2024 NHL Playoff Predictions and Stanley Cup Odds
It’s Stanley Cup Playoffs time! Since we don’t get started until Saturday afternoon, now is the perfect time to take a look at the Stanley Cup odds and teams that have a real chance to win it.
Dallas Stars +850 to Win the Stanley Cup
The Dallas Stars finished in second place in the NHL standings, just one point shy of the President’s Trophy-winning New York Rangers. Dallas has looked like one of the most complete teams that there are in the entire league, and one thing that sticks out is their depth at forward.
The Stars have eight different players who scored 20+ goals this season: Wyatt Johnston (32), Roope Hintz (30), Jason Robertson (29), Joe Pavelski (27), Tyler Seguin (25), Matt Duchene (25), Mason Marchment (22), and Jamie Benn (21).
What’s scary about this is that the Stars’ third line consists of a 30-goal scorer (Johnston) and a 20-goal scorer (Benn), which makes it very difficult for the opponent to fully shut them down offensively.
Dallas had a very strong end to their season as they went 18-6-1 over the course of their last 25 games of the season and they were clicking in all facets of the game. As a team, they were scoring 3.36 goals per game over that stretch, only allowing 2.40 goals against per game and their special teams looked elite. The Stars’ power play had converted at a 26.7% rate, while their penalty kill was at 81%.
There aren’t many concerns on the backend as well. The team went out and acquired Chris Tanev, who has really strengthened their blue line physically. They also had a breakout season from the 22-year-old Thomas Harley, who had 15 goals and was a +28.
If you think this all sounds scary, their goaltending could possibly even be their biggest weapon. Jake Oettinger had a phenomenal season and finished strong as well with a record of 18-5-2 in his last 25 starts while skating to a .906 save percentage and a 2.44 goals against average.
Oettinger’s playoff numbers are impressive as well. In 28 starts, he is boasting a 2.64 goals against average and a .917 save percentage. He can carry this team to a Stanley Cup.
There aren’t any weaknesses for this team and that’s what makes them scary.
Dallas could very well be crowned the Stanley Cup Champions.
New York Rangers +800 to Win the Stanley Cup
The New York Rangers surprised a ton of people with their performance this season after what was considered a disaster of an ending to last year’s playoffs. The Rangers were the NHL’s best team this season as they skated to a franchise record 55 wins under head coach Peter Laviolette.
The Rangers have a plethora of weapons, both offensively and defensively as well as in goal.
Igor Shesterkin has been the league’s best goalie since the all-star break. In his last 23 starts, Shesterkin is 17-5-1 with an astounding .930 save percentage and a 2.20 goals against average, he has been playing some of his best hockey.
Offensively, the Rangers got career years from Artemi Panarin, who put up 120 points and from his linemates Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere, who also had career high seasons themselves. Trocheck notched 25 goals and a total of 77 points while Lafreniere added 28 goals of his own for 57 points. There’s a case to be made that this is the most dangerous offensive line in the Eastern Conference.
What separates the Rangers from other teams around the league is their special teams play. Over their last 15 games, the Rangers power play has been at a 32.4% clip while their penalty kill stands strong at 90.5%. Their opponents are going to need to everything they can to stay out of the box if they want to have a chance to beat the Rangers.
The one area of concern is at 5v5. The Rangers will need guys like Kaapo Kakko, Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad and Jack Roslovic to step up at even strength because outside of the Trocheck line, this team has a hard time generating consistent offense at 5v5. That said, they are more than capable of creating and producing.
This is a very confident group in New York.
Winnipeg Jets +2000 to Win the Stanley Cup
The Winnipeg Jets have the best Stanley Cup odds value of any team in this year’s postseason. They went on an eight-game winning streak to end their season, and this team looks straight-up scary right now.
Over that eight-game streak, the Jets scored 4.38 goals per game and only allowed 1.88 goals against per game. Their special teams were also clicking. The Jets’ power play scored at a 26.1% clip, while their penalty kill was at an 82.4% rate.
The Jets’ top-six forwards can be extremely dangerous. Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Gabriel Vilardi have combined for 12 goals over the team’s last 10 games. Their second line, which consists of Nikolaj Ehlers, Sean Monahan and Tyler Toffoli, can fill the back of the net as well. This team has a ton of playoff experience, but there has been plenty of criticism surrounding the legitimacy of this group.
I’d say they’re pretty scary, especially in goal.
Connor Hellebuyck is the best goalie in these Stanley Cup Playoffs. He was consistently the best all season with a record of 37-19-4 while skating to a .921 save percentage and a 2.39 goals against average. He won’t be easy to beat in four games out of seven, especially with how well they defend in front of him.
The Jets were tied for the best goals against as a team in the league this season, only giving up 2.41 goals per game. They have a tough task in their first-round series against the Colorado Avalanche, but if Winnipeg can get past them, this team can go on a magical run.
April Record: 19-8 (+9.04 units)
2023-24 record: 148–140 (-21.50 units)
