The Avalanche have not won a Stanley Cup in over 20 years but this could be the season they break their streak. As the NHL Playoffs get underway, OddsTrader will go over everything you need to know about this year’s NHL postseason.
Colorado is the oddsmakers’ top choice to claim the Cup followed closely by the Calgary Flames and the Eastern Conference kings, the Florida Panthers.
Don’t forget to shop around to secure the best NHL odds for each game of the NHL Playoffs.
OddsTrader’s Betting Edge
• The top-seeded Avs drew the Predators in the opening round but curiously lost all three regular-season meetings.
• Calgary faces off against Dallas in the opening round, a team they defeated twice in three meetings during the regular season.
• During the regular season, the Panthers were the No. 1 ranked goal-scoring club, averaging 4.11 goals per game.
• The Toronto Maple Leafs were the No. 1 team on the power play, converting 27.3 percent of their opportunities during the regular season.
• The Carolina Hurricanes were the top-ranked defensive team in the league.
Here you’ll find the odds for each of the NHL teams in the NHL Playoffs. All odds are courtesy of Bet365.
| Team | Odds |
| Colorado Avalanche | +300 |
| Calgary Flames | +600 |
| Florida Panthers | +650 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | +800 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | +850 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | +1400 |
| Minnesota Wild | +1400 |
| St. Louis Blues | +1700 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | +1700 |
| Edmonton Oilers | +1900 |
| Boston Bruins | +2000 |
| New York Rangers | +2000 |
| Washington Capitals | +3200 |
| Los Angeles Kings | +4200 |
| Dallas Stars | +6500 |
| Nashville Predators | +9000 |
The Contenders
Colorado Avalanche (+300)
- Western Conference Regular Season Champions
- Central Division Champions
When the curtain closed on the 2021-2022 NHL regular season, the Avalanche proved to be the best in the West, compiling a 56-19-7 record and registering 119 points, trailing only the Florida Panthers. Therefore, it is understandable why the NHL odds are revealing the Avs as the top choice to win the Stanley Cup.
Colorado averaged 3.76 goals per game, good for fourth in the league, and was led by sharpshooters Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon but also had help from five other 20-goal scorers, including former Calder Trophy winner, defenseman Cale Makar.
The top-seeded Avs drew the Predators in the opening round but curiously lost all three regular-season meetings. However, Colorado snapped that streak in dramatic fashion by winning Game 1, 7-2, taking a 1-0 series lead.
Calgary Flames (+600)
- Pacific Division Champions
Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk both tallied north of 100 points this season and were instrumental in Calgary’s ascent to the top of the Pacific Division and near the apex of the NHL regular-season mountain. Elias Lindholm joined Gaudreau and Tkachuk in the 40-goal club with 42 while Andrew Mangiapane chipped in with 35 this season.
And as prolific as the Flames’ offense was this season, we would be remiss in not acknowledging the sparkling performance of veteran goaltender, Jacob Markstrom, who flashed a 37-15-9 record with a 2.22 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage, good for third in the league.
Calgary faces off against Dallas in the opening round, a team they defeated twice in three meetings during the regular season and claimed a hotly contested 1-0 victory in Game 1 of the playoffs.
Florida Panthers (+650)
- Eastern Conference Regular Season Champions
- Atlantic Division Champions
If it’s an offense you are seeking then look no further than the Florida Panthers. The Presidents’ Trophy winners were also the No. 1 ranked goal-scoring club, averaging 4.11 goals per game, and the NHL’s top shooting team averaging 37.3 shots per game.
Jonathan Huberdeau piloted this high-octane offense with 115 points and led the league in assists with 85 helpers on the season. Florida boasted four 30+ goal scorers and had the best plus/minus margin with a +94.
Despite Florida’s No. 1 seed in the East, they won’t have it easy against the No. 8 ranked team from Washington. The Panthers defeated the Capitals, 2-1, in the season series but all three games were decided by one goal.
Washington claimed a 4-2 win in Game 1 and took the home-ice advantage away from the Panthers, a team that boasted the best home record (34-7) in the league.
Toronto Maple Leafs (+800)
The Maple Leafs enjoyed a stellar regular season campaign, registering 115 points which ranked them fourth in that category. However, it has been 65 years since Toronto hoisted the Stanley Cup and, despite some excellent seasons recently, Toronto has been spectacularly disappointing in the postseason.
Auston Matthews is the key to Toronto’s Stanley Cup aspirations, coming off a 60-goal season and very much in the Hart Trophy conversation. Thus, it’s not surprising Matthews had a pair of goals in the Leafs’ 5-0 shutout of the Lightning in Game 1.
Toronto is ranked second in goal-scoring, averaging 3.8 goals per game, and No. 1 on the power play, converting 27.3 percent of their opportunities.
Carolina Hurricanes (+850)
- Metropolitan Division Champions
If it’s a relative dark horse you’re looking for in your NHL picks then you do much worse than the top-ranked defensive team in the league, the Carolina Hurricanes, at current odds of +850.
Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, and Teuvo Teravainen provide the offense for the Hurricanes but it was the Vezina Trophy-caliber play of Frederik Andersen that stoned opposing goal-scorers throughout the season. Unfortunately, Andersen has been out with what is rumored to be a left leg injury he sustained on April 16th.
However, his backup, Antti Raanta acquitted himself quite nicely in Carolina’s 5-1 Game 1 victory over Boston in which he turned aside 35 shots and copped the No. 1 Star of the game.
Tampa Bay Lightning (+1400)
Steven Stamkos led the Lightning this season with 42 goals and 64 assists for 106 points but he and the rest of the Lightning were silent in Game 1 as they fell, 5-0, to the Maple Leafs in Game 1.
Tampa Bay boasts the No. 8 ranked offense, averaging 3.5 goals per game, as well as the No. 8 power-play unit, connecting on 23.9 percent of its man-advantage opportunities. The Lightning also has one of the premier netminders in the world, Andrei Vasilevskiy, patrolling the crease. The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions know how to win when it counts so expect a better performance going forward.
Minnesota Wild (+1400)
The Wild acquired one of the best goalies in history when they swung a deal with Chicago for the sublime, Marc-Andre Fleury, at the trade deadline. However, Cam Talbot turned in an All-Star season and was platooned with MAF since he arrived in mid-March.
The Blues will not be an easy first-round opponent as they defeated the Wild all three times during the regular season and secured a 4-0 Game 1 victory as well. St. Louis has now defeated Minnesota in 10 of their last 11 meetings.
St. Louis Blues (+1700)
Jordan Binnington backstopped the Blues to Stanley Cup glory in his rookie season but this time around it will be another rookie, Ville Husso, tending the twine for St. Louis.
The Blues are taking a similar path to the playoffs as they did in 2019 when they defeated Boston in the Stanley Cup Finals. St. Louis has caught fire over the last two months and Husso has been nothing short of sensational.
Boasting the third-ranked offense, the Blues own their first-round opponents from Minnesota, defeating the Wild in all three games this season and enjoying a winning streak that spans over a year.
The Longshots
Pittsburgh Penguins (+1900)
Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Jeff Carter, Bryan Rust, and Jake Guentzel comprise the core of the Penguins but most of them are also long in the tooth. Thus, this could be the final chapter in what has been a string of fine seasons with Sid the Kid at the helm.
The Pittsburgh offense can still motor but the injury to their starting goalie, Tristan Jarry, could be a killer to any chances of a deep postseason run. The Penguins are off to a good start in their series with the Rangers, notching a 4-3 triple-overtime victory in Game 1.
Edmonton Oilers (+1900)
One would think the Oilers’ scoring production would be even better than No. 7 considering two of the league’s top four point-getters are on the team. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are devastating weapons for Edmonton but they are not deep enough to merit serious Stanley Cup consideration.
The Oilers also lost their series opener to the Kings, 4-3, which revealed the defensive liabilities that could also haunt them should they advance to the next round.
Boston Bruins (+2000)
Rumors abound that this could be the curtain call on Patrice Bergeron’s outstanding career. Boston has talent upfront with Bergeron and Brad Marchand but both players are older veterans. David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy stand as the bright lights of the Bruins’ future.
Boston’s road to the Stanley Cup will be difficult as they have two untested playoff goalies in Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman while their defense is underwhelming after the top pair of McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm. The Bruins trail the heavily favored Hurricanes, 1-0, after dropping their Game 1 contest by a score of 5-1.
New York Rangers (+2000)
The Rangers boast one of the best power-play units in the league, converting 25.2 percent of their opportunities, and also employ the impenetrable Igor Shesterkin between the pipes. Shesterkin is a game-changer, having the best save percentage and goals saved above average in the NHL.
Fortunately, for New York fans, the Rangers have not missed a beat since King Henrik Lundqvist abdicated his icy throne. New York enters Game 2 of their first-round series down a game after dropping a 4-3 decision to the Penguins.
Washington Capitals (+3200)
As long as the Capitals have Alex Ovechkin, they have a chance. The 36-year-old offensive terror is still doing it after all these years. He scored 50 goals during this last campaign and is only adding to a Hall-of-Fame career that was etched long ago.
The Capitals have veteran talent, much like the Penguins, and thankfully have John Carlson anchoring the defense because their goaltending situation is suspect. However, Vitek Vanecek silenced his critics in Game 1 with a solid 32 save effort in his team’s 4-2 opening game victory over the best team in hockey, the Florida Panthers.
Los Angeles Kings (+4200)
The Kings are resilient if nothing else. They have played well since the loss of one of their key defensive anchors, Drew Doughty, a former Norris Trophy winner when he suffered a season-ending wrist injury on March 7th.
The Kings are in the postseason due in large part to veteran goalie Jonathan Quick who has rekindled some of the magic that allowed him to carry the Kings to a pair of Stanley Cup titles in 2012 and 2014.
But the Kings don’t have finishers around the net as evidenced by LA being ranked 5th in shots on goal (34.9 per game) yet 20th in goals scored (2.9). Nevertheless, they stunned the Oilers in Game 1, 4-3, and could be a postseason Cinderella.
Dallas Stars (+6500)
If the Stars could get more out of the underperforming Tyler Sequin and Jamie Benn, they would have a much better chance of advancing in the postseason. However, they are playing an elite scoring machine in the Flames and it will be a tall task to slow them down.
Yet, if there is such a thing as a good loss, it could be their 1-0 setback to Calgary in Game 1, proving they can contain their forwards for at least one game.
Nashville Predators (+9000)
The Predators are a feisty underdog but unfortunately, they are woefully unprepared to take on the likes of the Colorado Avalanche, as evidenced by their 7-2 Game 1 loss.
If the Predators could play as they did from mid-October to the beginning of January when they recorded a league-best 23-7-2 record, they might have a chance. Unfortunately, they have proven they cannot maintain that caliber of play.
Props and Bonuses
You can find a list of prop bets at all of the best U.S. licensed online sportsbooks found right here at OddsTrader. Online sportsbooks like BetMGM, Caesars, FanDuel, PointsBet, Bet365, Unibet, SugarHouse, BetRivers, SBK, MaximBet, and DraftKings all offer props like “Who Will Win the NHL Playoff MVP Award” and futures to win the Stanley Cup as well as generous signup bonuses.
Shop for Odds
If you want to compare the various NHL Odds then click on the link and you will see the point spreads, moneylines, and totals at all of the best books in the industry.
NHL Betting FAQ’s
Question: Where can I go to make a bet on the NHL playoffs?
Answer: The best online sportsbooks are the safest online sportsbooks, which are those licensed in jurisdictions where online sports betting is legal in the United States.
The top-rated books are BetMGM, Caesars, FanDuel, Bet365, Unibet, BetRivers, SugarHouse, SBK, MaximBet, PointsBet and DraftKings.
Question: What types of bets are popular with NHL hockey?
Answer: The most popular bet is the moneyline where the underdog returns more money than you wagered while the favorite requires you to risk more than you could win. There is no point spread in moneyline wagering, it’s strictly whichever team wins the game wins the bet.
However, puck lines are also common, with the underdog getting +1 goal while the underdog is giving 1 ½ goals. Totals, or over/under betting, is another typical hockey bet where the bettor can bet over or under the posted total.
Question: Do I have to bet a lot?
Answer: No, the minimum bet is as low as $1 and accounts can be funded with as little as $10 at many of the books across the nation.
