NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Odds 2020

After a round of exhibition games and qualifying rounds, the top teams have been seeded and the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs are set to begin on August 11—To prepare, we take a look at the Stanley Cup Playoff odds, props & futures to bet on ahead of the big tournament, and take a glimpse at where the Western and Eastern conference teams are ahead of Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Stanley Odds: Playoff Preparation

Western Conference

In an event that was surprising to some, the Blackhawks defeated the Oilers 3-2 in Game 4, and have moved onto the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They’ll face off against the Vegas Golden Knights, who defeated the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 to earn the Number 1 seed.

When the Blackhawks took Game 3 it was fairly unexpected, although odds favored both them and the Oilers’ to win equally at -110. The Blackhawks have three previous Stanley Cup winners on their team, Toews, Kane and Keith, while the Knights reached the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals.

Odds favor the Knights to win the Western Conference overall at +225, while the Blackhawks are the underdogs at +1500 — If this is any indication of who will win this first game, it’s safe to say it’d be a longshot for the Blackhawks to take this one, or a great payout if they do.

The Colorado Avalanche are just behind the Knights, favored to win the Western Conference at +250, with 94 overall points this season, while the Knights have 86 points. Colorado will face off against the Coyotes, and are likely to work towards another upset – However, having lost the Number One seed in the West and just barely pulling a victory against the Blues at 2-1, could he Coyotes secure a win? Time will tell.

The Dallas Stars (the Number 3 Western seed) will play the Calgary Flames in the first round of the Playoffs for the Western Conference, in their first ever game against each other. In a quote to the NHL, Stars coach Rick Bownes said of the opposing team, “They’re playing very, very well right now… They’re getting the goal-tending, they’re getting timely goals. They played Winnipeg, a team that was beat up, obviously with some key injuries, but they’re a very confident team right now and they’ve got some very dangerous players, and they’ve got some elite defensemen back there that play big minutes. We know we have a very, very tough opponent coming into this. We have a ton of respect for that team. We’ll be ready for them.”

When it comes to the Canucks, they’re facing off against the St. Louis Blues, last seasons’ Stanley Cup winners. Although the Blues are also favored to win over the Canucks, the Canucks swept in to upset their last 3 games, winning all three and beating the Minnesota Wild who were on top before the league was postponed mid-March—There could be a fourth upset on the menu, especially with the Blues’ coach complementing the Canucks’ power, speed & offense.

Western Conference Winner Odds

Here are the Western Conference Winner Odds via Bovada and BetOnline:

Eastern Conference

When it comes to the Eastern Conference, the Tampa Bay Lightning have 92 points vs Boston’s 100, but they’re still a favored winner, and only one win behind Tampa.

Speaking of Boston, they’ll play the Hurricanes on Tuesday, August 11. Although the Bruins are the Number 1 seed, the Hurricanes played a strong game against the New York Rangers—Could this be a sign of things to come?

Forward Warren Foegele said, “I just think for our group, since we’re pretty young, last year was a huge step for all of us that haven’t experienced the playoffs… Just having that experience and everyone just growing their game will be a lot better for our group. Yeah, there is some familiarity there [against the Bruins], but at the same time we’re just focused on ourselves to try to take the experience we gained and apply it to the next round.”

The Blue Jackets will face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference—The Blue Jackets’ are coming in with 43 wins for the Lightnings’ 33, and fresh off defeating the Maple Leafs.

The Montreal Canadiens are the clear underdogs, but don’t count them out just yet—Though they’re the lowest seeding in the conference, they’ve pulled a couple surprising upsets since qualifying matches begun, most notably against the Pittsburgh Penguins who were seeded fifth.

Eastern Conference Winner Odds

Here are the Eastern Conference Winner Odds via Bovada and BetOnline:

NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Futures: Who will win the Stanley Cup?

So, the Stanley Cup Playoffs are just beginning, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have odds for the Cup winner.

Here are the odds whipped up from our friends at Bovada and BetOnline for who’s favored to win the Stanley Cup: