With four teams left, odds roll out for NHL Conference Finals starting Tuesday
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are down to four, and the series odds paint a picture of two tightly contested matchups. In the East, the Florida Panthers face the Carolina Hurricanes, while out West, the Dallas Stars take on the Edmonton Oilers.
The markets are tight, the narratives are set, and with series prices, MVP odds, and exact outcomes on the board, there’s no shortage of angles for bettors.
All betting lines are from FanDuel Sportsbook and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
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Eastern Conference Final: Florida Panthers (-125) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (+104)
Florida enters as a modest favorite, with oddsmakers narrowly favoring the Panthers to reach the Final for a third straight season. The most common outcome based on odds?
A Panthers win in six games (+420), tied with a Hurricanes win in seven (+420). Bettors looking for value might consider Carolina’s resilience at plus money — this series is expected to be a grind either way.
Goaltending will likely decide the outcome. The Panthers’ Sergei Bobrovsky is the betting favorite to win the Conn Smythe for Florida, while Frederik Andersen holds that title for Carolina. If either netminder takes over, they could tilt the series and vault themselves into MVP conversations.
Despite having the longest Stanley Cup odds of the four teams (+310), Carolina’s experience and defensive structure remain dangerous — particularly with veteran Brett Burns, who leads all remaining players in odds to receive the first Cup handoff at +350 odds.
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Western Conference Final: Dallas Stars (-102) vs. Edmonton Oilers (-118)
There’s almost no separation between the Stars and Oilers in the series odds. Edmonton is the slight favorite, but Dallas to win in seven games (+420) is the most bet outcome. That’s closely followed by the Oilers to win in six or seven games, both priced at +430 odds.
This series features a lot of star power — and the Conn Smythe board reflects it. Connor McDavid leads all playoff MVP candidates at +380, with Dallas forward Mikko Rantanen second at +450 odds. The battle between Edmonton’s elite offense and Dallas’ depth and structure should produce fireworks.
Importantly, there’s precedent for a losing finalist to take home the Conn Smythe — which McDavid did it last season. Odds for a player to do so again sit at +950, with McDavid or Rantanen appearing to be the only realistic candidates. If either posts monster numbers in a long series, that path could open once again.
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