Stanley Cup Betting – Penguins Should Go Back-to-Back

Stanley Cup betting is underway, which means you should be ready to make your pick on who will lift Lord Stanley’s Cup at the end of the tournament. Here’s the top five teams you should be considering en route to the final round.

Pittsburgh: The defending champions have two stars in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, and Malkin was showing signs of life down the stretch. They’re also dependable defensively, and Marc-Andre Fleur is mentally strong enough to bounce back from a poor outing. The Penguins’ Brooks Orpik is going to have to be a monster on the blue line if Pittsburgh is going to repeat.

Chicago: The Blackhawks are essentially what the Penguins were two years ago: full of talent, but very young. But even their younger players are experienced enough, as Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith all played big roles with their Olympic teams that went to the gold-medal game. They may even get Brian Campbell back on defense, which would be a boost to their NHL odds. The question is goaltending: can Antti Niemi stay solid for an entire postseason run?

Vancouver: The Canucks could have the edge in the West as they have a bonafide No.1 goalie in Roberto Luongo, but he has been prone to bad games since the Olympic break, and he struggled badly against the Blackhawks in the playoffs last year. Offensively, the Canucks can score more than most people think, and they’re not just a one-line team, although the Sedin brothers and Alex Burrows are a high-powered line. They’ll need players like Mason Raymond and Ryan Kesler, who was spectacular for the Americans in the Olympics, to step up.

Detroit: Even as the lower seed, Red Wings vs Coyotes odds favored Detroit in the first round, and that’s because of their championship experience. Like Pittsburgh, the Red Wings have been to the last two Stanley Cup finals, and the core of the team has been to the playoffs countless times. After a slow start, the Red Wings came on strong late in the season and they looked like they were pacing themselves. The question mark comes in between the pipes, where rookie Jimmy Howard will get his first taste of postseason action.

Washington: They have so much offensive firepower, led by Alex Ovchekin and Nicklas Backstrom,  and even at the back, Mike Green is arguably the best puck-moving defenseman in the NHL. But can they stop anyone? Jose Theodore was great down the stretch, but he’s showing some holes in the first round against his former team, Montreal, and Semyon Varlamov was brought in to replace him in Game 2.

Sports betting pick: Pittsburgh over Chicago in six