3500 odds to win the championship a month ago, but after climbing to the top of the Atlantic Division standings those odds have improved to +1400. Martin Brodeur and Zach Parise have been the guiding force behind the Devils’ charge, and if those two continue their hot play watch for those odds to keep improving.

New Jersey is one of nine teams that have seen their BetUS Stanley Cup odds improve over the past month. At the top of that list are the Anaheim Ducks, who still have a middling record but now have Scott Niedermayer back in the lineup. The defending champions were at +1000 a month ago, but their title chances now only pay off at +850.

The Vancouver Canucks and Dallas Stars were listed with +2500 and +3000 Cup odds, respectively, last month, but both of those teams have seen their stock rise as well. Vancouver is now pegged at just +1800 odds, while Dallas is at +2500. Three other Western Conference teams have seen their odds improve too, with the St. Louis Blues going from +5000 to +4000, the Edmonton Oilers going from +15000 to +10000, and the Phoenix Coyotes going from real longshot odds of +25000 to a slightly better +20000.

Back in the Eastern Conference the only other teams with improved Cup odds are the Boston Bruins and the New York Islanders. The Bruins have been riding the hot goaltending of Tim Thomas and Alex Auld up the conference standings, and their Cup odds have improved from +6000 to +3500 over the past four weeks. The Islanders haven’t done much lately, and their line is only a slight improvement (+5000 to +4000).

Eight teams have seen their Cup odds stay the same since late November. The Detroit Red Wings lead that list at +400, but they’ve been so hot lately that even those lofty odds could come down in the weeks ahead. Detroit has the second best overall odds.

Other teams whose odds didn’t change are the Philadelphia Flyers (+1400), Carolina Hurricanes (+1400), Montreal Canadiens (+2500), Buffalo Sabres (+3000), Toronto Maple Leafs (+4000), Columbus Blue Jackets (+5000), and Florida Panthers (+6000).

The Ottawa Senators are still the leaders of the Stanley Cup odds list, but their losing skid at the end of November caused their line to stumble. Ottawa had been listed with +300 championship odds a month ago, but that line has since fallen to just +350 odds.

The New York Rangers and the San Jose Sharks had both been pegged at +900 odds last time around, but they’ve both slipped a bit as well. The Rangers are now at +1000 odds, while the Sharks are now at +1100. Watch for San Jose’s line to improve again, though, as they’ve been hot in December and are riding high in the Western standings.

Ten other teams have seen their Cup odds get worse over the past month, including the Minnesota Wild (from +1400 to +1600), the Pittsburgh Penguins (from +1600 to +1800), the Colorado Avalanche (from +1400 to +2000), the Calgary Flames (from +3000 to +3500), and the Tampa Bay Lightning (from +3000 to +3500). The Atlanta Thrashers have also been sinking; they were at +3500 a month ago, but now they’re only +5000.

The Chicago Blackhawks and the Nashville Predators have fallen on hard times in December, and as a result their title odds have fallen as well – Chicago has gone from +4000 to +5000, while Nashville has done the same. And rounding out the list are the Washington Capitals and the Los Angeles Kings, who are battling for the leagues’ worst record. The Caps slipped from +8000 to +12500, and the Kings from +6500 to +15000.

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