Tampa Bay Lightning open season as Stanley Cup favorites

The Tampa Bay Lightning flamed out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs following a 128-point 2018-19 regular season, but sportsbooks have clearly wiped the slate clean entering a new season.

The Lightning are strong favorites by oddsmakers to hoist the Stanley Cup next summer. PointsBet and FanDuel are offering Tampa Bay at +700, while DraftKings has the Lightning at +750. Of the three books, only the Toronto Maple Leafs, at +950 by FanDuel, are being offered at lower than +1000.

Oddsmakers are mixed on who poses the biggest threat to Tampa Bay. PointsBet is offering the Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins at +1000, while DraftKings has the Vegas Golden Knights at +1100, followed by Toronto (+1200) and Boston (+1300).

Tampa Bay figures to have a tough road to haul with Boston and Toronto in the Eastern Conference, while Las Vegas is the unanimous favorite out of the Western Conference by all three books. The Golden Knights are +375 to reach the Finals by PointsBet, followed by the Colorado Avalanche (+500).

Odds are a bit tempered on the reigning Stanley Cup Champions. PointsBet has the St. Louis Blues as the sixth favorite entering the season at +1500 (same odds as FanDuel), while DraftKings has them at +1800 to repeat.

For those who strongly believe the eventual champion will come from a core group of top teams, FanDuel is offering a prop bet of Tampa Bay, Toronto, Boston, Vegas and St. Louis (+146) vs. The Field (-180) to win the Stanley Cup.

With the Rangers, Islanders and Devils all mired in the middle of the pack, some books are offering a regional prop bet for the team finishing with the most regular season points. PointsBet is offering: Devils +140, Islanders +175 and Rangers +250, while DraftKings is Devils +120, Islanders +200 and Rangers +275.

DraftKings is offering a 3.5 Over/Under on how many Canadian teams reach the playoffs.

Stanley Cup champion odds (PointsBet)

Tampa Bay Lightning: +700

Boston Bruins: +1000

Toronto Maple Leafs: +1000

Vegas Golden Knights: +1100

Dallas Stars: +1400

St. Louis Blues: +1500

Calgary Flames: +1600

Colorado Avalanche: +1600

Nashville Predators: +1600

Washington Capitals: +1600

San Jose Sharks: +1800

Carolina Hurricanes: +2000

Florida Panthers: +2000

Pittsburgh Penguins: +2000

Winnipeg Jets: +2000

New Jersey Devils: +2500

New York Islanders: +3000

Montreal Canadiens: +3500

New York Rangers: +3500

Philadelphia Flyers: +3500

Arizona Coyotes: +4000

Chicago Blackhawks: +4000

Edmonton Oilers: +4000

Vancouver Canucks: +4500

Columbus Blue Jackets: +5000

Minnesota Wild: +5000

Buffalo Sabres: +6600

Anaheim Ducks: +8000

Los Angeles Kings: +8000

Detroit Red Wings: +10000

Ottawa Senators: +25000

–Field Level Media