The ice hockey fans can’t wait for the start of the postseason, as the 2024 NHL playoffs are starting this Saturday. After an interesting final day of the regular season, the NHL playoff bracket is set and ready for the start of the postseason action. The Vegas Golden Knights are the defending champions after beating the Florida Panthers in the finals last year.
| ℹ️ Tournament: | National Hockey League (NHL) 2024 Playoffs |
| 🏟️ Venues: | Venues across the United States |
| 🗓️ Dates: | 20 April – June 2024 |
The 2024 Stanley Cup playoff bracket is ready after an exciting NHL season so far. The regular season started on October 10, 2023, and it ended on April 18, 2024. The Stanley Cup playoffs will kick off on Saturday, April 20, and the finals are expected to finish in June. The NHL playoff-opening matchup this season will be between the Carolina Hurricanes and the New York Islanders.
Here’s a look at the 2023-24 NHL odds and favorites to win the Stanley Cup this season from the best ice hockey bookies:
The Carolina Hurricanes are one of the teams with big expectations in this year’s NHL playoffs. They are one of the most popular 2024 Stanley Cup playoff picks, and they are trying to win their second title. The New York Rangers finished with the most points in the regular season to win the Presidents’ Trophy. The Edmonton Oilers didn’t have the best regular season, finishing fifth in the Western Conference, but they have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, who are two of the best players in the league.
The Florida Panthers followed their success in 2022 by winning the Presidents’ Trophy by reaching last year’s finals. They are one of the most improved teams in the last few seasons, and they are still trying to win their first Stanley Cup. The Dallas Stars went on a great run of 12 wins and two losses at the end of the regular season, and they finished on top of the Western Conference to get the first seed.
Here’s a look at the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs Eastern Conference winner odds and favorites, according to the best odds to win NHL 2024:
The Carolina Hurricanes are the favorites to win the whole thing, so it makes sense that they are the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. The New York Rangers last won the Eastern Conference playoffs a decade ago, but the Metropolitan Division winners will have good winning chances. The Boston Bruins had one of the best regular seasons ever last year, but they followed that by getting knocked out of the first round, so they will try to improve on that this time. The Toronto Maple Leafs have scored the most goals in the whole league this season, but they need to improve their defense to increase their winning chances.
The NHL Eastern Conference playoff bracket is set with some interesting matchups. The New York Rangers are the No. 1 seed after topping the conference in the regular season, and their first-round matchup will be against the No. 8 seed, the Washington Capitals, who barely qualified for the postseason. The Carolina Hurricanes had the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, and they will face the New York Islanders, who went on an 8-1 straight-up run to end the season.
The Atlantic Division winners, the Florida Panthers, will clash with the Tampa Bay Lightning, who finished 4th in the same division. The Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs have the longest active streaks of reaching the playoffs, as they both have reached the postseason in eight consecutive years, and they will face each other in the first round.
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The best betting platform crypto lovers prefer sees the New York Rangers as one of the strongest contenders in the East. The Rangers have improved a lot this season after the coaching changes, and they have better squad depth as well. It’s not a coincidence that they have scored the most points in the whole league, as they have some of the most explosive offensive players, Artemi Panarin and Chris Kreider, in addition to the great goaltending from Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick.
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The Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs faced each other four times this season, and the Bruins swept them by winning all four games. The Leafs have the better offense in this matchup, but the Bruins are far superior on the defensive end. The Toronto Maple Leafs lost four straight games to end the regular season, and they aren’t in their best form, while the Boston Bruins won five of their last eight games.
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The Carolina Hurricanes have a much better offense and are the clear favorites to win this series. Sebastian Aho is the top scorer for Carolina this season with 36 goals, and he is also leading the team in points (89). Aho scored in the Islanders net in three of their four encounters this season, and he is in great form as well, scoring nine goals and four assists in his last 11 games.
Here’s a look at the 2024 NHL betting odds for the winners of the Stanley Cup playoffs in the Western Conference:
The Edmonton Oilers have a very good draw to reach the Western Conference Final, at least. The Dallas Stars come into the playoffs as the No. 1 seed, and they are in great form right now. The Vegas Golden Knights are the defending champions after winning their first title last season. They have won the conference twice before, and their chances will be there to defend the title. The Vancouver Canucks are the Pacific Division winners, as they are having one of their best seasons in a long time.
The Western Conference playoff bracket had some big changes on the last day of the regular season. The Dallas Stars won the Central Division and the whole Western Conference with a 52-30 record. They will face the No. 8 seed, the Vegas Golden Knights, who have a 45-37 record and fell one place on the last day after losing. The Winnipeg Jets had a big win over the Vancouver Canucks on the last day, and they are now the No. 2 seed and will face the Colorado Avalanche, who have scored the most goals in the NHL regular season.
The Vancouver Canucks made a big upset by winning the Pacific Division, and they will face the Nashville Predators, who finished the regular season with 99 points. The Edmonton Oilers have finished second in the Pacific Division, and they will face the Los Angeles Kings, who finished third in the same division.
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This could finally be Edmonton’s year, given how well they have played this season. The 23/24 NHL top point scorers list has two players from the Oilers, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The Edmonton Oilers appointed Kris Knoblauch last November to replace Jay Woodcroft as the team’s coach, and they have improved immensely since then. The Oilers can beat any Western Conference team in their day, and they will have to bring their best performance to reach the Stanley Cup final.
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This is one of the series that can end quickly in less than six games. The Dallas Stars have been much better than the Vegas Golden Knights offensively and defensively this season, and they also have better depth. The Stars have eight players who scored more than 20 goals in the regular season, and they have a very good goaltender as well, so they can win this series without many troubles.
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We will be going for the upset in this matchup. The Winnipeg Jets beat the Colorado Avalanche in all three of their games this season by an average of 4.3 goals, which is a massive number. The Jets are one of the most in-form teams right now, as they are on an eight-game winning streak, while the Avalanche have been struggling lately, losing four of their last six games.
We are just one day away from the excitement of the Stanley Cup playoffs. We will be going with the Oilers and the Rangers to do well this season. Make sure to use our 2023–24 NHL playoff predictions and bet them at the best ice hockey sportsbooks to have more fun watching the event.
