COVID hit one of the top teams in the National Hockey League, the Pittsburgh Penguins filled a couple of high-level executive positions, and New York Governor Cuomo gave his blessing to start opening venues. Check out more details on those pieces of news as well as a Stanley Cup odds update in our weekly NHL blog. Let’s get right to it so you can continue betting against their NHL odds.
NHL COVID-19 Update – February 11th Edition
2020-2021 NHL Season
- When: January 13, 2021 – TBD 2021
NHL 2021 Stanley Cup Odds
- Colorado Avalanche +700
- Tampa Bay Lightning +700
- Vegas Golden Knights +700
- Boston Bruins +1000
- Toronto Maple Leafs +900
- Philadelphia Flyers +1600
- Washington Capitals +1800
- Pittsburgh Penguins +2500
- Dallas Stars +2000
- St. Louis Blues +1800
- Vancouver Canucks +6500
- Edmonton Oilers +3000
- New York Rangers +4000
- Carolina Hurricanes +1400
- New York Islanders +2000
- Calgary Flames +3000
- Nashville Predators +5000
- Winnipeg Jets +2800
- Arizona Coyotes +5500
- Columbus Blue Jackets +4500
- Florida Panthers +2500
- Minnesota Wild +5000
- New Jersey Devils +9000
- Montreal Canadiens +950
- San Jose Sharks +10000
- Anaheim Ducks +8000
- Buffalo Sabres +7000
- Chicago Blackhawks +8000
- Los Angeles Kings +15000
- Ottawa Senators +60000
- Detroit Red Wings +50000
Flyers must pause due to COVID, fifth team this season to do so
Philadelphia had to postpone their February 9 game against the Washington Capitals after a second Flyers player entered coronavirus protocols. The postponement has extended past the game versus the Caps and all the way to February 18.
During that span, the league had scheduled Philadelphia to take on the New Jersey Devils twice and the New York Rangers once. The game on February 18 is against the Rangers.
The Flyers are currently in second place behind the Boston Bruins in the East Division standings. Postponing games is never an ideal situation, but three of the four teams that had to postpone matches before the Flyers showed no issues once they returned to the ice.
The Washington Capitals are 5 points behind the Bruins and 3 points behind the Flyers in the East. Colorado is 2 points behind Vegas in the West. Minnesota is just 5 points behind Vegas. Only the Sabres, 10 points behind the Bruins in the East, appear to have suffered from a pause in their schedule.
Governor Cuomo says venues can reopen at 10% capacity
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said that venues can start to reopen at 10% capacity. The New York Islanders already issued a statement saying they were “excited” about “allowing fans” back into Nassau Arena.
Cuomo did assign protocols regarding venues reopening. Only arenas and stadiums with a capacity of 10,000 or more may open their doors. Also, social distancing is a requirement. Finally, anyone hoping to attend an event must show a negative COVID-19 test at least 72-hours before the event.
The testing requirement could turn off plenty of fans who otherwise want to watch the Islanders and Rangers in action. So we shouldn’t get our hopes up that fans will soon attend both NYI and NYR matches.
Pens hire a general manager and a president
The Pittsburgh Penguins hired Brian Burke as president and Ron Hextall as their general manager. Both have extensive experience.
The 65-year-old Burke was an NHL executive for 31 years. He held the general manger position with the Hartford Whalers, Vancouver Canucks, Anaheim Ducks, and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Ron Hextall, 56, spent four years as the Philadelphia Flyers’ general manager. Hextall also spent numerous seasons in the Los Angeles Kings organization.
Both Hextall and Burke should provide Pittsburgh a different direction. Don’t be surprised if that direction includes trading Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
Odds on Montreal make the Canadiens the second choice to win the Cup after the Big 3
Stanley Cup future bettors continue to show the Montreal Canadiens love. The Canadiens are now an outright third choice after the Big 3 and Toronto to win the Stanley Cup.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a +900 second choice. The Big 3, the Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, and Tampa Bay Lightning, are all at +700.
Montreal’s +950 odds makes them the best overlay play to win the Cup. Can Montreal continue to show odds depreciation? They could if they continue winning games.
One team Cup future bettors are likely to start paying attention to are the Boston Bruins. As of February 10, the Bruins are 9-1 with 2 overtime losses. The defense is fantastic, and the offense has started to heat up. Don’t be surprised if Boston and Toronto flip odds by next week.
NHL Betting News
Odds and Lines: NHL odds | Stanley Cup Odds | Conferences Odds | Conferences Odds
- Early 2023 Stanley Cup Odds, Analysis & Predictions
- NHL Stanley Cup Odds to Win 2024 Season: Bruins and Golden Knights, the Favorites
- Golden Knights vs Panthers Stanley Cup Finals Game 5 Betting Odds and Trends
- Stanley Cup Finals Odds: Florida vs Vegas Game 4 Pick and Prediction
- Stanley Cup Finals Odds: Vegas vs Florida Game 3 Pick and Prediction
