For at least three seasons, the Tampa Bay Lightning roster has looked to be the best in the NHL. Every position and type of player is represented to a tremendous level, with an expansive core of talent that almost defies the constraints of the salary cap era. Still, though, it’s been a while since the Bolts were considered the outright frontrunners for the Stanley Cup.
Of course, this runs contrary to what’s ended up happening, with the Lightning hoisting the last two Stanley Cups. While both have come in peculiar seasons for the NHL, there are few who’d dispute that Tampa Bay didn’t deserve to win both times. With the 2021/22 season marking a return to normality, the reigning repeat champions are, once again, not the top seed in the eyes of the oddsmakers.
A long run of being the outsiders
You would think that a team as stacked as the Tampa Bay Lightning would invariably be favored for silverware each season. The likes of Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, Victor Hedman, Mikhail Sergachev, and Andrei Vasilevskiy have all been key pieces to the team for years, but the team’s core strength has been well-complemented by players with strong fundamentals padding the lines.
In 2018/19, the Lightning obliterated the standings, with it being called a bonkers season by ESPN. However, after establishing themselves in the history books, they bowed out unceremoniously in the first round. Prior to Tampa Bay’s superb regular-season run, the Toronto Maple Leafs were classed as the +700 favorites, just after they became a supposed super-team by signing John Tavares.
While subject to a great deal of debate, most outlets had the Tampa Bay Lightning as the slight favorites at +675 to make a comeback for the 2019/20 Stanley Cup. However, a slow start and much disruption saw the Lightning dragged out to joint-favorites with the Colorado Avalanche at +550 when the playoffs were whittled down to just 16 teams. Of course, the Bolts went on to win regardless, besting the Dallas Stars.
Last season, the bookies opened with Colorado Avalanche as the favorites by a fine margin, +700 to +750, despite the Lightning returning with much of the same team. With eight teams remaining in the playoffs, the Avs were the +135 favorites over the +400 Lightning. Once again, the Avs didn’t quite measure up, and the Lightning took the crown.
Will this trend continue to see the three-peat?
Once again, prior to preparations for the new season, the Tampa Bay Lightning aren’t the favorites. As it stands, you can find the Avalanche ahead at +625, Tampa Bay just back at +700, and the Vegas Golden Knights in the mix at +800. Despite going all the way twice in consecutive seasons and still having an almighty core of players, the Bolts aren’t the preferred pick in this regard.
Of course, oddsmakers certainly aren’t underestimating the strength of the Lightning. You can just look to the NHL betting from Space Casino to see that the Bolts are still held in high regard, being -145 to beat the ever-dangerous Pittsburgh Penguins. What could be pointed to as the cause behind the shorter Avalanche odds would be the divisional alignments.
In the Atlantic Division, the Lightning will be trying to climb past their Stanley Cup Finals foes from last season, the Montréal Canadiens, the Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, and a Florida Panthers team that’s finally realizing its potential. If it comes to a wild card scrap, the Bolts might have to also best the likes of the Carolina Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and New York Islanders.
Colorado, on the other hand, is in a division filled with middling, down-swinging, or rebuilding teams, with the Nashville Predators, Winnipeg Jets, and Minnesota Wild narrowly being the exceptions. Then, over in the Pacific, the Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers rule the roost, with the rest being an underwhelming battle for passage to what would presumably be a short postseason run.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are, once again, not the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. Be that because of their divisional alignment or a belief that the Colorado Avalanche might finally click, it doesn’t really matter as the Bolts continue to prove that they have what it takes to go all the way.
