A little over a month to the NHL season and 2 Tampa Bay snipers are top the scoring race to the Art Ross Trophy. Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov might be the best 1-2 punch in the league at the moment and are causing fits for opposing defenses trying to maintain the Lightning’s top line off the scoreboard.
Both Stamkos (24 points) and Kucherov (21 points) opened at +450 on BetOnline to shoot home the Art Ross Trophy and in their current pace would be worthy wagers for bettors. In case you had to choose between the two, proceed with Kucherov because he finished third in scoring last season and Stamkos has a recent history of season-ending injuries.
Last year’s Art Ross winner has struggled to begin the season. Connor McDavid finished with 100 points in his next season and led the NHL scoring parade the entire way. Valued at +500, McDavid could be in too much of a hole to conquer despite a respectable 13 points in 11 games.
Sidney Crosby, who has finished in the top five in scoring each year since 2012, is appreciated at +700. Crosby (12 points) has not won the Art Ross Trophy since 2014 and surprisingly has just won the award twice in his profession.
Some dark horses to consider could be Patrick Kane (2016 winner) and John Tavares, that are equally valued at +1000. Kane can readily find hot and go on a series. Winning teams have a tendency to score more, which can help the Chicago winger once the season gets to a grind around the all-star break. Tavares, on the other hand, might be the hottest player in the NHL not termed Stamkos. He has scored two goals in his last five games and if he keeps up this pace, he will be among the front-runners for the Hart Trophy.
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