The Chicago Blackhawks have arguably their most difficult path to the Stanley Cup Final this year, with several dangerous teams challenging them as the +180 betting favorites (wager $100 to win $180) to advance out of the Western Conference at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.The Blackhawks are riding a four-game skid after clinching the top seed in the West, and they are going for their fourth Stanley Cup in eight years.Five of the other eight teams in the conference enter the postseason off wins, including the Minnesota Wild, who are the +400 second choice to win the West. The Wild have won four in a row and five of six after losing nine of 10.Minnesota led the Central Division for most of the season before its struggles but still had the biggest scoring differential in the conference and second-biggest in the NHL at plus-58 goals.The St. Louis Blues draw the Wild in the first round and have won five of the past seven meetings. St. Louis is a +1400 longshot to win the West but ousted Chicago last year in the first round, and they will try to avenge a postseason defeat versus Minnesota in 2015.The Blues are one of the hottest teams in the league right now, winning 15 of 19 following a five-game losing streak.The Nashville Predators (+1200) face the Blackhawks in the first round and lost to them in the playoffs two years ago despite having home-ice advantage as the higher seed. The Predators upset the Anaheim Ducks (+700) in the first round last postseason before falling to St. Louis in an exciting seven-game second-round series.The Ducks are a tough matchup if they can avoid another upset in the first round because they are the most physical team in the West.Anaheim will square off against the Calgary Flames (+1000) and has won 27 in a row at home in the series, including the postseason. The Flames lost to the Ducks 4-1 in the second round two years ago, and have just a 41.3 percent chance to pull off the upset, according to PredictionMachine.com.The Edmonton Oilers (+800) lost the Pacific Division title to Anaheim on the final day of the regular season, but they are still a threat to go deep because of Art Ross Trophy winner Connor McDavid, who became the NHL scoring champ in only his second season.The Oilers were last in the playoffs back in 2006 when they lost the Stanley Cup Final 4-3 to the Carolina Hurricanes. Edmonton will meet the defending Western Conference champion San Jose Sharks (+700), who have dropped nine of their last 13.
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