🥅 Stanley Cup Odds: Best Cup Favorites to Keep an Eye Down the Stretch

With the Olympics in the rearview and a few days before NHL action resumes, it's a perfect time to take stock of the Stanley Cup odds. 

Those odds tell a certain tale, but which of the betting favorites should you focus on down the stretch? Each of the favorites had players represent their nation at the Olympics, but how will that tournament affect them, and how will the three-week break impact the teams? Let's get into it as fiercely as Canada and the United States did in the battle for Olympic gold.

Stanley Cup favorites to focus your futures bets on down the stretch 

See all of our experts' NHL picks based on the latest NHL odds. Confidence level rated on a 1-to-5 star scale.

⛰️ Avalanche (+400)

The Avalanche's lead atop the Stanley Cup oddsboard has shrunk like you know what in ice-cold water. The Avs are tied for the seventh-worst points percentage (.455) with the Calgary Flames since Jan. 11, and they have the worst power play in the league, as I discussed in a recent piece about what contenders need to improve to win the Cup. 

Don't let that deter you from picking them as your Stanley Cup futures bet, though. Brock Nelson will be flying for the rest of the season after helping Team USA capture gold at the Olympics. 

And while Nathan MacKinnon, Devon Toews and Cale Makar will be bitterly disappointed having to settle for silver, they will likely channel their inner rage and frustration in the right way, helping spearhead another dominant run into the playoffs and beyond. 

Confidence level: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🌩️ Lightning (+500)

The Tampa Bay Lightning are the best in the NHL since Christmas, and no team comes close. Since Dec. 21, the Lightning are 18-1-1.

Their .925 points percentage is well clear of the Pittsburgh Penguins (.750) and Buffalo Sabres (.739), who rank second and third in that timeframe. 

But how will the three-week break impact Jon Cooper's team? And what about Nikita Kucherov, arguably the world's best player, who enjoyed an extended break due to Russia's Olympic ban? 

While it will be interesting to see whether he can recapture his scintillating pre-break form immediately upon the restart, I'm confident the Hart Trophy odds contender will enter the playoffs at the peak of his remarkable powers while feeling fresh as a daisy.

The same can be said for their well-rested, eager-to-fight Vezina Trophy odds contender Andrei Vasilevskiy. I like Tampa Bay to, at the very least, represent the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Final. 

Confidence level: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🌀 Hurricanes (+750)

The Carolina Hurricanes embody stability and consistency. They would be my pick to win the East if the Lightning weren't so dominant. 

I'd love to give the Hurricanes the benefit of the doubt, but Rod Brind'Amour's team hasn't shown the ability to clear the Eastern Conference final hurdle. And I don't see them overcoming the Lightning this season, meaning their curse would extend across the Sunshine State.  

Confidence level: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

♞ Golden Knights (+1000)

As the second-most disappointing Stanley Cup contender, Vegas has widespread issues to address. There's no sugarcoating their crippling inconsistency, but time is on their side. 

They might even be the Stanley Cup contender that benefits most from the Olympic break. Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin rejoin the club on cloud nine after winning gold, while Mitch Marner and Mark Stone will, like the Avs' triumvirate, try to use their disappointment and dejection as motivating factors. 

I'll be keeping close tabs on Bruce Cassidy's team, but we should know whether they're a bona fide contender or a pitiful pretender by mid-March. In the meantime, stay clear. 

Confidence level: ⭐⭐⭐

🛢️ Oilers (+1200)

Contenders or pretenders? It's anyone's guess at this point, but things certainly don't look good in Oil Town at the current juncture. They have as many issues as Pacific Division rivals Vegas.

if it wasn't already the case, it certainly is now: Connor McDavid has been tagged with the "always the bridesmaid" tag, even though the initial iteration at the Games, via a Matthew Tkachuk chirp, was labeled for teammate Leon Draisaitl. 

I've been one of McDavid's most ardent supporters in recent years, but faith is waning, particularly with the somewhat substandard collective he has at his disposal in Edmonton. I still believe he will win a Cup. He has to, right? But will it be in Edmonton? 

Let's see how the Oilers come out of the gate before sealing their fate. 

Confidence level: ⭐⭐⭐

🔢 Stanley Cup odds 2026

Our Stanley Cup odds update in real time. See the NHL odds for the best odds on each game during the 2025-26 season.

⛓️‍💥 How to bet Stanley Cup futures: Will Olympic break impact streaking teams?

Will the three-week break negatively affect the teams that were flying before the Olympic hiatus, or can they continue where they left off? 

Below are the five teams with the best record since Jan. 1. 

And here are the records of the five Stanley Cup odds favorites since Jan. 1  

Before making my next round of Stanley Cup futures bets, I'll monitor closely how the next two weeks transpire. It will be interesting to see whether the Oilers, Avalanche, and Golden Knights get back on track and ascend, as I expect they will. 

No matter what happens, their Stanley Cup odds will only shift marginally during the two or three-week assessment window, so don't feel like you need to rush into anything.

Once the dust settles on the transition period, I'll make a more informed decision on which teams will be there or thereabouts in June. For now, I'm feeling electric about the Lightning.