2023 NHL Stanley Cup Betting Preview

insidersbettingdigest.com

17 April 2023

There are times during the regular season when the NHL schedule seems long, and some games seem pointless. Things change in the Spring when the Stanley Cup playoffs begin. Sixteen teams have their sights set on Lord Stanley’s silverware, with a juggernaut in black and gold as the betting favorite.

With the NHL standings no longer in focus, we’ll get you ready for the best playoffs in sports with our Stanley Cup betting preview, along with making our NHL picks for who will compete to raise Lord Stanley’s Cup in June.

Before we preview each first-round matchup in our Stanley Cup betting preview, let’s review our top-eight NHL teams entering the playoffs.

Here are our favorites from the Stanley Cup odds to win the most glorious trophy in all of sports:

We highly recommend checking each team’s NHL injury report

In the Eastern Conference, the list of favorites is long and the field deep, but it starts and ends in Boston.

The Bruins’ record-breaking season has Boston the clear favorite to win the Stanley Cup. Boston faces the high-scoring Florida Panthers in the first round and the Toronto vs Tampa Bay winner in the second round. The road to the Stanley Cup finals won’t be easy, but in the Eastern Conference, that road goes through Boston.

Maple Leafs’ fans think so, as they’ve pushed Toronto into the second-favored team to win the Eastern Conference. However, the Tampa Bay Lightning, with three consecutive Eastern Conference championships, stands in their way. Toronto vs Tampa Bay is likely going seven games.

In the Metropolitan Division, the Carolina Hurricanes were built to win in the NHL playoffs but face a potential stumbling block in the veteran-laden New York Islanders squad and all-world goaltender Ilya Sorokin. The Hurricanes should defeat the Islanders, but a hot goalie can end a team’s pursuit of the Stanley Cup quickly.

The New Jersey Devils face the New York Rangers in a Hudson River rivalry sure to take the spotlight most nights. We’ve liked the Devils all season long but will not count out the Rangers, who loaded up at the trade deadline and have reigning Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin in the net.

The Western Conference is far more open than the East in our Stanley Cup betting preview.

The reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Colorado Avalanche, enter their first-round matchup with the Seattle Kraken facing the same injury concerns that have plagued them throughout the season. The Kraken will push the Avalanche in the franchise’s first playoff appearance, but the Avs should defeat the Kraken.

The Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild might be the best series to watch in the first round. This series is going seven.

In the Pacific, the Vegas Golden Knights face the Winnipeg Jets, who fell from competing for the Central Division lead to hanging on to a Wild Card spot. VGK should eliminate the Jets in six games unless Connor Hellebuyck stands on his head.

Connor McDavid should single-handedly outscore the Los Angeles Kings.

The answer is no. Edmonton should win this in six or seven games.