Of all the title games held in the 4 major North American sports leagues, the NHL was the only one to not deliver a historic sportsbook comeback in their final game. In the NFL, the New England Patriots made Super Bowl history when they came back from a 25-point deficit to win Brady’s 5th Super Bowl. In the NBA, the Cleveland Cavaliers were able to rally past the Golden State Warriors and their 3-1 lead they had amassed in the Finals. Lastly, even the MLB was able to deliver a historic comeback as the Chicago Cubs overcame similar odds against the Cleveland Indians, and in doing so breaking one of the longest title-droughts left in professional sports. But in the NHL, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ dominant performance in the championship series stands alone as the only defiant performance made out of the 4 major North American sports leagues this past year.
So while online NHL betting fans may have been robbed of a historic comeback, they were nonetheless still treated to a piece of history. This year’s season has been living up to fans expectations and other than seeing a historic comeback, seeing the Penguins win back-to-back Stanley Cups would be a massive surprise.
Monday’s round of online betting hockey action will feature two contests, one between the Florida Panthers and the St. Louis Blues, and one between the Anaheim Ducks and the Arizona Coyotes. Of those two matchups, the pairing between the Panthers and the Blues looks like it will be the most competitive. With that in mind, let’s see what the sportsbooks are predicting for Monday night’s action.
ONLINE NHL BETTING ODDS – REGULAR SEASON – Monday, February 20th
Florida Panthers +1 ½ (-250) 5 ½ (+115) +115
St. Louis Blues -1 ½ (+210) 5 ½ (-135) -135
Since the Blues are a top-three team in the Central Division, while the Panthers rank closer to the bottom of the Atlantic, it comes as little surprise to see the bookies come out in favor of St. Louis. So far this season, after competing in 59 games, the Blues have amassed a 31-23-5 record that yields the club 67 points. That tally is good enough to land St. Louis the third spot in the Central Division. Currently, the Bluenotes are 7 points behind the division-leading Minnesota Wild and they also have a 3-point lead over the Nashville Predators. Monday night, the Blues will be looking to improve on that lead in order to qualify for the online NHL betting postseason for the 6th straight season.
Unfortunately for Florida fans, the sportsbook underdogs haven’t quite been enjoying the same amount of success as St. Louis. After competing in 57 contests, Florida has amassed a 27-20-10 record. That record gives the Cats 64 points for the season, which certainly brings into question the club’s playoff chances this late in the season. Right now Florida is 6 points behind the division-leading Canadiens. Furthermore, given how dominant teams from the Metropolitan – the other division that constitutes the Eastern Conference – have been this season, if the Panthers are unable to snag a top-three ranking in the division they will certainly miss out on the playoffs.
