The Stanley Cup futures have shifted in recent days after the Florida Panthers took a 3-0 advantage in their series with the Toronto Maple Leafs, despite being a heavy underdog to move on.
Paul Maurice’s squad is now the favorite to lift Lord Stanley, while Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers are just behind them.
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Boy, what a story. The Panthers sit at +350 odds at Bodog which is above every other team left in the playoffs. Despite barely getting into the postseason, Florida has put their brilliance on full display. The first round saw them shock the NHL world by eliminating the President’s Trophy winner Boston Bruins, one of the best teams we’ve ever seen in the league.
Joe Pavelski joined an exclusive club tonight ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/UlvpJSyhLJ
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 10, 2023
The Maple Leafs were then licking their chops after taking down the Tampa Bay Lightning, but the Panthers have absolutely had their way with Toronto and can pull out the brooms on Wednesday while booking their spot in the conference finals in the process. From Matthew Tkachuk to Carter Verhaeghe, Maurice has a very well-rounded offense and an elite netminder in Sergei Bobrovsky. This team has all the talent to go all the way.
The Oilers have a stacked roster. With the best player in the world in Connor McDavid and arguably the second-best in Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton is a force to be reckoned with. After making the conference finals last season, Jay Woodcroft’s group still has every opportunity to finally lift the Cup.
But, in this Golden Knights series, the Oilers aren’t looking great. Game 1 saw them lose 6-4 before bouncing back with a big 5-1 win in Game 2. However, Game 3 was brutal, losing 5-1 this time around. There’s a sense of inconsistency with Edmonton though, which is concerning. McDavid and Draisaitl were completely shut down on Monday. On a more positive note, they’re only down 2-1 in the series. The Oilers’ Stanley Cup dreams are still alive at a lot of NHL betting sites.
Despite losing one of their best players in Andrei Svechnikov to a knee injury before the playoffs, the Canes are rolling. They first took care of the Islanders in the first round before outscoring the Devils 11-1 through the first two games of the second round. However, New Jersey bounced back Sunday and smashed Carolina 8-4.
Is it tomorrow yet? 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/SP380xmXUr
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) May 10, 2023
Regardless, the Canes were an elite team all season long and the Bruins were seen as their biggest threat. Sure, the Panthers are playing very well, but Carolina has what it takes to get past them.
Stanley Cup? Vegas has been there before. The Golden Knights lost in the Finals in 2018 and also made the conference finals in 2020 and 2021. Bruce Cassidy’s squad was the top team in the Western Conference in 2022-23 but they definitely have their hands full with the Oilers. The Kraken or Stars would be next for a chance to play for Lord Stanley.
Toronto’s Stanley Cup aspirations are basically out of the window at this point. Dallas and Seattle meanwhile are playing each other and have the second and third-worst odds to win the Cup. That being said, both clubs are solid, despite a lack of playoff experience. The Kraken just destroyed the Stars 7-2 on Sunday to take a 2-1 series lead, therefore it’s frankly unknown who could move on. Needless to say, it’s going to be an exciting finish to the playoffs. For bettors, it’s best to put a bit of money down on several teams right now because the odds will only shorten as teams bow out.
