Bruins Open With Second-Best Odds Of Winning 2019 Stanley Cup

A night after the Capitals captured their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, Las Vegas has set their early lines on 2019.

And it turns out that Vegas is high on the 2018-19 Bruins. With a 10-1 shot of winning the Stanley Cup next season, Bovada's odds ties the Bruins with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Winnipeg Jets, and Vegas Golden Knights as the second-best odds in the league. Only the Tampa Bay Lightning, who eliminated the Bruins in the second round this spring, at 9-1, have better odds.

The Capitals, who captured the Cup over the Golden Knights in five games, open at 14-1.

This is the first indication that the Bruins will be dealing with legitimately higher expectations next year after an impressive regular-season that saw them finish just five points behind the Nashville Predators for the most in the entire NHL.

But they're certainly deserved given the B's body of work.

Dating back to the start of the Bruce Cassidy era in Feb. 2017, the Bruins are 68-28-13. That record gives the Black and Gold the second-most wins over that span, as well as the third-most points. The Bruins have consistently wowed on special teams over that timeframe, too, with the league's third-best power play unit (24.5%) and second-best penalty kill group (84%).

The Bruins are also in a relatively favorable spot this summer, with enough cap space to re-sign the majority of their expiring contracts and/or make a splash via free agency or the trade market. That only helps their odds at their first Cup since 2011.

The Ottawa Senators, meanwhile, have the worst odds to capture the Cup, at 100-1.