Stanley Cup Playoffs 2015: Updated Odds, Predictions for Stanley Cup Title

If the oddsmakers are correct, it looks like the Stanley Cup champion will come from the Western Conference. The latest odds from Odds Shark has the Chicago Blackhawks as the favorites at 2-1 to take home Lord Stanley's cup for the third time in six seasons. The Blackhawks just wrapped up a four-game sweep of the Minnesota Wild to reach the Western Conference Finals.

They are awaiting the winner of the Anaheim Ducks vs. Calgary Flames series. The Ducks have the 3-1 lead over the Flames with a chance to close Calgary out in Game 5 on Tuesday.

The Ducks are just behind the Blackhawks on the odds list at 12-5. Here's a look at the complete odds list for the teams still alive in the postseason.

Team	Odds
Chicago	2-1
Anaheim	12-5
Tampa Bay	7-2
Washington	6-1
N.Y. Rangers	13-2
Montreal	20-1
Calgary	66-1

Blackhawks Have Flipped the Switch

Ann Heisenfelt/Associated Press

Through the final two weeks of the regular season, the Blackhawks looked like anything but the favorites to win it all. They lost their last four games, Patrick Kane was still out with injury and so many other teams looked to be playing better.

Chicago moved past the Nashville Predators in the first round in six games, but the Blackhawks were outscored 21-19 in the series. Everything seemed to come together against the Wild. Chicago outscored Minnesota 13-7 in a low-scoring series and regained the swagger the team had back when it won the Cup in 2012-13.

Chicago raised its level of play on defense and proved to still be able to come up with clutch goal scoring from Kane and others. How hot has Kane been? ESPN SportsCenter tells us:

This postseason-tested group is the most complete team in the NHL right now. 

The Ducks will close out the Flames, but defensively, they don't match up well with Chicago's speed on the outside. The regular season is only a partial indication, but the Blackhawks did win two of three against Anaheim during the first 82. They outscored the Ducks 8-3 in those three games.

With a healthy Kane, the Blackhawks' skill players will get the better of Francois Beauchemin and Hampus Lindholm. 

Frederik Andersen has been great in net for the Ducks in the postseason with a goals against average of 1.96. However, he hasn't faced an offense that is playing as well as the Blackhawks. Chicago will make the Stanley Cup Finals where I predict it will face the Washington Capitals.

The Caps still have to take care of business against the New York Rangers, but they can close them out in six games on Sunday. The Rangers pulled out a tough overtime win to extend the series in Game 5 at home, but it's hard to imagine them scoring enough to win on the road.

The Tampa Bay Lightning also have the Montreal Canadiens on the ropes. The Lightning's 3-1 series lead has featured a mixture of blowouts and low-scoring affairs. The Lightning should close out the Habs to reach the Conference Finals, but they won't beat the Caps in a series.

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

Washington is getting stellar play from Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik and the usual consistency from Alex Ovechkin. The Lightning have struggled to find consistent offense in the postseason. They would potentially run into the same issues the Rangers have in a series with Washington.

Unless there's a falloff in the Conference Finals, the Caps look to be the best team in the Eastern Conference.

In a commercial-friendly Stanley Cup Finals, the Blackhawks' experience and balance should prove to be too much for the Caps. Chicago is my prediction to win it all in six games. I can't wait to see how wrong or right I am.