There is around three months to go in the regular NHL season, at which point the teams still in the running will move into the post-season play-offs. This means we are at the point where there is still plenty to play for, but we have a better idea which sides could win their conferences – and the Stanley Cup. Alongside regular bookmakers’ favourites like the Boston Bruins and the Chicago Blackhawks, the Pittsburgh Penguins have emerged as serious contenders this season – and are actually the hot favourites for the Stanley Cup on 6/1.

The Penguins have been brilliant in their division (the Metropolitan) this season, topping the table by 16 points, and they are a really good bet to win this and their first Eastern Conference, for the first time since 2009. At 6/1 they will attract a lot of ice hockey betting action for the Stanley Cup as well, but it would be a fool who wrote off either teams such as the Chicago or Boston. They are on odds of 7/1 and 10/1 respectively; both top their divisions and are amongst the favourites for their conferences. Which side from the Penguins and the Bruins comes out on top in their Eastern Conference battle could provide further clues to the Stanley Cup winners, and playing casino slot machines until then is perhaps the smartest pick of all.

There aren’t lots of these slots based on ice hockey just now, but Break Away is one game that does use this sport as its theme. It’s one of the more vivid sports slots out there, thanks to really high quality graphics on the reels – the players, ice rinks, stadiums and referees are all captured in spectacular detail. The bone-crunching sound effects help with this as well, ensuring that you will spend as much time wincing as winning. You have a good chance of doing the latter as well though, because slots always give you the best payout chance, while you might also be lucky enough to grab the $500 jackpot.