Blackhawks New Favorites to Win Stanley Cup

The Chicago Blackhawks are making a run up the Stanley Cup futures board.

Heading into the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the New York Rangers were the favorite to hoist Lord Stanley when the dust settled, but halfway through their second round series with the Washington Capitals, they have found themselves the +1900 underdogs.

The regular season President’s Trophy winners find themselves down against the Capitals 3-1, relinquishing home ice advantage and also putting themselves in a position to be upset. New York now only has the fifth best odds to win the Stanley Cup. The Blackhawks completed the sweep of the Minnesota Wild last night, bouncing them from the playoffs for the third straight year, making them the new +200 favorites to win it all.

When the playoffs began, several experts were picking Chicago and New York to face each other in the finals, but the now favored Blackhawks are more likely to reach the Championship series. Chicago has made it to the finals twice since 2010, winning the Stanley Cup both times. The Blackhawks have made appearances in the post season for the last seven seasons, including four trips to the conference semifinals from 2009-2014.

While the Rangers chances of playing in the finals has diminished, they still have the best odds of teams remaining that aren’t leading their second round best of seven series. The Anaheim Ducks currently hold a 2-1 series lead over the Calgary Flames, while the Tampa Bay Lightning are exacting revenge on the Montreal Canadiens for their 2014 first round sweep, leading their series 3-1.

The NHL playoffs continue tonight with the Rangers facing the Capitals in New York at 7pm EST. The Capitals can end the series with a victory tonight. The Ducks will take on the Flames at 9:30pm EST, playing in Calgary. The Flames won the last game on home ice and will need to leave Calgary with the series tied 2-2 for hopes of advancing to the next round.