The Stanley Cup Playoffs kick off this Saturday with some seriously intriguing matchups, including a David-versus-Goliath showdown between the red-hot St. Louis Blues and the league-leading Winnipeg Jets.
The Blues have been on an absolute tear, stringing together 12 straight wins and nearly running the table in their final 16 games to snag the last playoff spot in the West.
Saturday’s other opener features a Central Division grudge match between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche. These teams have some recent history – the Stars knocked out Colorado in last year’s playoffs.
The defending champion Florida Panthers will have to wait until Tuesday to start their title defense, facing off against their cross-state rivals, the Tampa Bay Lightning. It’s the second straight year these Florida teams have met in round one.
Talk about déjà vu – the Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers are meeting in the first round for the fourth year in a row. They’ll get started Monday in LA.
The rest of the playoff picture shapes up like this:
• Washington Capitals vs Montreal Canadiens
• Minnesota Wild vs Vegas Golden Knights
• New Jersey Devils vs Carolina Hurricanes
• Toronto Maple Leafs vs Ottawa Senators in the “Battle of Ontario”
Vegas oddsmakers see some clear favorites emerging. The Jets and Golden Knights are expected to cruise in the West, while Carolina, Washington, and Toronto are heavy favorites in their matchups.
But here’s where things get interesting for betting fans:
The Dallas Stars (+140) could be a smart pick despite being underdogs. They’ve got Jake Oettinger, one of the NHL’s top goalies this year, and a bunch of 20+ goal scorers. There’s some concern about Jason Robertson’s knee injury from the season finale, but this team has serious firepower.
The LA Kings (+115) might finally break their playoff curse against Edmonton. They were practically unbeatable at home this season, going 31-5-4, and they’ve got Darcy Kuemper between the pipes – the same guy who helped Colorado win it all in 2022.
Tampa Bay (-102) looks like a solid bet against Florida. With two 40-goal scorers and scoring champion Nikita Kucherov, they’re loaded offensively. Plus, the Panthers’ star Matthew Tkachuk is coming back from a long injury layoff and might need time to get back to form.
The playoffs are about to get wild, and these next few weeks should be absolutely electric.
