nhl odds

Most of the time, last year’s champion is among the favorites to repeat again the next season. But that’s not true when it comes to the National Hockey League’s most valuable player betting lines.

Taylor Hall became the first New Jersey Devil ever to win the Hart Trophy last season. The first overall pick in the 2008 draft earned 72 out of 164 first-place votes. The Alberta native, who finished sixth in the league in scoring with 93 points, isn't even in the Top 5 for this year's MVP.

This isn't the day of dynasties where teams used to own the Stanley Cup for years at a time. The Montreal Canadiens were the champions for five straight years from 1956-60. The Toronto Maple Leafs ruled the league from 1962-64. The Canadiens won four straight in the late '70s before the New York Islanders and Edmonton Oilers reigned in the 1980s. But in the last two decades, only two teams have won back-to-back Stanley Cups — Detroit Red Wings (1997-98) and Pittsburgh Penguins (2016-17).

The Stanley Cup has proven to be an Eastern dominated trophy the last three springs, and the oddsmakers don't anticpate that scenario will change during the 2018-19 NHL season. Bovada lists the Toronto Maple Leafs (+650) and Tampa Bay Lightning (+750) as the top contenders to win the Cup and rate four teams from the East among the top six-ranked clubs in their Stanley Cup future book.

It’s a battle of David versus Goliath as the Presidents’ Trophy winning Washington Capitals prepare to face the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference quarter-final on Thursday.

The NHL playoffs have finally arrived and with it brings five mouth-watering matchups set for Wednesday night. Kicking things off are the Bruins and Senators, who have never met in the playoffs before, but are sure to produce a compelling best-of-seven series.

Two Metropolitan Division rivals will do battle in the opening round of the playoffs as the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins face the Columbus Blue Jackets in a series that could very well go the distance.

A series that’s been determined for more than a week, the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers will clash in a highly-anticipated best-of-seven battle, which begins Wednesday at the Bell Centre.

The NHL regular season is coming to a close but there is still a lot to play for heading into the final week of play. Here's the best underdog bets on Saturday.

Goals have been easy to come by for many teams this season, however with playoff and home-ice advantage of the line, expect things to tighten up down the stretch. Not so much when the Edmonton Oilers and San Jose Sharks lock horns on Thursday night, in what is sure to be a high-scoring affair.