After Tuesday night, we now know the 16 NHL teams that will be competing in this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs and that’s allowed oddsmakers to open some betting lines for the first round of the playoffs which will begin on Saturday.
The field is completely set in the Eastern Conference despite two more days of regular season action to be played, and we also know all eight teams that will be competing in the Western Conference, although some seeding implications need to be decided in the coming days before most of those matchups are set in stone.
Series price: Bruins vs. Maple Leafs
BOS -120
TOR +100
Let’s take a look at the opening series prices for the matchups that are already determined:
Eastern Conference
New York Rangers (M1) vs. Washington Capitals (WC2)
The Rangers won the Presidents’ Trophy for having the best regular-season record and they’ll have home-ice advantage in this best-of-seven series as a result of their superior record. The teams split the four previous meetings this season, with the home team taking each matchup and they played to a combined 1-3 over/under record in those contests.
Florida Panthers (A1) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (WC1)
The Panthers will have home-ice advantage in this battle of Florida series after clinching the Atlantic Division. They took two of the three meetings during the regular season, outscoring the Lightning 15-9 over the three-game span while combining for a 2-1 over/under mark.
Boston Bruins (A2) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (A3)
This series should be incredible, with these Original Six rivals meeting in the playoffs for the first time since 2019 when the Bruins overcame a 3-2 series deficit in the opening round to break the hearts of Leafs fans in Game 7. Boston took all four meetings this season, but two of those games needed extra time to be decided. Three of those four games were played under the total. The Bruins have won each of the last six playoff series vs. the Maple Leafs dating back to 1969.
Carolina Hurricanes (M2) vs. New York Islanders (M3)
These two teams split their four previous meetings this season, with the road team taking each matchup and two of those contests required extra time to be decided. Three of the four games were played over the total.
Western Conference
Winnipeg Jets (C2) vs. Colorado Avalance (C3)
The Jets have taken all three meetings with the Avs this season by a combined score of 17-4 but they still find themselves as underdogs in this series. And these teams just met last Saturday when Winnipeg delivered a 7-0 thumping. Two of the three meetings played over the total.
We won’t know the full slate of series matchups in the West until late Thursday night as the Vegas Golden Knights and Los Angeles Kings are still battling for the No. 3 seed in the Pacific Division. The Nashville Predators are locked into the first wild-card position, but it’s still uncertain whether they’ll play the Dallas Stars or Vancouver Canucks in the opening round.
Stanley Cup Outright odds
| Team | Sports Interaction | Betway | bet365 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton Oilers | +800 | +650 | +700 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | +650 | +700 | +700 |
| New York Rangers | +800 | +700 | +700 |
| Dallas Stars | +750 | +800 | +750 |
| Boston Bruins | +1100 | +800 | +800 |
| Florida Panthers | +700 | +850 | +850 |
| Colorado Avalanche | +800 | +900 | +900 |
| Vancouver Canucks | +1500 | +1000 | +1000 |
| Winnipeg Jets | +1500 | +1000 | +1000 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | +1200 | +1100 | +1100 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | +1400 | +1400 | +1500 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | +2500 | +2200 | +2200 |
| Nashville Predators | +4000 | +2500 | +2500 |
| Los Angeles Kings | +2500 | +2800 | +2800 |
| New York Islanders | +5000 | +4000 | +4000 |
| Washington Capitals | +12500 | +10000 | +10000 |
