There’s no question that the 2019-20 NHL season has been incredible so far, with many great hockey games featuring lots of goals and excitement.
The competition in the NHL is always fierce, and the fans always have hope that their team will beat the odds and win the Stanley Cup. However, with the season only halfway over, it’s time to ask: Who is going to win the Stanley Cup this year?
In this article, we will run down the odds of each team winning the Stanley Cup this year, with a focus on recent performances, injuries, and other crucial stats. Let’s get to it.
Totals Goals For And Against
One of the most important factors to consider when estimating the outcome of a hockey game is the total number of goals scored. This can be a sign of how well each team is playing, and how close the game was, or it can simply reveal how much better the other team was compared to your team. When it comes to comparing the goals for and against columns for each team, the 2019-20 season so far has seen almost twice as many goals scored by the San Jose Sharks as the next closest team. This is a significant increase over last year’s total, and it’s also the main reason why the San Jose Sharks are currently one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. They have scored 28 goals so far this season, compared to 16 for the next closest team, the Vegas Golden Knights. Other teams in the Western Conference have also benefited from the increased scoring, with the Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks both scoring 25 goals so far this season, compared to last year’s total of 17 and 16 goals respectively. The New York Islanders and St. Louis Blues have also seen their goal totals increase by more than 10 goals compared to last year.
Winning The Stanley Cup
There are three main ways in which a team can win the Stanley Cup. The first is through scoring the most goals, the second is winning the most games, and the third is winning the most power-play opportunities. The Vegas Golden Knights have already done the first two, as they are currently the highest-scoring team in the NHL and lead the league in wins with 22, and are also first in the league with 34 power-play opportunities. They are also a perfect 11-0 on the power play so far this season, which indicates that they are undoubtedly the most dangerous team on the ice when it comes to scoring goals from the perimeter. However, even if they keep up this exceptional scoring rate, they would still need to rely on luck in order to win the Stanley Cup, as they are currently one of the lowest-scoring teams in the NHL, totaling only 12 goals so far this season, which is second to last in the league.
Underdog?
One of the interesting things about hockey this year is that many of the underdogs have turned out to be some of the most significant underdogs ever. The Los Angeles Kings, for example, were historically bad last year, and many people never expected them to make a comeback this year. However, with some careful maneuvering, and a little bit of good fortune, the Kings have surprised everybody, including themselves, as they are currently one of the two hottest teams in the NHL, alongside the undefeated San Jose Sharks.
Even the most optimistic Kings fan would have to admit that the team has improved a lot this year. Most notably, last year’s starting goaltender, Stefan Liv, was traded for another netminder, Jack Campbell, earlier this season, and the change has proven to be a good one. They have also managed to score 25 goals so far this season, which is very respectable for a team that most people had written off. This year’s Los Angeles Kings are a complete turnaround from last year’s team, and it’s fair to say that nobody saw this coming, not even the Kings themselves. This is a team that was picked to finish last in the league, and nobody would have predicted them to be one of the league’s winning teams this year.
Strength In Numbers
One of the things that makes the San Jose Sharks so dangerous this year is the entire team’s incredible scoring rate. The entire roster has been incredibly consistent this year, with all of the players benefiting from the additional games due to the lockout, which has helped them stay in top shape. The only players on the team that have not scored a goal this year are Reuben Fischer-Rowe and John Carlson, who have yet to score in the NHL, and two other minor leaguers, who have never played a game in the league. This should not come as a huge surprise to anybody, as the Sharks’ top scorers from last year, Melker Karlsson, Oliwer Kamber, and Tomas Hertl have all returned for another season, and have continued to produce at an exceptional rate.
Home Cooking
Home cooking is the term used when a team scores more goals at home than they do on the road. This is mostly due to the fact that the home ice advantage in the NHL makes a huge difference in a game, and can easily turn the tables of a game, even if it is a close game. Teams can either use this to their advantage or disadvantage, but with home cooking, it’s usually a good thing.
This year, a whopping five teams are currently on pace to break the record for most home goals scored in a season. The New Jersey Devils, Nashville Predators, Arizona Coyotes, Vegas Golden Knights, and San Jose Sharks are all on a path to break the record, which was set last year with 626 goals scored at home. This is certainly an incredible feat, considering that a few years ago, nobody would have believed that this record could be beaten. This year’s home cooking is a direct result of teams taking advantage of the increased scoring this year, with all of these previously low-scoring teams looking to put up more goals at home, in the hopes of breaking the record. This is also a major reason why the San Jose Sharks are a top pick to win the Stanley Cup, as they are currently experiencing the best home cooking in the history of the NHL, scoring 5.7 goals per game at home, compared to only 3.3 on the road, for an overall scoring difference of 2.4 goals per game. This is also the main reason why the Los Angeles Kings are having such a successful year, as they are currently putting up 6.0 goals per game at home, compared to only 3.3 on the road. The Kings have also had an incredible amount of support from their fans, which has made the entire experience more enjoyable for everybody in the city of Los Angeles. The only downside to this record-breaking season so far has been the injury bug, which has bitten the entire NHL and has prevented some of the best players from contributing to their team’s success. The good news is that the season is not yet over, and hopefully, these injuries will not be long-term, as the NHL returns from its offseason soon.
The Vegas Factor
A major reason why the San Jose Sharks are such a potent force this year is due to the Vegas factor. The Sharks had an entire offseason to get ready for the new season, and all of the improvements that they made this offseason were directly attributed to the fact that they knew that they had the Vegas Golden Knights to thank for the success. The sharks’ general manager, Doug Wilson, did not want to play down that fact, as he openly called out the Golden Knights in the offseason, saying “They’re a great team, with great players, and we’re looking forward to the challenge. We know what they’re capable of, we’ve seen it this year, and we’re excited about the opportunity.” The Sharks have also managed to ride the wave of good fortune that they have been on since the start of the year, as they have not lost a game yet, and are currently one of the hottest teams in the NHL, alongside the undefeated San Jose Sharks.
The Vegas factor has certainly helped the Sharks this year, as everybody expects them to take the next step and claim yet another Stanley Cup title. However, this year’s championship is not going to be easy, as the Sharks will have to put up their A game, and show the entire league why they are the favorites to win the Stanley Cup this year, as they are currently one of the highest-scoring teams in the league.
A Winning Philosophy
One of the things that makes the San Jose Sharks so successful this year is their approach to winning. The Sharks do not get too high or too low, and they always maintain a positive outlook on matches, regardless of the circumstances. This is a big reason why the Sharks are currently in the midst of a five-game winning streak, having never lost a game during this recent stretch.