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Sports Betting Futures Odds: Hockey Returns Next Week

by - 10/1/2015

Jonathan Toews Chicago Blackhawks

The long and winding road that is the quest for the Stanley Cup begins next week with the Chicago Blackhawks favored to defend their title. Close behind are the Tampa Bay Lightning, who lost to Chicago in a six-game Finals this summer. A championship that will be decided much sooner is the Sprint Cup, with spots in the next round of the Chase at stake this weekend in Dover.

All odds provided by Sportsbook .ag



Stanley Cup

Chicago Blackhawks (+750) - The Blackhawks have won three of the last six Stanley Cups, and the same core of players remains largely intact. Corey Crawford, Jonathan Toews, and Duncan Keith are back along with Patrick Kane-if he gets cleared of sexual assault allegations that plagued the offseason.

Tampa Bay Lightning (+800) - Tampa Bay won 46 games in 2013-14 and 50 last season before making a successful playoff run through the Eastern Conference. The trend of improvement should continue for a team that is young and clearly on the rise. Goalie Ben Bishop and center Steven Stamkos lead the charge.

Los Angeles Kings (+1000) - Netminder Jonathan Quick is still in his prime at 29 years old. He helped L.A. capture the cup in 2013-14 before the team stumbled to a 40-27-15 record last season and missed the playoffs by two points. It was the Kings' first postseason absence since the 2008-2009 campaign.

New York Rangers (+1100) - The Rangers were the best team in hockey during the 2014-15 regular season, compiling 113 points. They advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals before succumbing to Tampa Bay in seven games. Led by goalie Henrik Lundqvist, New York is looking for its first title since the 1993-94 campaign. The Anaheim Ducks are also +1100.

Michael Vick on Thursday

Over 1.5 interceptions thrown (+200) - Vick will be making his first start since Nov. 24 of last season (with the New York Jets) when the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Baltimore Ravens tonight. The 35-year-old, who is replacing an injured Ben Roethlisberger, was picked off only twice in 121 attempts in 2014.

Over 300 passing yards (+275) - While seeing significant playing time in five games with New York last year, Vick never threw for more than 196 yards. Taking a conservative approach after Roethlisberger went down last week against the St. Louis Rams, Vick finished 5-of-6 for a mere 38 yards with no scores or interceptions.

Over 50 rushing yards (+225) - Vick is averaging negative-1 yard per rush this season. Fortunately for him, the sample size is extremely small (five keepers in zero starts). He should have a much better opportunity to do some damage with his legs this time around. A 69-yard performance was his best in 2014.

Over 6 rushing attempts (+175) - Using his feet comes naturally, of course, for Vick. Given his passing struggles in recent seasons, he should not shy away from running on more than a few occasions. That being said, he never kept the rock more than eight times (twice) with the Jets last season.

The Masters

Jason Day (+800) - After a whole host of near misses at majors, Day finally triumphed at the PGA Championship in August and was off to the races. He added playoff wins at The Barclays and the BMW Championship. In four appearances at the Masters, the Australian has a runner-up and third-place showing to his credit.

Rory McIlroy (+800) - McIlroy was surpassed in a big way by Day and Jordan Spieth in 2015, a year that included an ankle injury that forced him to miss the British Open. The world No. 3 has never triumphed at Augusta National, but he finished T8 in 2013 and fourth last year. He also led after three rounds in 2011.

Jordan Spieth (+800) - This was quite simply Spieth's year. He won the Masters and the U.S. Open, was one shot out of a British Open playoff, and finished second to Day at the PGA. The world No. 1 capped things off in style by winning the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup. He also placed T2 at the Masters in 2014.

Bubba Watson (+1800) - Watson isn't quite a Masters specialist, because he is good at many other spots. After all, the lefty is ranked fourth in the world and finished fifth in the FedEx Cup standings. Watson has won twice in Augusta, in 2012 and 2014. He has only two other top-10 major finishes in his entire career.

AAA 400

Jimmie Johnson (+400) - Nobody loves Dover more than Johnson, who has triumphed at this event five times-including most recently in 2013. He finished third last season. The No. 48 car is currently fifth in the Sprint Cup standings with four titles this year. It placed sixth last week in New Hampshire.

Kevin Harvick (+450) - A disastrous first two weeks of the Chase (42nd in Chicago, 21st last Sunday) have left Harvick in 15th place and likely in need of triumphing in Dover to reach the next round. The No. 4 Chevrolet has never taken the checkered flag at this event and it placed 13th in 2014.

Kyle Busch (+700) - Busch has won four times since returning from a broken leg this spring, but his Chase includes a ninth in Chicago and a 37th in New Hampshire. He needs to turn things around, but Dover Speedway may not be the place where it happens. Busch has never won this race; he finished a decent 10 th in 2014.

Matt Kenseth (+700) - Kenseth has punched his ticket to the next round after winning last weekend. It was his second triumph in the past three races and he is No. 1 in the Chase. Still, it would be nice for the No. 20 car to pick up its first victory in Dover. It crossed the line fifth in 2014, four spots behind champion Jeff Gordon.

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