The sports books only look at the cold numbers, for the most part, to come up with their odds. Still, it feels like they don’t respect the St. Louis Blues.
The St. Louis Blues are prepped and ready to get to Edmonton and defend their Stanley Cup championship. The circumstances surrounding this particular playoff run are unprecedented.
Nevertheless, key members of the team have the right mindset to get things done. The question is how they will stack up to the rest of the playoff teams.
According to the sports books, the Blues are not the favorites to win the 2020 Stanley Cup. However, if you have some spare money, they are not that bad of a choice either.
It seems odd to think about betting at a time when the economy is in a state of flux, but some fans just like the thrill.
According to Oddsshark, the Blues are +1100 to win the entire tournament and claim their second Stanley Cup. That puts them sixth behind Tampa Bay, Boston, Vegas, Colorado and Philadelphia.
No offense to the Philadelphia Flyers, but that seems a bit high for them. They were an incredibly hot team going into the break, but their momentum hit a brick wall. Whether it can be reclaimed is unknown.
Personally, I don’t see Colorado being more of a favorite than the Blues. It sounds silly to say given that the Blues had no Cup winners on their roster and won last season, but veterans still normally help a team through the maze. Colorado is just too young right now.
Still, the Blues are better odds to win the Western Conference. While each sports book is different, the best Blues odds are +400 to win the conference. Only Colorado and Vegas are safer bets.
Of interest, the Chicago Blackhawks are +1100 to win the conference. While those are long odds, they are predicted to have more of a chance than Minnesota, Vancouver, Winnipeg Nashville and Calgary.
The logic is likely the Blackhawks’ prior playoff history and leadership. However, it boggles the mind they have that much better odds than teams like Nashville, Winnipeg and Calgary, all of whom would have been playoff teams under a normal circumstance.
Chicago was going to be playing golf, but yes, they apparently have a better chance to win the conference and/or a Stanley Cup now. Don’t ask me.
Ultimately, these numbers are just for fun, whether you put down money or not. Tampa Bay was the clear-cut choice in 2019 and they did not even make it out of the first round.
Sometimes other factors go in beyond just who the bookies think will win. For example, there could be logic in giving the Blackhawks better odds just so the throng of Chicago fans don’t put down money just in case.
All things considered, the Blues are probably where they should be. That does not mean you or I or anyone should think any team above them is more likely to win, but the Blues just aren’t a sexy pick.
So, their odds are based more on pragmatism and a style that is good for the playoffs rather than trying to entice anyone to put down money.
Hopefully the Blues prove the bookies wrong again and someone can get a decent payday from it.