2024 Stanley Cup Picks
2024 Stanley Cup Predictions – NHL Playoffs & Picks to Win Stanley Cup
The 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs are underway, and it’s been exciting ice hockey so far. Every year 32 teams compete in an 82-game regular season to see which 16 will make the playoffs. They then compete in four rounds of best of seven playoff series to determine the Stanley Cup champion.
2024 Stanley Cup Schedule & Overview
With the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs already underway, we’ve seen several elite teams get eliminated already. The last three Stanley Cup champions have been eliminated, the Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, and Tampa Bay Lightning. So have elite regular season teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes. With the second round concluding on May 20th with the Edmonton Oilers defeating the Vancouver Canucks, we’re down to four teams for the conference finals.
The final four teams will start the conference finals on May 22nd. The Florida Panthers will take on the New York Rangers in the East, and in the West the Dallas Stars will play the Edmonton Oilers. The winner of those two series will play in the Stanley Cup Final. The start date depends on how long each series goes on, but the Stanley Cup will be awarded no later than June 24th.
2024 Stanley Cup Predictions
With only four teams remaining in the playoffs, there are no more pretenders left in the mix. Some years there are underdog teams that squeak their way into the conference finals, but that isn’t the case this year. There were no big upsets in the first two rounds, so every team remaining was a Stanley Cup favourite from the start. Each team has star power so it’s hard to determine our 2024 Stanley Cup picks.
Out East, we have the two division winners facing off in the Conference Finals. The Panthers defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins to get here, and the Rangers defeated the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes. The keys to this series are going to be special teams and goaltending. The Rangers are a dominant team on the powerplay and have one of the best goalies in the league in Igor Shesterkin. However, the Panthers are a much better team at even strength. If the Panthers can shut down the Rangers on the powerplay, they can win this series. Ultimately, we think Matthew Tkachuk, Sergei Bobrovsky, and the Florida Panthers will win this series in a tight contest.
In the West, the Dallas Stars have defeated the last two Cup Champs in Vegas and Colorado. Edmonton has had an easier path on paper, defeating Nashville and Vancouver. The Stars are arguably the deepest team left in the playoffs, especially up front, and have overcome a lot to get here. They also have one of the biggest breakout players of the postseason in Wyatt Johnston. However, when you look at the Oilers and see the two-headed monster that is Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, it’s hard to bet against them. That said, we’re going to do just that. We think the Dallas Stars are too deep and talented for the Oilers, and will ultimately punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final.
In a final between the Panthers and Stars, it will likely go seven games. However, with the Stars overcoming two recent championship teams, we think they have what it takes to go all the way. So, our Stanley Cup pick is the Dallas Stars.
Favourites & Top Contenders to Win
Every team remaining in the playoffs could win the cup. There is not a team like Montreal in 2021 that has played way above expectations to get to the conference finals. All four of these teams were stellar throughout the regular season and were popular picks to win the cup at the start of the playoffs. The Stars and Panthers have been among the best teams in the league from day one of the regular season. They’ve been consistent and strong with very few hiccups throughout the year. The Panthers overcame significant injuries early in the season and were able to surge past Boston to win the division late in the year. Finally, the Oilers overcame a disastrous first 20 games of the season to comfortably make the playoffs.
However, regular season results do not always tell the full story. With two rounds of playoff hockey behind us, we need to look at the results and how each team has gotten to this point. Based on how they’ve played throughout the playoffs thus far we’d rank the likeliness of winning the Stanley Cup in this order, Stars, Panthers, Rangers, Oilers.
NHL Betting Tips, Odds & Previews
With the quality of the four remaining teams so close, it’s viable to bet on any of them to win the cup. On Stake Sportsbook , the odds are listed in this order: Panthers, Stars, Oilers, and Rangers. The first three teams are relatively close in odds before a full-point dropoff to the Rangers. If you want your best chance of winning, it’s a good idea to look at the injuries each team has sustained and how the regular season matchup went. If you can find gaps in odds value by hearing about injuries from insiders before sportsbooks update their odds, you can get an edge.
Finally, always play within your means. Gambling is fun in moderation but can be dangerous. Always engage in responsible gaming practices when placing your bets.
Types of Bets & How to Bet on NHL
Moneyline: Wager on which team will win a game .
Spread: Similar to betting on the moneyline, but more complex. With spread betting , you must bet on one side of the spread or the other. So, if Dallas and Edmonton are playing and the Stars are favored by a spread of 1.5, they must beat Edmonton by at least 2 goals to cover the spread. If they win the game but only by one goal, betting on Edmonton would be the correct wager.
Totals: Here a number of goals is set, and you must wager on whether there will be more or less goals in the game. The total is the combined goals between the two teams.
Futures: As the name suggests, these are wagers on future events . Here you can make your 2024 Stanley Cup picks , wager on award winners, and bet on scoring leaders.
Prop: Proposition bets allow you to wager on specific events happening in a game, like a player scoring a goal, how many penalty minutes they’ll get, or how many saves a goalie will make.
Parlay: Parlay wagers involve combining several bets into one.
Live: Live betting involves wagering on a game while it’s happening. In-play betting is always a great idea to supplement your pre-match bets. Learn more about the differences between pre-match and live betting with our guide .
Live Stream Hockey Online at Stake Sportsbook
If you’re looking for a place to stream the Stanley Cup playoffs, look no further than Stake.com . Here you can stream all NHL hockey live and free !
Bet on Hockey with Best Odds on Stake Sportsbook
If you need a sportsbook to make your 2024 Stanley Cup picks, you can visit Stake. There you can place bets on the NHL playoffs as they unfold. While betting, we always encourage our users to follow responsible gambling practices. Only gamble with money you’re prepared to lose. If you win, that’s great, but you need to be prepared to lose anything you wager.
When betting, keep an eye on our updated odds to give yourself the best chance to maximize your winnings. Visit Stake today to get access to some of the best odds for ice hockey and other sports today!
