nhl betting

The moment that Toronto Maple Leafs fans have waited for since July 1 has finally arrived. John Tavares, their prize free agent acquistion, will make his debut in blue and white. Since the arrival of Tavares, the Leafs, who haven't won a title since 1966-67, when there were six NHL teams, have dominated Bovada's Stanley Cup future book and begin the season as the +700 chalk to cop the Cup.

The NHL season is about to begin, and 30 teams are dreaming of winning the title. But the 2018-19 campaign will have to put on quite a show to outdo what we witnessed last season, as captain Alex Oveckin and the Washington Capitals won their first-ever Stanley Cup title, and the Vegas Golden Knights became the only first-year expansion team to win a game in the Stanley Cup final.

NHL preseason games are a completely different animal than their regular-season cousins. It's more about auditioning talent than it is about the wins and losses, so wagering on preseason hockey isn't an exact science. But these are still trained professional athletes who've been conditoned to seek out victory their entire careers, so if you pay attention to who's in the lineup, there's money to be made.

The NHL conference future books at Bovada offer up a unique set of circumstances. The favorite to win the East, the Toronto Maple Leafs, have never won a conference title. The favorite to win the West, the Nashville Predators, have never won the Stanley Cup. At least the Preds have a recent track record of success, playing in the 2017 Cup final, something the Leafs haven't done since 1967.

This isn't the day of dynasties where teams used to own the Stanley Cup for years at a time. The Montreal Canadiens were the champions for five straight years from 1956-60. The Toronto Maple Leafs ruled the league from 1962-64. The Canadiens won four straight in the late '70s before the New York Islanders and Edmonton Oilers reigned in the 1980s. But in the last two decades, only two teams have won back-to-back Stanley Cups — Detroit Red Wings (1997-98) and Pittsburgh Penguins (2016-17).

A series that many suspected would end in four games will go a minimum of six as the Washington Capitals host the Toronto Maple Leafs in what is sure to be another entertaining matchup on Friday. The Caps can inch closer to a series victory but the Leafs are determined to come out on top.

The Washington Capitals aren’t pressing the panic button just yet, but the Maple Leafs are certainly making it hard on the Presidents’ Trophy winners. The two will meet in Game 4 on Wednesday night as the Leafs can take full control of the best-of-seven series.

Can the Toronto Maple Leafs prove their Game 2 double-overtime victory against the Washing Capitals wasn’t a fluke? The club will get that chance on Monday night when it hosts the Presidents’ Trophy winners at the Air Canada Centre.