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2022 NHL Stanley Cup Finals Series
The Colorado Avalanche got off to the perfect start in the NHL Stanley Cup Finals with a 3-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1. After the Lightning finished the series opener well, few expected the Avs to win the second matchup with such ease – but that’s what they did.
The 7-0 thrashing crushed the hopes of Tampa fans and led Vegas oddsmakers to make them +500 underdogs to win the NHL Stanley Cup. A 6-2 win in Game 3 for the Bolts shortened their odds to +250 before a close 3-2 loss in the fourth matchup of the series led NHL betting sites to lengthen them to +800.
The Lightning clung on to their title hopes with a 2-3 Game 5 victory. But the Avs lived up to their favorite tags with a 1-2 win in Game 6.
NHL 2022-23 Futures Stanley Cup Betting
The opening favorites in the outright betting to win the Stanley Cup 2022-23 were the defending title holders Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Vegas Golden Knights.
How Did the NHL Format for 2021-22 Change?
in 2021, The NHL expanded to 32 teams with the addition of the Seattle Kraken.
Following the temporary alignment of the 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic leading to cross-border travel restrictions between the USA and Canada, the NHL will now return to the previous alignment with the Eastern and Western Conferences.
The Eastern Conference comprises the Atlantic and Metropolitan Divisions, with the Western Conference featuring the Central and Pacific Divisions.
Seattle Kraken is now in the Pacific Division, and the Arizona Coyotes belong to the Central Division.
What Is The “Scheduling Matrix” for The 2022-23 NHL Regular Season?
Each Division Has Eight Teams:
Games Within Division
- 5 teams x 2 home / 2 away (10 home / 10 away)
- 1 team x 2 home / 1 away (2 home / 1 away)
- 1 team x 1 home / 2 away (1 home / 2 away)
Games Within Conference (Non-Division)
- 4 teams x 2 home / 1 away (8 home / 4 away)
- 4 teams x 1 home / 2 away (4 home / 8 away)
Non-Conference Games
- 16 teams x 1 home / 1 away (16 home / 16 away)
- Grand Total – 82 Games
- 41 home / 41 away
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the 2022/23 NHL season start and end?
The new NHL season will begin on October 11, 2022, and end in June 2023 (the exact date is yet to be confirmed).
Who were the favorites in the NHL Futures Division Betting?
- Central – Tampa Bay Lightning are warm favorites to secure the Central Division, with their main challenge expected to come from last season’s beaten Stanley Cup finalists, the Dallas Stars, and the Carolina Hurricanes.
- East – The East Division is the most difficult to predict based on the available betting odds, with the Boston Bruins marginal favorites ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers. There could be strong challenges from the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers and Washington Capitals.
- North – The Toronto Maple Leafs are the favorites to win the North Division, with their main rivals according to the betting odds with the sportsbooks likely to be the Edmonton Oilers and the Vancouver Canucks.
- West – The sportsbooks see the Central Division as being closely contested between the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights, with the St. Louis Blues as their most serious challengers.
What to consider when betting on Stanley Cup 2022-23?
The fact that two of the three Stanley Cup favorites, the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights, are both drawn together in the Central Division suggests it could be wise to avoid both in Stanley Cup outright betting.
The Tampa Bay Lightning look like they could be worth backing to win back their title from the Avalanche. But with so much uncertainty surrounding how the season will unfold, a speculative wager on an outsider is also worth considering. For instance, the Edmonton Oilers winning the cup is a tempting bet.
What happened in NHL 2019-20 during the Covid Pandemic?
The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic led to the season being suspended indefinitely on March 12, 2020.
In May, the NHL and National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) agreed to a framework for the resumption of play. The remainder of the regular season was cancelled, with the top 12 teams in each conference (by points percentage) competing in a modified and expanded Stanley Cup playoffs.
The season finally ended on September 28, 2020, with the Tampa Bay Lightning defeating the Dallas Stars 4-2 in the Stanley Cup Final series.