A little over a month to the NHL season and 2 Tampa Bay snipers are top the scoring race for the Art Ross Trophy. Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov might be the best 1-2 punch in the league right now and are causing matches 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 rate will be worthy wagers for bettors. In case you had to choose between the two, go with Kucherov as he finished third in scoring last season and Stamkos has a recent history with season-ending injuries.
The Art Ross winner of last year has struggled to begin the season. Connor McDavid finished with 100 points in his second season and led the NHL scoring parade the whole way. Valued at +500, McDavid could be in too much of a hole to conquer despite a commendable 13 points in 11 games.
Sidney Crosby, who has finished in the top five in scoring every year since 2012, is valued at +700. Crosby (12 points) has not won the Art Ross Trophy since 2014 and astonishingly has just won the award twice in his career.
Some dark horses to consider would be Patrick Kane (2016 winner) and John Tavares, who are both valued at +1000. Kane select a scoring streak and can easily get hot. Winning groups have a tendency to score more, and this will help the Chicago winger when the season gets to a grind round the all-star break. Tavares, on the other hand, might be the most popular player in the NHL not named Stamkos. He’s scored nine goals in his past five matches and if he keeps this pace up, he’ll be among the front-runners for the Hart Trophy.
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