NHL futures odds: At All-Star break, Lightning back in Stanley Cup favored role

The NHL's All-Star break is here, with the Skills Competition on Friday and the game(s) on Saturday in St. Louis, home of the defending Stanley Cup champions. The Blues are currently given +1000 NHL futures odds at DraftKings to repeat this June. However, the +800 favorites are the same team that was favored entering the season: the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Back in early October at the start of the season, the Lightning were clear-cut +550 favorites to win the second Cup in franchise history. Not a huge shock considering all of the key pieces were back from last season's team that tied an NHL record with 62 regular-season victories. However, the Lightning were shocked in the first round of the playoffs by No. 8 seed Columbus in a sweep – the biggest NHL postseason upset in history. Maybe the biggest in American team sports history in a series.

Tampa Bay appeared to start 2019-20 with a bit of a hangover due to that sweep. Following a 3-1 loss at Washington on Dec. 21, the Lightning were just 17-13-4 and as high as +1200 on the NHL odds to win the Cup. They have lost just twice since and are back near the top of the league in scoring (3.60 gpg) and power-play percentage (27.5).

Might be tough for Tampa Bay to get the East's top seed again, though, as it is nine points behind the conference-leading Capitals and eight behind the Atlantic Division-leading Bruins. Boston is +950 to win the Cup and Washington +1000. Colorado also sits at +1000 to win the Cup with the Caps and Blues. St. Louis leads the Western Conference with 68 points, while Colorado is second with 62.

The winner of the Central Division should be the West's top seed because the Pacific is rather weak. Vancouver leads there with just 58 points, and Edmonton, Calgary, Arizona and Vegas are all just one point back.

No Canadian team has won it all since 1993 and Toronto has the shortest odds at +1400. The Maple Leafs have the current longest active Stanley Cup championship drought at 51 seasons.