Stanley Cup Final 2016 Odds: Penguins Betting Favorites Against Sharks
Coming off a narrow 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, the Pittsburgh Penguins will host the San Jose Sharks in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday as -120 favorites on the NHL series prices at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Monday night’s Sharks vs. Penguins betting matchup at Consol Energy Center marks Pittsburgh’s first appearance in the Stanley Cup Final since its last Cup victory in 2009, and extends an impressive run that has seen it claim victory in 26 of its past 34 contests.
Phil Kessel has powered the Penguins’ offense, leading the club with 18 points in 18 playoff games after wrapping up the regular season with 12 points in his final nine contests, making the former Toronto Maple Leafs forward a serious candidate to emerge as this year’s Conn Smythe Trophy winner.
Pittsburgh has outshot opponents with regularity, holding the Lightning to an average of just 24 shots per game during the Eastern Conference finals. However, the Penguins have relied on strong netminding from rookie backstop Matt Murray, who has surrendered just 25 goals over his past 12 games, earning the decision in 11 of the club’s 12 playoff wins to date.
The Sharks clinched the first Stanley Cup Final berth in franchise history by bouncing back after slipping to +185 underdogs on the NHL series prices to dispose of the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference finals in six games, and now enter Game 1 as even-money underdogs to claim their first championship.
The underdog role is nothing new for the Sharks, who stumbled into the playoffs sporting distant +1600 odds to win the Stanley Cup following a mediocre 5-5 run to close out the regular season.
But San Jose responded with a stunning five-game victory over favored Los Angeles in the first round, including three road wins, defying +130 odds on the NHL series prices and exacting revenge for series losses to the Kings in 2013 and 2014.
While the Sharks have dropped two of their past three meetings with Pittsburgh, they have dominated historically in clashes with this year’s Eastern champions. San Jose is 15-5 in its past 20 games against Pittsburgh overall according to the OddsShark NHL Database, and 2-1 in its past three games against the Penguins as the underdog on the betting lines.
Thumbnail photo via Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports Images
