Four NHL teams will enter the playoffs with a chance to win the Stanley Cup for the first time. BetMGM's Gary Pearson says one of his early-season dark horses has the best chance of the four of winning it all.
Four NHL teams enter the post-season with aspirations of winning the Stanley Cup for the first time.
They include the Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres, Minnesota Wild and Utah Mammoth.
Hockey odds at the BetMGM online sportsbook for one of those teams to win the Stanley Cup are +400, which represents a 20 percent probability.
Utah Mammoth (+4000)
The Mammoth became the third team in the last 45 years to make the playoffs in the first two seasons of existence.
Their Stanley Cup odds improved from +5500 to +4000 since the end of January, thanks to allowing the seventh-fewest goals against per game (2.90).
With the third-most regulation wins (32) in the Western Conference, Utah believes it can enjoy a fruitful playoff run.
For a team without a playoff run under its belt, the Mammoth have more than enough individual post-season experience to draw from. However, they will likely face the Vegas Golden Knights or Edmonton Oilers in the first round.
Admittedly, neither team has enjoyed a stellar regular season, but the playoffs are a different beast altogether.
And both teams' playoff experience and pedigree, along with playing their best hockey, will likely be too much for the Mammoth in their first trip to the dance.
Minnesota Wild (+1500)
The Wild have the league's seventh-best points percentage (.630), the fourth-fewest goals against per game (2.88), and the third-best power play (25.3 percent).
Unfortunately, they're situated in arguably the most stacked division and will face the Dallas Stars without home-ice advantage.
If they overcome that wagon, which I don't think will happen, a likely date with the Colorado Avalanche awaits.
Even though the Wild's odds are the second-shortest among teams looking for their first Stanley Cup, I don't love their chances of navigating the Stars-Avalanche gauntlet.
Buffalo Sabres (+1600)
The NHL's fourth-best team in terms of points percentage (.667) has a scenario that resembles Minnesota's.
They've got their work cut out regardless of who they face in the first round.
Despite having the best record since Dec. 9 (39-9-4), coupled with an exceptional 16-6-4 record against Atlantic Division teams, it's a tough division. Even a date against the Senators is foreboding.
I hope I'm wrong. Sabres fans deserve a long, fruitful playoff run, especially as the team has the fifth-best offense (3.46 goals per game), the third-best home record (26-10-4), tied with the Avalanche, along with the fourth-best penalty kill (82.1 percent).
Ottawa Senators (+800)
I picked the Senators as my dark horse before the season began. At Christmas, I rued the selection, doubting their ability to dig themselves out of the deep hole they had dug.
It's amazing how much can change in a few months, with the Senators assembling the fourth-best record since Jan. 25 (20-6-4). Only the Sabres, Montreal Canadiens and Stars have a better points percentage in that timeframe.
It's a remarkable recovery considering the laundry list of grave issues the team faced, including Linus Ullmark's well-documented mental health challenges and the injuries to Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot.
Both blueline aces have returned with the Sens barely missing a beat. They have the fourth-most goals per game (3.60), allow the fewest goals against (2.37) and the fifth-best penalty kill (83.1 percent) in the aforementioned sample size.
Travis Green's team has also been in desperation mode for months, an ominous proposition for their first-round opponent, no matter who it is.
They are my pick to win the Stanley Cup for the first time.
By Gary Pearson, BetMGM