All posts by Eric Patterson

NHL Draft odds: What names will be called after Celebrini?

The 2024 NHL Draft gets underway Friday, only four days after the Panthers hoisted the Stanley Cup.

Boston University's Macklin Celebrini is already penciled in as the Sharks' choice with the first overall pick. Sportsbooks aren't even offering odds on what seems to be a lock.

But the draft gets interesting after Celebrini's name is called with the Blackhawks at No. 2.

2nd overall pick

Player Odds
Artyom Levshunov -250
Ivan Demidov +185
Cayden Lindstrom +3000
Anton Silayev +4000

All odds via theScore Bet

Oddsmakers believe Chicago is leaning toward picking Michigan State defenseman Artyom Levshunov to bolster its blue line rather than taking a forward to complement Connor Bedard.

Levshunov played one season for the Spartans, recording 34 points in 38 games. If he goes second to the Blackhawks, Levshunov would become the first Belarusian selected inside the top five in the draft.

3rd overall pick

Player Odds
Anton Silayev +135
Artyom Levshunov +300
Beckett Sennecke +500
Ivan Demidov +550
Cayden Lindstrom +1400
Sam Dickinson +1800

The Ducks could go anywhere with this pick, according to oddsmakers, who've priced four players below +600.

Anton Silayev is the favorite at +135, while Levshunov is at +300. With two defensemen as the top favorites, oddsmakers believe the Ducks will take the best blue-liner available.

Additionally, Ivan Demidov, who's +185 to go second overall, is +550 to end Friday evening as a Duck. The discrepancy in odds suggests Anaheim will likely take a defenseman over the Russian forward.

4th overall pick

Player Odds
Cayden Lindstrom -185
Ivan Demidov +350
Beckett Sennecke +700
Anton Silayev +850

The Blue Jackets will likely take a forward with the fourth overall pick, according to the odds. Cayden Lindstrom is a big -185 favorite to land in Columbus after recording 46 points in 32 games for the Medicine Hat Tigers last season.

5th overall pick

Player Odds
Ivan Demidov +175
Cayden Lindstrom +225
Beckett Sennecke +260
Anton Silayev +1400
Zeev Buium +1800

The Canadiens hold the fifth pick and also appear likely to take a forward early. Oddsmakers have priced three forwards close to each other, signaling how evenly scouts view Demidov, Lindstrom, and Beckett Sennecke while suggesting Montreal hasn't provided any hints as to whom it prefers.

The draft starts at 7 p.m. ET from The Sphere in Las Vegas.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

2025 Stanley Cup odds: Panthers co-favorites to repeat

The Stanley Cup champion Panthers are just starting their celebrations following Monday's triumph, a party that will likely continue all summer.

But for fans of the other 31 teams, it's never too early to look toward next year, even though there is still an offseason's worth of changes to come.

Here are the odds for who will hoist the Cup in 2025:

Team Odds
Stars +900
Panthers +900
Hurricanes +1000
Oilers +1000
Avalanche +1200
Devils +1200
Rangers +1200
Maple Leafs +1600
Golden Knights +1600
Bruins +2000
Canucks +2000
Jets +2200
Kings +2500
Lightning +2500
Predators +3000
Red Wings +3500
Penguins +3500
Wild +4000
Islanders +4000
Senators +4000
Sabres +5000
Flyers +5000
Blues +5000
Kraken +6000
Flames +7500
Utah Hockey Club +7500
Captials +7500
Canadiens +10000
Blackhawks +15000
Ducks +30000
Blue Jackets +30000
Sharks +30000

Odds via theScore Bet

The Panthers are co-favorites, alongside the Stars, to repeat at +900, an implied probability of 10%. Florida was +1800 at the start of the 2023-24 season.

The Oilers are still licking their wounds, but there's no reason to believe they can't make another run next year. They are +1000, alongside the 2023-24 preseason favorite Hurricanes.

How are we feeling about next year, Maple Leafs fans? Oddsmakers are giving the blue and white a 5.9% chance of ending their 58-year drought after what could be a turbulent offseason in Toronto.

The Golden Knights, Bruins, and Canucks are also in that Panthers sweet spot from +1600 to +2000. Boston already started its offseason moves by trading Linus Ullmark to the Senators.

The yet-to-be-named Utah Hockey Club, formerly the Arizona Coyotes, are +7500 in their first year playing out of Salt Lake City.

Chances look bleak for the Ducks, Blue Jackets, and Sharks, with implied odds of 0.3%.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Big swing in Conn Smythe odds following Bobrovsky’s Game 4 struggles

There was a big move atop the Conn Smythe oddsboard following the Oilers' 8-1 defeat of the Panthers in Game 4.

Sergei Bobrovsky, who was pulled early in the second period Saturday night, was the overwhelming MVP favorite going into Game 4 at -500. After allowing five goals on 16 shots in the blowout loss, he's now -110 at theScore Bet. That's a 30.9% change in implied odds.

Meanwhile, Aleksander Barkov jumped up the oddsboard from +400 to +125, implying oddsmakers believe the Panthers captain is nearly 25% more likely to win the Conn Smythe following his goaltender's single-game struggle.

With the Panthers still at -1200 (92.3% implied probability) to win the series, it's become a two-horse race for the Conn Smythe.

Connor McDavid is +800 and the only Oilers player with odds shorter than +7500.

Edmonton is +700 (12.5% implied probability) to erase its three-game deficit and win the Stanley Cup.

Game 5 is set for Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET in Sunrise.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Stanley Cup odds: Oilers’ chances slipping, Bobrovsky Conn Smythe favorite

The Oilers' Stanley Cup chances are slipping away after they dropped both games in Florida.

Edmonton's odds before the series were +115 on theScore Bet - an implied probability of 46.5% - but have now plummeted to +375 as the team heads home for Game 3.

That means oddsmakers are giving the Oilers a 21.1% chance of hosting the Cup.

Even though they lead the Panthers in expected goals by a narrow margin of 4.8 to 4.66, according to Natural Stat Trick, the Oilers only got one puck past Sergei Bobrovsky on 51 shots in the series' first two games.

Bobrovsky's shutout in Game 1 - in which the Oilers were expected to score nearly three goals - was instrumental in giving the Panthers a comfortable 2-0 lead and pushing them to -550 to win the Stanley Cup.

The goaltender's performances vaulted him up the Conn Smythe oddsboard, too, making him the new favorite. He's now priced at -175 after being +400 before the series. Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov sits next on the list at +450.

Connor McDavid, who had the shortest odds to be named playoff MVP before the puck dropped on Game 1, is now priced at +550. He has one assist in two games.

The Stanley Cup Final continues Thursday, with the Oilers priced as -135 home favorites in Game 3.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Bettors backing McDavid to win Conn Smythe, split on Stanley Cup champ

Bettors are putting their money on Connor McDavid to win the Conn Smythe Trophy but remain split on who will hoist the Stanley Cup.

The Oilers captain is garnering 15.08% of all bets on the playoff MVP market at theScore Bet and ESPN Bet, nearly twice as much as Sergei Bobrovsky, who comes in second. McDavid also accounts for 22.96% of the market's handle (money wagered), substantially more than Matthew Tkachuk's 9.77%.

McDavid - with his playoff-leading 31 points - is +200 (33.3% implied probability) to win the Conn Smythe, while Edmonton remains the underdog at +115 (46.5% implied probability).

The Panthers opened at -130 over the Oilers once the series was set, odds that shifted slightly in their favor to -135.

The small move is not a result of one-sided action. The Panthers are receiving 44.72% of the bets compared to the Oilers' 55.28% when it comes to who will win the Cup. The handle splits are even tighter, with the Panthers amassing 49.94% of the money wagered.

However, Florida is getting some love to win the series opener as -140 home favorite. It accumulated 61.1% of the game's moneyline handle.

Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final begins Saturday at 8:00 p.m. ET.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

What the odds say: Can McDavid make history in Stanley Cup Final?

Connor McDavid has led the Oilers to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006.

He tops all playoff scorers with 31 points in 18 games, making him the favorite at +200 (33.3% implied probability) to win the Conn Smythe Trophy even though the Oilers are slight underdogs to the Panthers.

Having the Conn Smythe favorite on the underdog team proves how important the betting market believes McDavid is to the Oilers' success, and it also accounts for the rare possibility that McDavid can still win the award if Edmonton falls short in the final.

Oddsmakers at theScore Bet priced McDavid's chances of winning the playoff MVP on a losing Oilers side at +1000 (9.1% implied probability).

If he pulls off that feat, it would be the first time the award went to someone on the losing team since Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who lost to the Devils as a member of the 2003 Ducks.

McDavid can strengthen his Conn Smythe case with another series of elite point production. He's averaging 1.72 points per game but will need to increase that to break Wayne Gretzky's single-playoff record.

It's a long shot, but the odds for McDavid to eclipse Gretzky's 47-point single-postseason record are set at +2500 (3.8% implied probability).

McDavid would likely need the series to go to seven games - odds are +200 it will go the distance - and he would need to record nearly 2.5 points per game against a stout Panthers team.

However, McDavid is only six points away from breaking Evgeni Malkin's mark for most playoff points since 2000, so his heroic effort during this playoff run shouldn't go unrecognized.

Perhaps a more obtainable record for McDavid is most points in a Stanley Cup Final. The current mark is 13, also held by Gretzky, and oddsmakers at theScore Bet are giving McDavid a 15.4% chance (+550 odds) of recording 14 or more points against Florida.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Stanley Cup odds: Hurricanes favored to win it all

Find year-round coverage of betting news and insights for all sports by visiting our Betting section and subscribing to push notifications.

The NHL's playoffs are set. Both sets of first-round series are finalized with exciting matchups in the Eastern and Western conferences.

Here are the odds for the remaining 16 teams that have a chance at hoisting the Stanley Cup.

Stanley Cup odds

Team Odds Implied Prob.
Hurricanes +550 15.4%
Panthers +650 13.3%
Stars +750 11.8%
Rangers +750 11.8%
Avalanche +800 11.1%
Oilers +800 11.1%
Bruins +1200 7.7%
Maple Leafs +1200 7.7%
Golden Knights +1200 7.7%
Canucks +1600 5.9%
Jets +2000 4.8%
Kings +2500 3.8%
Lightning +2500 3.8%
Predators +3000 3.2%
Islanders +5000 2.0%
Capitals +15000 0.7%

Odds via theScore Bet.

The Hurricanes are the Stanley Cup favorites at +550, which equates to an implied probability of 15.4%. They started the season as the favorites with odds of +800 and drifted to as long as +1200 during the season.

Carolina will face the Islanders, who earned the third spot in the Metropolitan Division, in Round 1. The Hurricanes are -425 to advance to the next round, meaning oddsmakers give Carolina an 81% chance of beating New York.

The Atlantic Division champion Panthers are the second favorites at +650. Florida advanced to the Stanley Cup Final last season as the second wild card, upsetting the Bruins, Maple Leafs, and Hurricanes before losing to the Golden Knights.

The Panthers are -190 favorites to win their first-round series over the Lightning.

Here are the odds for each team that could represent the Eastern Conference in the Final.

Eastern Conference odds

Team Odds
Hurricanes +275
Panthers +300
Rangers +375
Bruins +550
Maple Leafs +700
Lightning +1200
Islanders +2500
Capitals +6000

The Maple Leafs have longer odds than the Bruins to win the East despite having the same odds to win the Stanley Cup. That suggests Toronto is slightly overvalued in the Stanley Cup market.

The smarter bet - if you can say that when discussing the Leafs' chances to win it all - would be to pick them to win the Eastern Conference, then roll that into a series wager in the Final, where they'll likely be plus-money underdogs to the Western Conference representative.

As for the West, the Stars narrowly top the Oilers and Avalanche as the betting favorites to win the conference.

Western Conference odds

Team Odds
Stars +350
Oilers +375
Avalanche +400
Golden Knights +600
Canucks +750
Jets +800
Kings +1200
Predators +1400

Dallas won arguably the best division in hockey to earn the No. 1 seed, and their reward is an opening-round matchup against the defending champion Golden Knights.

The Kings vaulted Vegas on the final night of the regular season to set up a matchup versus Connor McDavid and the Oilers. Edmonton, which is a -190 favorite over L.A. in Round 1, is +800 to win the Cup and +375 to reach its first Final since 2006.

In the other two Western Conference series, the Avs are -135 favorites over the Jets, while the Canucks are -150 over the Predators.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs begin Saturday.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Matthews favored to win Hart Trophy amid scoring surge

Auston Matthews took over as the Hart Trophy favorite following his recent scoring surge that helped the Maple Leafs rattle off seven straight wins.

Toronto's sniper is +185 (35.1% implied probability) at theScore Bet to be named the NHL's MVP thanks to his 52 goals in 57 games. He was held scoreless in his last two contests but potted 19 goals in his 15 games before that.

However, Matthews has some stiff competition to fend off if he's going to claim his second career Hart Trophy. Oddsmakers believe it's a four-horse race, with Nathan MacKinnon, Nikita Kucherov, and Connor McDavid also in contention.

On Feb. 1, MacKinnon was a -120 favorite to win the award and Matthews was +1300. Matthews' monstrous scoring month increased his implied win probability by 28%.

Kucherov's and McDavid's odds remain largely unchanged since the beginning of February.

Matthews has garnered 30% of all bets placed on the Hart Trophy market at theScore Bet, which is only available in Ontario. A large portion of those wagers on the Leafs superstar - 55% to be exact - came within the last two weeks.

Furthermore, 80% of bets placed on the Hart Trophy market within the past two weeks were backing Matthews.

The bet splits for the remainder of the Hart Trophy contenders are as follows: 14% for McDavid; 10% for MacKinnon; and 4.6% for Kucherov.

Matthews is also -10000 (99% implied probability) to win the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the league's top goalscorer. He has a 13-goal advantage over second-place Sam Reinhart.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

What the odds say: Will the Oilers break NHL’s win-streak record?

The Oilers are on an absolute heater, winning 14 straight games to get within three of the NHL record held by the 1992-93 Penguins.

But will Connor McDavid and Co. break the 17-game mark?

Oddsmakers at theScore Bet have set their odds of Edmonton winning at least 18 straight at +275 for an implied probability of 26.7%.

You may think those odds for the Oilers to win four more games in a row aren't long enough, but when you look at their upcoming schedule, it makes more sense.

The Oilers host the NHL's worst team - the Blackhawks - on Thursday. A lot would have to go wrong for this streaking Edmonton side to walk away from that game without two points.

They then host the Predators on Jan. 27. Nashville is in the mix for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, but the Oilers will be decent-sized favorites in that contest as well.

Following the All-Star break, the Oilers are in Vegas for the toughest matchup of their next four games. If they can get past the Golden Knights, a contest against the Ducks on Feb. 9 would be the potential record-breaking game.

Thanks to this incredible run, the Oilers are now co-favorites to win the Stanley Cup alongside the Avalanche at +750. During their rough start to the season and shortly after they fired their head coach, the Oilers were +2000 to win the Cup.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

What the odds say: Will the Oilers break NHL’s win-streak record?

The Oilers are on an absolute heater, winning 14 straight games to get within three of the NHL record held by the 1992-93 Penguins.

But will Connor McDavid and Co. break the 17-game mark?

Oddsmakers at theScore Bet have set their odds of Edmonton winning at least 18 straight at +275 for an implied probability of 26.7%.

You may think those odds for the Oilers to win four more games in a row aren't long enough, but when you look at their upcoming schedule, it makes more sense.

The Oilers host the NHL's worst team - the Blackhawks - on Thursday. A lot would have to go wrong for this streaking Edmonton side to walk away from that game without two points.

They then host the Predators on Jan. 27. Nashville is in the mix for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, but the Oilers will be decent-sized favorites in that contest as well.

Following the All-Star break, the Oilers are in Vegas for the toughest matchup of their next four games. If they can get past the Golden Knights, a contest against the Ducks on Feb. 9 would be the potential record-breaking game.

Thanks to this incredible run, the Oilers are now co-favorites to win the Stanley Cup alongside the Avalanche at +750. During their rough start to the season and shortly after they fired their head coach, the Oilers were +2000 to win the Cup.

Copyright © 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.