Riding a six-game win-streak right down Broad Street, the Philadelphia Flyers have 16/1 odds to win the Stanley Cup. This is all according to Vegas Insider, so as always, choose your odds and place your bets wisely. At 16/1, that puts the Flyers at the same odds as the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Dallas Stars. Yours truly did a little deep diving to seek the value of the NHL teams with 16/1 odds to win the Stanley Cup. The team with the best odds according to Vegas Insider are the Las Vegas Golden Knights at 9/2.
Philadelphia Flyers – 16/1
As the sixth-best team in the NHL, the Philadelphia Flyers are having a borderline elite season. If the Flyers can pass the Washington Capitals into fifth place in the NHL standings and first place in the NHL Metropolitan Division standings, then Philadelphia’s status as elite will be undisputed. The difference between “borderline elite” and “undisputed elite” is only three points. Of the teams with the 16/1 odds, the Flyers look like the best bet. They’re the hottest team currently at these odds.
While the Philadelphia Flyers are the sixth-best team in the NHL, a deep dive into their schedule and numbers support that they play like a top-four team. In particular, the Flyers’ biggest challenges on the way to raising the Stanley Cup would be the Boston Bruins, the Colorado Avalanche, and the Tampa Bay Lightning. If Philadelphia can steal home ice in the playoffs, then they’re in prime position to be the best bet at 16/1. In the last ten games, the Flyers are 8-2-0. Of the three teams with 16/1 odds, Philadelphia also has the most games played past regulation.
Pittsburgh Penguins – 16/1
They’re the eighth-best team in the NHL right now and third in the NHL Metropolitan Division standings. That makes the Philadelphia Flyers public enemy number one in the eyes of the Pittsburgh Penguins. These two teams will clash again, March 29th, 2020, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. The Penguins own a 2-1-0 record against the Flyers this season. Why is Philadelphia the best bet at 16/1 odds if Pittsburgh has a better record against them?
Look at the times the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins have played each other this season. Brian Elliott, who has been solid on the road, started every game against the Penguins. While he did record a shutout against Pittsburgh this season, he took a 7-1 loss and a 4-3 loss in overtime. Right now, the Flyers would own home ice in a series against the Penguins. Carter Hart is an elite goaltender in the Wells Fargo Center this season and Pittsburgh is an under .500 team on the road.
Dallas Stars – 16/1
Don’t look now, but the Dallas Stars are in striking distance to tie the Philadelphia Flyers for the sixth in the NHL standings. The Stars are two points behind the Flyers in seventh place. Both Dallas and the Pittsburgh Penguins are on losing streaks at 16/1 odds. The momentum is simply not in favor of Dallas, who are 2-2-1 in their last five games. Overall, the Stars are the best team on the road at 16/1 odds.
By no means do I believe that the Dallas Stars are a weak team and undeserving of their odds. As I stated, they are right on the heels of the Philadelphia Flyers. The Stars defeated the Flyers in the only game they faced each other this season, 4-1. That was back on October 19th, 2019. Many things have changed in Philadelphia since, and only for the better.
Place That Bet
Follow me on this. The Dallas Stars are 0-2-0 against the Pittsburgh Penguins this season. Both of those losses were by October 26th, 2019. In those two games, the Stars allowed seven goals by the Penguins. To this point in the season, Pittsburgh has a goal differential of +26 while Dallas is only at a +9.
Between those two teams, the Pittsburgh Penguins are the stronger of the two. That leaves the Philadelphia Flyers and Penguins as the best bets at 16/1 odds in my mind. Philadelphia, as noted, is 1-1-1 against Pittsburgh this season. In those three games, all starting Brian Elliott, the Flyers have a goal differential of -4. Overall, Philadelphia has been more explosive than both the Dallas Stars and the Penguins, owning a +30 goal differential in the NHL.
Who is the better play at 16/1, the Philadelphia Flyers or Pittsburgh Penguins? My hand still plays the Orange and Black cards. The post-season isn’t about how a team played in 2019, it’s about how they are playing now. Of the top ten teams in the NHL standings, the Penguins have the worst record over the last ten games (3-6-1). The Flyers have the best record over the last ten games in NHL (8-2-0) alongside the favorites to win the Stanley Cup, the Las Vegas Golden Knights.
Mandatory Credit – © Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports
