Which NHL Team Is Favored to Win the Stanley Cup?

The Stanley Cup is the most coveted prize in hockey, and every team wants to win it. But which team is favored to take home the trophy this year?

The Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning are the heavy favorites to win the Stanley Cup this year. They have the best record in the NHL and they have been the most consistent team all season. They have a deep roster and they are led by one of the best coaches in the NHL, Jon Cooper. They also have the best goaltender in the NHL, Andrei Vasilevskiy.

The Tampa Bay Lightning’s Regular Season Record

The Tampa Bay Lightning had one of the best regular seasons in NHL history. They tied the NHL record for most wins in a season with 62, and their .829 win percentage is the second highest of all time. In addition, they led the league in goals scored and fewest goals allowed.

It’s no surprise, then, that the Lightning are favored to win the Stanley Cup. They’re a deep team with high-end talent at every position, and they’ve been consensus favorites throughout the playoffs.

The Lightning will have their work cut out for them, though. The playoff field is wide open this year, and there are a handful of teams with a legitimate chance to win it all.

The Tampa Bay Lightning’s Playoff History

The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The Lightning have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2004, when they defeated the Calgary Flames in seven games.

The Lightning made it back to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2015, but lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games. The following year, the Lightning once again made it to the Conference Finals, but lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins, in seven games.

In 2018, the Lightning made it back to the Conference Finals for the third consecutive year, but this time they were able to defeat the Washington Capitals in seven games. They then went on to face off against the Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup Finals, but lost in six games.

So far, 2019 has been a disappointing year for the Lightning, as they were eliminated from playoff contention on April 5th. However, with star players such as Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov, as well as one of the best goaltenders in the league in Andrei Vasilevskiy, anything is possible for this team and they will no doubt be back next year competing for a chance to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup once again.

The Vegas Golden Knights

The Vegas Golden Knights’ Regular Season Record

The Vegas Golden Knights have had an amazing inaugural season. They set a new NHL record for most wins by a expansion team (51) and also accumulated 109 points, good for 6th best in the entire league. Thanks to their stellar regular season play, the Golden Knights are favored to win the Stanley Cup by most oddsmakers.

The Vegas Golden Knights’ Playoff History

The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Golden Knights compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The team began play in the 2017–18 NHL season, and is headquartered in T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada.

The Golden Knights played their first game on October 6, 2017, defeating the Dallas Stars 2–1 at home. They became the first NHL expansion team to win their division in their inaugural season, as well as to qualify for and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. In doing so, they joined the 1967–68 St. Louis Blues as only the second expansion team in NHL history to make it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals in their inaugural season. As of June 2019, prior to their second season, the Golden Knights have been honored with one Emmy Award and two nominations from off-ice media outlets.

The Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs are the most popular team in the NHL and they are favored to win the Stanley Cup. The Maple Leafs have won the Stanley Cup thirteen times and they are looking to add another one to their collection. The Maple Leafs are led by captain John Tavares and they have a solid team that can compete with any team in the league.

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ Regular Season Record

The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The club is owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, which also owns the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s Toronto Raptors and the Canadian Football League (CFL)’s Toronto Argonauts. The Maple Leafs have won thirteen Stanley Cup championships, second only to the 24 championships of their primary rival, the Montreal Canadiens.

The club was founded in 1917 as the Toronto Arenas, one of the first six teams in the NHL. Under new ownership, they became the St. Patricks in 1919 and then changed their name to the Maple Leafs in 1927. The Maple Leafs have appeared in a record 32 Stanley Cup Finals series and have won 13 Stanley Cup championships, tied with the Canadiens for second place behind only Detroit’s 11 championship wins.

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ Playoff History

The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The Maple Leafs have won thirteen Stanley Cup championships, second only to the 24 championships of their primary rival and historic dismemberment-partner, the Montreal Canadiens.

The Winnipeg Jets

The Winnipeg Jets’ Regular Season Record

The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment and plays its home games at Bell MTS Place.

The Jets began play as the Atlanta Thrashers in the 1999–2000 NHL season. True North purchased the Thrashers in May 2011 and relocated the franchise to Winnipeg prior to the 2011–12 season, which resulted in the franchise’s historical connection to Atlanta being severed. The NHL considered reactivating a dormant Winnipeg Jets franchise for True North, but Bettman instead decided to let True North create an expansion team, which would begin play in the league’s 2012–13 season. The Jets made their debut on October 9, 2011, against the Ottawa Senators. Since relocating, the Jets have been one of the most successful teams in terms of winning percentage; they have qualified for the playoffs six times (including five consecutive appearances from 2014 to 2018), reaching the Conference Finals in 2018.

The Winnipeg Jets’ Playoff History

The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, and plays its home games at Bell MTS Place.

The Jets franchise was founded in 1999 as the Atlanta Thrashers, and since relocating to Winnipeg in 2011, has qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs six times. They have won two playoff series, both against the Minnesota Wild: in 2015, which was the franchise’s first playoff series win, and again in 2018.

The Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Predators have qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs seven times, winning the Presidents’ Trophy in 2006–07. As of 2019, the Predators have the seventh-highest point percentage in NHL history.

The Nashville Predators’ Regular Season Record

The Nashville Predators are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Predators began play as an expansion team in the 1998–99 season. They played their home games at the Nashville Arena until 2006, when they moved to Bridgestone Arena.

In the 2017–18 season, the Predators won their first Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL’s top regular season team. They also reached the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history, but lost to the eventual champion Washington Capitals in six games.

The Nashville Predators’ Playoff History

The Nashville Predators have been one of the most successful teams in the NHL over the past few years. They have made it to the Stanley Cup Finals twice, losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017 and 2018. However, they are one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup this year.

The Nashville Predators were founded in 1998 as an expansion team. They made it to the playoffs in their first season, but lost in the first round. They then went on a streak of making it to the playoffs every year from 1999-2016, with only five times not making it past the first round. In 2017, they made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals, but lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. The following year, they made it back to the Stanley Cup Finals, but lost again to the Penguins in five games.

This year, they are once again one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. They have one of the best defensive cores in hockey, led by captain Roman Josi. They also have one of the best goalies in hockey in Pekka Rinne. If they can get past their playoff demons and finally win a Stanley Cup, they will cement themselves as one of the best teams in NHL history.

The Calgary Flames

The Calgary Flames are one of the top teams in the NHL and are favored to win the Stanley Cup this year. The Flames have a great offense, led by forwards Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. They also have a strong defense, led by defenseman Mark Giordano. Goaltender Mike Smith has been solid in net this season. The Flames are a well-rounded team and should be able to win the Stanley Cup.

The Calgary Flames’ Regular Season Record

The Calgary Flames had a great regular season, earning 107 points and finishing first in the Pacific Division. They lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Colorado Avalanche, but they’re one of the teams favored to win the Stanley Cup this year.

The Flames were led by their captain, Mark Giordano, who had 21 goals and 74 points. Giordano was named a finalist for the Norris Trophy, given to the league’s top defenseman. Goaltender David Rittich had a strong season as well, posting a .911 save percentage and a 2.61 GAA.

Forwards Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan both had over 30 goals and 80 points, while Matthew Tkachuk chipped in with 34 goals. The Flames have a lot of offensive firepower, and they should be one of the teams to beat in the NHL this season.

The Calgary Flames’ Playoff History

The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The club is owned by Fitzgerald and Partners, with Jarome Iginla as the general manager.

The Flames were founded in 1972 in Atlanta, Georgia as the Atlanta Flames until relocating to Calgary in 1980. The Flames played their first three seasons in Calgary at the Stampede Corral before moving into their current home arena, the Scotiabank Saddledome (formerly Olympic Saddledome), in 1983. In 1985–86, the Flames became the first Calgary sports franchise to win a major professional championship when they captured the Stanley Cup. The Flames have reached the Stanley Cup Finals three times; they have won twice (1989 and 2004) and lost once (1986).

The San Jose Sharks

The San Jose Sharks’ Regular Season Record

The San Jose Sharks have a regular season record of xxxxxx, which is good for xxxxx in the NHL. The Sharks have made the playoffs in each of the last x seasons and have advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals twice, most recently in 2016. The Sharks are currently favored to win the Stanley Cup.

The San Jose Sharks’ Playoff History

The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Sharks began play in 1991 as an expansion team and were the first major professional sports franchise based in San Jose since the California Golden Seals relocated to Cleveland in 1976.

The Sharks have made the playoffs 29 times in their 29 seasons of existence. In their first decade of existence, they compiled a mediocre record of 39–41–10 combined during the regular season and playoffs, failing to make it out of the second round three times. In 2001, they made their first appearance in the Conference Finals. In 2003 and 2008, they returned to that round again; however, they failed to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals during those seasons. In 2016, they finally broke through with a trip all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals; however, they lost to Sidney Crosby’s Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. During their 27 years of existence, they have won six division titles (1993–94 Pacific Division champions; 2002–03 Pacific Division champions; 2007–08 Pacific Division champions; 2008–09 Pacific Division champions; 2009–10 Pacific Division champions; 2013–14 Pacific Division champions) and qualified for 10 conference finals (1994 Western Conference Finals appearances as a #6 seed; 2002 Western Conference Finals appearances as a #4 seed—the lowest seeding until then by any division winner until Nashville accomplished this as an 8th seed 25 years later; 2003 Western Conference Final appearances as a #2 seed—the highest seeding by any division winner until Anaheim matched this accomplishment 12 years later); however, prior to 2016, they only advanced beyond that round once (2004 Western Conference Champions).

The Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins are favored to win the Stanley Cup this year. They have the best record in the NHL and are led by one of the best goalies in the league, Tuukka Rask. The Bruins also have a deep and talented lineup that can score goals and play defense.

The Boston Bruins’ Regular Season Record

The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The Bruins have won six Stanley Cup championships, tied for fourth most of any team in the NHL. Their home arena is the TD Garden, where they have played since 1995.

The Bruins began play in the 1920–21 season as one of the Original Six teams of the NHL. The club was purchased in 1926 by Charles Adams, who began rebuilding the team. With the help of coach Art Ross, Adams’ orchestrated a series of trades that brought in star players like Babe Ruth and Ebbie Goodfellow; the team reached dominance after winning its first Stanley Cup championship in 1929. After Adams’ death in 1938, Walter A. Brown became chief executive and led the team to four more cup titles between 1939 and 1945. The franchise went into decline after their last championship win in 1957, missing the playoffs for eleven consecutive seasons from 1959 to 1970; this period included several flawed attempts at rebuilding through trades and draft picks that failed to bring any success. In 1972, Harry Sinden became head coach and general manager and led them to a Stanley Cup Finals appearance against their archrival Montreal Canadiens; but lost during overtime of Game Seven despite holding a 3–0 lead midway through the third period because of goaltender Bunny Larocque’s answer to Sinden’s request to pull goalie Gilles Gilbert for an extra attacker that sent shockwaves throughout not just Boston but also all throughout Canada due to its stunning blunder-like circumstance (a mistake which also resulted in Sinden being heckled with chants from Montreal fans whenever he would return back home). The following season saw multiple goalies sharing duties for most part including Larocque himself along with Doug Favell and Gilles Gilbert again; though none could prevent them from missing out on the playoffs yet again due largely towards anemic scoring as they only managed to score 193 goals (2nd worst behind only Detroit) while giving up 225 goals (5th most).

Things began looking up though starting in 1974–75 when they finished 2nd overall in points behind only division rivals Buffalo Sabres en route to qualifying for their first playoff appearance since 1968; though were once again eliminated by Montreal despite pushing them to a hard fought Game Seven battle yet again before ultimately losing 4-3 during overtime. The 1975–76 campaign saw them Acquire former Hart Trophy winner Phil Esposito from Chicago Black Hawks along with Carol Vadnais via trade which proved pivotal as they went on to have their best regular season ever finishing 1st overall in both points (121) & goals scored (333) while also giving up 210 goals (2nd fewest) en route to winning their first Presidents’ Trophy; but were stunned by eventual Cinderella story Toronto Maple Leafs led by forwards Darryl Sittler & Lanny McDonald as they squandered a 3-1 series lead before ultimately losing 4-3 during overtime of decisive 7th game despite significantly outshooting Toronto 153-84 over final 3 games combined.

The Boston Bruins’ Playoff History

The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team has been in existence since 1924, making them the third-oldest active team in the NHL, and the oldest to be based in the United States.

The Bruins have won six Stanley Cup championships, tied for fourth most of any team. Their home arena is TD Garden, where they have played since 1995. Prior to that, they played at the Boston Garden for 67 seasons, beginning in 1928.

The Bruins began play in 1924 as an expansion team, joining the NHL as one of the Original Six teams. The Bruins were victorious over the Montreal Canadiens in their first ever game, and went on to win their first Stanley Cup championship in 1929.

The Bruins have appeared in 29 Stanley Cup Finals overall, winning six times – most recently in 2011. They have also captured 19 conference championships (8 division titles) and 9 Presidents’ Trophy titles as the NHL’s top regular season team.

The Washington Capitals

The Washington Capitals are the favorite to win the Stanley Cup this year. They have the best record in the NHL and have been the most consistent team all season. They have a deep roster and are led by one of the best players in the league, Alexander Ovechkin. They have all the pieces to win a championship and should be the favorite to come out of the Eastern Conference.

The Washington Capitals’ Regular Season Record

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The Washington Capitals’ Playoff History

The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Capitals are owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment, headed by Ted Leonsis. The franchise began play in 1974 as an expansion team, and their first season was awful, setting franchise records for most losses in a season (21) and fewest wins in a season (8).

But since then, they have made the Stanley Cup playoffs 27 times, won the Southeast Division title 10 times, and won the Presidents’ Trophy (for best record in the NHL) three times. In 2018, they finally won their first Stanley Cup championship!

Some of the best players in franchise history include Hall of Famers Rod Langway and Dale Hunter, as well as Mike Gartner, Peter Bondra, Alex Ovechkin (the current captain), Nicklas Backstrom, and Braden Holtby.

The St. Louis Blues

The St. Louis Blues are currently in first place in the NHL and are the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. The Blues have been on a roll lately, winning 10 of their last 12 games. They have a strong defense and an offense that is led by captain David Backes. The Blues also have a good goalie in Jake Allen, who has been playing well lately.

The St. Louis Blues’ Regular Season Record

The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Blues play their home games at the Enterprise Center in downtown St. Louis. The team is named after the famous W. C. Handy song “Saint Louis Blues”, and plays in a bluesy style of ice hockey popularized by former head coach Ken Hitchcock.

The franchise was founded in 1967 as an expansion team during the league’s original expansion from six to 12 teams. The Blues are one of the “Original Six” teams that made up the NHL prior to its 1967 expansion, and are therefore one of only two active NHL teams originating from the 1967 expansion (the other being the Minnesota North Stars, now the Dallas Stars). Since then, they have appeared in 19 Stanley Cup Finals, including four straight appearances between 1968 and 1971, winning three times (in 1968, 1969 and 1970). The Blues share a rivalry with the Chicago Blackhawks, vying for second place all-time behind them with 46 wins each (as of 2019). They also maintain rivalries with other Original Six teams; notably against fellow former Norris Division rivals Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs; as well as more contemporary rivals Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets.

The St. Louis Blues’ Playoff History

The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Blues play their home games at the 19,150-seat Enterprise Center in downtown St. Louis. Enterprise Center is the second home arena of the Blues, with the team first playing at St. Louis Arena from 1967 to 1994.

The team is named after the famous song “Saint Louis Blues” by W.C. Handy, and plays in its classic blue and yellow uniform colors. The franchise was founded in 1967 as an expansion team during the league’s original expansion from six to 12 teams. The Blues are one of three NHL teams (with the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings) to trace their history back to their founding during that expansion, along with the original six teams. The club has appeared in four Stanley Cup Finals: winning in 1968–69 and ending as runners-up twice, in 2019 and 2020 – making it one of only three franchises (joining Chicago & Boston) to make consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final while never winning more than one championship trophy during that span will be hoping to add a third title this year .