Ottawa Senators goaltender Joonas Korpisalo (70) stops a shot by New York Rangers left wing Alexis ... [+]
The 2023-24 regular season is in the books and the NHL playoffs are set with matchups and series odds posted by the leading online sportsbooks. So are the adjusted Stanley Cup odds, which favor the Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers and New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference, and Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers in the West. The Rangers won the league’s Presidents’ Cup Trophy with most points (114) this season.
Last year’s Presidents’ Cup winner, Boston Bruins, lost the Atlantic Division title in their final game Tuesday night. The Bruins were beaten at home by the Ottawa Senators. The Panthers took the division with a home win over the Toronto Maple leafs to shuffle up the opening round playoff matchups.
The Washington Capitals secured the final NHL playoffs spot in the East with a game 82 win over the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1. Four teams were in a very tight race for the wild card. The Detroit Red Wings missed out of the playoffs despite a dramatic last second goal in regulation and overtime win in their final game. The Red Wings lost the tie-breaker to the Capitals after both teams finished with 91 points.
The defending Stanley Cup champions Vegas Golden Knights secured the final playoff spot in the East last weekend. But Vegas (98 points) lost their final game Thursday night at home as a huge favorite to the Anaheim Ducks while the Los Angeles Kings (99 points) scored in the closing 90 seconds of regulation and beat the Chicago Black Hawks in overtime. So the Kings moved up to 3rd place in the Pacific Division and flipped positions with the Knights. Vegas plays the top seed Dallas Stars while LA plays the Edmonton Oilers for the third straight year in the opening round playoffs. The Golden Knights started the season 11-1-1 with a league-leading 23 points in early November, but Vegas finished in 4th place in the Pacific Division as they shoot for another Stanley Cup run.
NHL Teams, Records And Stats Leaders
The Eastern Conference opening round matchups will feature all four series between division opponents. In the West, the Winnipeg Jets are the only higher seed in the playoffs with home ice advantage that is an underdog in their series (vs. Colorado).
Could we see rotating goalies in Boston, Carolina or Vegas during the Stanley Cup Playoffs?
NHL Series Odds
NHL game and playoff series odds from FanDuel Sportsbook refresh periodically and are subject to change, including on props and live betting.
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
- Florida Panthers (-184) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (+152)
- Boston Bruins (-120) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (+100)
Metropolitan Division
- New York Rangers (-410) vs. Washington Capitals (+315)
- Carolina Hurricanes (-345) vs. New York Islanders (+270)
Western Conference
- Vancouver Canucks (-150) vs. Nashville Predators (+125)
- Edmonton Oilers (-192) vs. Los Angeles Kings (+158)
- Dallas Stars (-130) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (+108)
- Winnipeg Jets (+115) vs. Colorado Avalanche (-138) - Bet Jets
MoneyPuck NHL Odds And Chances To Win The Cup
Game 1 Odds And Betting Data
NHL game odds and betting data from FanDuel Sportsbook refresh periodically and are subject to change, including on props and live betting. All Game 1 totals are set at 5.5 goals with different odds or vigorish.
Sat., April 20
- NY Islanders (+188) at Carolina (-230), Total
- Toronto (+108) at Boston (-130)
Sun., April 21
- Tampa Bay (+140) at Florida (-170)
- Washington (+188) at NY Rangers (-230)
- Colorado (-110) at Winnipeg (-110) - Bet Jets
- Nashville (+126) at Vancouver (-152)
Mon., April 22
- Vegas (+118) at Dallas (-142)
- LA Kings (+138) at Edmonton (-166)
Sports Betting Terms And How To Bet
Los Angeles Kings center Quinton Byfield (55) pushes Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) ... [+]
On Friday morning ahead of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, FanDuel reports that Rangers, Hurricanes and Bruins are fans’ top three favorites in both bet count and handle (money wagered). All betting data is subject to change and moves throughout each day as more money is wagered.
- In terms of line movement, the Rangers started the season at +1700 and are currently +800. The Hurricanes started the season at +900 and are currently +650 and the Bruins started the season at +1700 and are now +1300.
- Panthers v. Lightning Series: 62% of bets on the Lightning; 90% of handle on the Panthers
- Bruins v. Maple Leafs Series: 68% of bets and 80% of handle on the Bruins
- Rangers v. Capitals Series: 67% of bets on the Capitals; 88% of handle on the Rangers
- Hurricanes v. Islanders Series: 69% of bets on the Islanders; 72% of handle on the Hurricanes
- Stars v. Golden Knights Series: 77% of bets and 89% of handle on the Stars
- Jets v. Avalanche Series: 59% of bets and 61% of handle on the Jets
- Canucks v. Predators Series: 53% of bets on the Predators; 71% of handle on the Canucks
- Oilers v. Kings Series: 68% of bets and 82% of handle on the Oilers
NHL Playoffs Picks
You can follow my sharp Canadien colleague Brian (Sherwood) at Sportswagers.ca for NHL series selections and game-by-game picks throughout the playoffs. Complimentary plays and value-added insight without the tout talk or pay for picks. Sherwood’s extensive knowledge and understanding of the betting markets is provided in his daily game analysis on sports and filled with insightful information, advanced stats and value-driven betting decisions.
Last year, Sherwood bet and picked the huge upset by the Florida Panthers over the Boston Bruins in the opening round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
NHL Playoffs Schedule by Round
The first three rounds of the playoffs will air on ESPN, ESPN2, ABC. TNT, TBS.
- First Round - April 20 (start date)
- Conference Semifinals - May 5
- Conference Finals - May 20
- Stanley Cup Finals - June 5
Full 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Finals Schedule
The 2024 Stanley Cup Finals are tentatively scheduled to begin on Wednesday, June 5. The dates for other games in the series beyond Game 1 have not been confirmed.
I may be at Game 3 of the Vegas-Dallas playoff series in Las Vegas with some added NHL coverage from a Vegas and betting perspective. Last year’s opening round NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs was the league’s best on record for viewership. The interest and engagement in playoff hockey with spectacular saves and players strengths to skate, shoot and score continues to drive more watch and wager fan interest.
You can bet on it.
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