The 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs are right around the corner. Last week, we published an article on NHL betting tips for the NHL based on which game you’re wagering on in a series. This week, we have some predictions based on trends that will help you maximize your profits, based on the teams that we see this year. As you start to think about futures wagers on the Stanley Cup winner and individual game and series wagers for the playoffs, don’t miss our thoughts on some of the outcomes.
NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs: Betting Tips
Don’t bet on the Bruins to win the Stanley Cup
One of the more common moneylines on Boston hoisting the Cup is +200. Boston has a great team and has put together an historic season. However, winning the President’s Trophy doesn’t correlate with winning the Stanley Cup. Since the 2001-2002 season, only two teams that won the President’s Trophy have gone on to win the Stanley Cup (Detroit in 2007-2008 and Chicago in 2012-2013). In those 19 seasons (remember, no Stanley Cup was awarded in 2005 because of the lockout), more President’s Trophy-winning teams lost in the first round of the playoffs (5) and in the second round (8) than won the Cup. There are a lot better betting values out there, even if the B’s do go on and engrave their names on the legendary trophy.
Dallas gets back to the Stanley Cup Finals
The Stars went to the Stanley Cup Finals just three years ago. Goaltender Anton Khudobin stood on his head for three rounds, and a team that has always been at least decent in terms of offense found some defensive mojo and worked its way to the Finals, where they fell to Tampa Bay. That was a bizarre season, with the playoffs played in neutral-site arenas, without fans in the stands, and the Stars vanished from the playoffs the next year and were bounced in the first round last year. This year, though, Jason Robertson has emerged as an elite scorer, hitting numbers that the team has not seen since Mike Modano’s days, and Miro Heiskanen is a terrific defenseman who can jump up and contribute on offense without giving up bad goals on the back end. They also have an elite netminder in Jake Oettinger.
The Rangers get to the Stanley Cup Finals from the Eastern Conference
One problem that big offenses have in the Stanley Cup Playoffs occurs when opposing defenses figure out how to stop the top scoring line, and no one else steps up to provide the goals at crucial times. Boston is a team that has terrific scoring depth in the East, but the Rangers have five different players who have broken the 50-point barrier this season, and it’s a lot harder for teams to shut down five different scorers. Also, Igor Shesterkin is a Vezina Trophy-winning goalie who is peaking as his team enters the playoffs. While the Bruins are going in red-hot, the Rangers won 9 of 13 before locking in their playoff positioning.
We won’t see a Stanley Cup Finals rematch
Last year, Colorado and Tampa Bay advanced to the Finals, and the Avalanche won a thrilling season. The Avalanche have a shot at a Central Division title with a win tonight, and the Lightning are back in the postseason, but Tampa Bay is not playing the dominant hockey that they have shown in seasons past, and while Colorado comes into the playoffs red-hot, they have had consistency issues for much of the season. Tampa Bay has to get through Toronto and Boston before getting even to the conference finals, and Colorado has the likes of Vegas, Edmonton and Dallas waiting.
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