The NHL playoffs are set to commence on Saturday, April 19, as the Florida Panthers aim to defend their Stanley Cup championship title. Can Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers rise to the challenge this year? Will there be a new champion emerging for the fifth consecutive year?
Stanley Cup Odds
- Stars: +650 (bet $10 to win $75 total)
- Panthers: +800 (bet $10 to win $90 total)
- Avalanche: +850 (bet $10 to win $95 total)
- Lightning: +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total)
- Oilers: +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total)
- Hurricanes: +900 (bet $10 to win $100 total)
- Golden Knights: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
As of April 14, 14 out of 16 teams have secured a playoff spot, while a couple of teams are still fighting for the last positions with merely six games remaining. Notably, a different team has claimed the Stanley Cup every year over the past four seasons, with the last back-to-back winner being the Lightning in 2020 and 2021.
The Panthers reached the Stanley Cup Finals for the last two consecutive years, facing defeats against Las Vegas in 2023 before overcoming Edmonton the preceding year.
In the last decade, six teams from the Eastern Conference and four from the Western Conference have triumphed in the Stanley Cup. Interestingly, only two of the most recent ten Finals have progressed to a seventh game, and no sweeps have occurred since the Red Wings defeated the Capitals 4-0 back in 1998.
The last franchise to clinch the Stanley Cup while having the best regular season record was the Chicago Blackhawks back in 2013.
As of now, the Winnipeg Jets, having transitioned from the Atlanta Thrashers, hold the best record in the league, yet they have never secured a Stanley Cup victory.
