The prestigious Stanley Cup is underway and we are seeing the supposed underdogs raging hot at the beginning. This competition is in one of the most unpredictable moments in its history and the winner is uncertain at the moment. With the two-time winners, Colorado Avalanche topping the betting favourites, it is impossible to notice the second next favourite.
Florida Panthers is trailing the +600 odds number one favourite with a close margin of +700. Regular bettors may see this as nothing out of the ordinary but NHL fans are highly shocked by the performance of the Panthers this 2022 Season.
The Panthers have never won a Stanley Cup title in their 28 years of club history and there is a strong belief that they have a chance in the 2022 season.
What are the Chances of Seeing a First Time Winner?
The Florida Panthers are not the only one close to getting a first-time win. At third favourite, we have the Vegas Golden Knights at +900 tied with last season’s winners Tampa Bay Lightning. There are a couple of NHL teams that haven’t lifted the Stanley Cup Gold:
| NHL Team | Final Appearances |
| Florida panthers | 1 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | 1 |
| Vancouver Canucks | 3 |
| SanJose Sharks | 1 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 2 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 0 |
| Winnipeg Jets | 0 |
| Minnesota Wild | 0 |
| Ottawa Senators | 1 |
| Nashville Predators | 1 |
| Arizona Coyotes | 0 |
The competition still has 11 teams that haven’t sniffed the gold and only Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights seem to have the highest chance of doing it this season. The Panthers lost their first and only Stanley Cup Final appearance to the Colorado Avalanche back in 1996. That is the closest they ever came to clinching the trophy.
Vegas Golden Knights also suffered a similar fate back in 2018 where they lost their chance at the first championship to Montreal Canadiens. The Knights were on one of the best runs in their history when they met the record-holders Montreal Canadiens who have the most Stanley Cups in the history of the competition. They may have lost one final but they are far from out.
It is too early in the competition to start jumping to conclusions. At just over game week 10, things are still favouring the Panthers already and at this pace, more slip up from the Colorado Avalanche would see them be the number one favourites.
The two-time Stanley Cup champions, Colorado Avalanche are attempting to go for their third gold since 2001. It’s about two decades since they won their last championship. However, the Avalanche are not doing enough for a start and there is a tendency of seeing them off the number one spot soon enough.
Right now is not the best time for long-term best because we are in a relatively premature stage of the season. The rankings are still shaping up and there are tendencies for bigger upsets and unpredicted occurrences soon. For now, the odds are still quite close for the top favourites and punters are still uncertain for long-term bets.
Without a doubt, the potential first-time winners have a shot at making history for themselves this season. They went off with a strong start with two consecutive wins at the beginning and continue to extend it.
Is Minnesota Wild Underrated in the 2022 NHL Season?
It seems as if Minnesota WIld is not getting enough attention as they should because they have a good start in the Central Division. In their first eleven games, they tasted defeat only three times which puts them only below the St. Louis Blues.
For a team having a good start, it seems as though the Minnesota Wild are not talked about enough in the division. It could be because they’ve never made it to a Stanley Cup Final. Nevertheless, seeing them make progress puts them on the radar.
Final Takeaway
A significant number of teams with no championships are putting up a fight in the 2022 NHL championship and it is good to see them bring on the heat. As for the chances of having a first-time Stanley Cup winner this year, it is not far-fetched and it could happen right before our eyes. The Florida Panthers are surely one to watch closely.
