After eight consecutive seasons outside the playoffs, Buffalo Sabres fans are praying for success in the 2019-20 NHL season.
Unfortunately, the latest National Hockey League betting odds are forecasting another failed season for the Sabres.
Whatever happens, this will be a big season for the Sabres, who will be celebrating their 50th season in the world’s premier hockey league. What are the odds of the Sabres making a run for the playoffs – or maybe even for the Stanley Cup? In this article, we run the ruler over the NHL betting markets.
Little interest in Sabres’ Stanley Cup chances
Let’s start with the big question first: the Buffalo Sabres’ Stanley Cup chances. We hate to be the bearers of bad news, but the Sabres will enter the 2019-20 NHL season as one of the teams least likely to make a run for the championship
According to online bookmakers, the Buffalo Sabres are 51.00 to win the Stanley Cup. This puts the Sabres on a par with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild and ahead of only the Anaheim Ducks, Detroit Red Wings, LA Kings, and Ottawa Senators.
If it’s any consolation, the St. Louis Blues were paying as much as 250/1 around halfway into their 2018-19 Stanley Cup title year. One lucky Blues fan even won $100,000 on a bet he placed back in January. Could Sabres’ fans get just as lucky this season? We hope so.
NHL Eastern Conference Title Also a Long Shot
Not surprisingly, the Sabres stand almost as little chance of winning a packed Eastern Conference. Judging by the latest bookmaker odds, the Sabres are a 36.00 chance to win their fourth-ever conference championship, the third-least likely ahead of the Red Wings and Senators.
Three teams should realistically contend for the 2019/20 Eastern Conference title: Tampa Bay Lightning, 4.25, Toronto Maple Leafs, 5.00, and Boston Bruins, 6.00. As for the other teams in New York / New Jersey, the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils are both paying 15.00 and the New York Rangers 23.00.
Sabres Virtually No Hope of Atlantic Division Title
Interestingly, the Sabres’ are considered more likely to win the Stanley Cup than the Atlantic Division. That’s because the online betting markets on the Atlantic Division concern who will top the divisional standings in the regular season, and don’t take into account what could happen in the playoffs. Judging by the odds, the Sabres could theoretically scrape through to the NHL playoffs without winning the division – and then leapfrog from a wildcard place all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Here are Sports Interaction’s latest updated odds for the 2019/20 Atlantic Division – Outright: Tampa Bay Lightning, 2.10, Toronto Maple Leafs, 3.75, Boston Bruins, 4.25, Florida Panthers, 7.50, Montreal Canadiens, 41.00, your Buffalo Sabres, 61.00, Detroit Red Wings, 201.0, and the Ottawa Senators, 251.00.
Can the Sabres Do It?
If – and it’s a big if – the Buffalo Sabres do sneak into the playoffs, it’s reasonable to expect their odds will fall. The St. Louis Blues snuck into last year’s playoffs and their rise to the Stanley Cup trophy came quickly and unexpectedly. The small number of fans who placed wagers on the Blues are now enjoying tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of cash, courtesy of their online bookmakers.
Who knows? Maybe, just maybe, Buffalo Sabres fans will get enjoy to a miracle 50th NHL season and pick up some bonus cash to go with it. Now is the time for Sabres’ fans to put their money where their hearts are.