Eight teams remain in the 2024-2025 Stanley Cup hunt as the postseason rolls into its second round.
Sportsbooks see a tight race for championship honors. The field was whittled down with the early exits of the St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild, Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils, Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Ottawa Senators.
Now three teams headline the list of favorites: The Dallas Stars, Carolina Hurricanes, and Florida Panthers. Following is a glance at the current Stanley Cup odds and a closer look at the five leading contenders.
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Stanley Cup odds: Dallas Stars (+470 at Caesars)
The Stars stiffened their spines through a thrilling seven-game series against the Avalanche, ultimately coming out on top 4-2 in the series’ final contest to advance to the second round.
They’re now poised to take on the Winnipeg Jets, who survived a Game 7 double-overtime tilt to take down the St. Louis Blues.
Winger Mikko Rantanen’s hat trick sealed the deal in Dallas’ come-from-behind win in Game 7 while adding some salt into the wounds of Avalanche fans in the process. Rantanen was shipped off to Carolina in January after a decade in Colorado, only to land with Dallas and deal his former team a quick playoff exit.
Rantanen has 12 points in the postseason so far.
The Stars could also be receiving some help in the form of players returning from injury, as they were without forward Jason Robertson and defenseman Miro Heiskanen in the opening round. With Rantanen in top form and the potential return of key playmakers, you can see why sportsbooks have the Stars as slight favorites to hoist the Cup.
Stanley Cup odds: Carolina Hurricanes (+500 at bet365)
Carolina dispatched New Jersey quite easily in the first round, taking the series 4-1.
They have Metropolitan foes Alex Ovechkin and Washington next on the docket, which should prove an entertaining matchup. The Hurricanes have reached the Eastern Conference final twice in the last six seasons and are angling for their third appearance.
In the opening round,v Carolina was masterful when shorthanded, not allowing a power-play goal to the Devils. The ‘Canes will look to build on that lock-down defense moving through the remainder of the playoff slate.
Stanley Cup odds: Florida Panthers (+575 at Caesars)
Third on the list is where you begin to see a bit of a drop-off in the odds.
The Panthers are roughly only 100 odds points behind the favored Stars, but far from the razor-thin margin separating Dallas and the Hurricanes. You can chalk that up to Florida’s second-round opening loss (5-4) to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday.
But ever with the Panthers trailing 1-0 in the series, sportsbooks still favor them to take home the Cup over Toronto.
Likely Hall of Famer Sergei Bobrovsky has only conceded 17 goals through six games in the postseason, and sports a .886 save percentage.
The Panthers have won 39 playoff games since 2021, and buoyed by offensive threats Carter Verhaeghe, Aleksander Barkov, and Matthew Tkachuk, it’s easy to see why oddsmakers are bullish on the Panthers.
Stanley Cup odds: Edmonton Oilers (+600 at DraftKings)
The Oilers got off to an inauspicious start in the first round, falling into a 0-2 series hole against the Los Angeles Kings. Edmonton showed its resilience, though, by storming back and reeling off four straight wins to advance.
Vegas is on deck in the second round, and topping a seasoned playoff team in the Golden Knights would do wonders for the Oilers’ confidence and campaign to bring the Stanley Cup north of the border.
Edmonton fell one goal short of capturing the Cup a year ago when it fell to Florida in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
With Connor McDavid healthy, the Oilers are well-positioned to make some noise in the second round and beyond. He’s sitting on 11 points (two goals, nine assists) so far in the postseason.
Stanley Cup odds: Toronto Maple Leafs (+700 at FanDuel)
According to the oddsmakers, the Maple Leafs also represent one of Canada’s best shots at hoisting the Stanley Cup since the Canadiens took home the championship in 1993.
Toronto won the Battle of Ontario in six games over Ottawa, and currently boasts the one-game lead over Florida in the second round. It wasn’t an easy victory over their provincial rivals, however, as the Leafs required three overtime victories in the opening series.
Winger William Nylander made his presence felt in the postseason so far, notching 12 points — including a two-goal, assist performance in Game 1 against the Panthers. He will need to continue keeping opposing defenses on notice if the Maple Leafs hope to go all the way and end the franchise’s 58-year Cup drought.
