2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Betting Preview

Welcome to the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Preview. In this article, I’ll share my thoughts about each series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, as well as my favorite NHL Series props.

The odds can change quickly in the NHL, so take advantage of our Prop Shop for the best possible number, and check out our Pick Tracker for all of my picks. I’ll be active in our Discord throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs. We’re also going to have NHL DFS articles.

Join our free Dangle Bet Celly NHL Bracket Challenge!

On Friday’s episode of DBC, Eric Young and I previewed each round in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. We also shared our NHL bracket, which you can see in this article. If you have any questions, whether it’s about NHL future bets, series props, or fantasy hockey playoff pools, please reach out @chrismeaney. A friendly reminder, you can also listen to Dangle Bet Celly on iTunes and Spotify.

Playoff Pool Strategy

My strategy in playoff pools, such as a box pool or snake draft, is to load up on 2 to 4 teams you think will go to the Conference Finals. There’s no point in picking players who will play against each other in the first round. You also don’t want to represent more than three teams in a conference. Take a stand and go all in on your final four. Things may get weird along the way, but have a core of at least two teams.

Players from the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes will fly off the board because of their first-round matchups. Artemi Panarin, Sebastian Aho, and Jake Guentzel are safe early picks after the big boys come off the board. If you pick eighth or later in a draft, you may miss out on some of the top players on teams you like, so you may have to go another way. I’m on the Panthers, but if most of their top players get drafted early and I don’t get a piece of them, I may consider going the other way with Tampa Bay if they continue to fall.

For example, Nikita Kucherov or Brayden Point aren’t on my radar but I’d consider taking them if they were available 10-12 picks into the draft. Even if you don’t believe in the Lightning, those two could rack up 20 points in a seven-game series. I’ll never forget the year I ended up with players from the Los Angeles Rams because they kept falling in drafts. Luckily they won the Super Bowl that season. It’s the playoffs, and upsets are going to happen. Nobody was on Florida as the 8 seed last year and you likely won your pool if you drafted them.

Your draft room may stay clear of teams like Dallas and Vegas because they don’t know who will win. That’s fair because that series is difficult to call. However, both teams have what it takes to go the distance and I think if you can get a few players on one of those two teams you may have some success.

Props in bold are my favorites.

Eastern Conference 

(M1) New York Rangers vs. (WC2) Washington Capitals

Rangers -450 (55-23-4, 114 PTS), Capitals +340 (40-31-11, 91 PTS)

Head-to-Head Matchup

Series Tied 2-2
GF:GA 9-9 

NYR 0 @ WSH 4
WSH 1 @ NYR 5
NYR 2@ WSH 3
WSH 1@ NYR 2

Team Leaders 

Goals

Artemi Panarin — 49
Chris Kreider — 39
Alexis Lafreniere — 38

Alex Ovechkin — 31
Dylan Strome — 27
Tom Wilson — 18

Points 

Artemi Panarin — 120
Vincent Trocheck — 77
Chris Kreider — 75

Dylan Strome — 67
Alex Ovechkin — 65
John Carlson — 52

Breakdown 

• The most lopsided matchup in the first round.
• The Rangers had 15 more wins and 23 more points than the Capitals.
• NYR league-best 30-11-0 at home.
• Goal differential: NYR +53, WSH -37
• Washington’s 18 road wins tied for the lowest among playoff teams (NYI, VGK)
• Only 18 goals in the four games. Expect a low-scoring series. 
• WSH is last in goals per game among playoff teams (29th overall).
• WSH bottom four in goals at 5v5 and dead last in shots.
• NYR has the third-best power play and penalty kill.
• The Caps ranked in the bottom half in power play and penalty kill.

The Rangers are not a fantastic 5v5 team as they ranked in the bottom half in goals and high-danger chances, but they have very strong special teams. The Capitals have issues scoring goals, so I believe special teams will be huge in this series. 

Prediction

Rangers in 5

Series Props

Rangers -1.5 -190 DK, Artemi Panarin Most Points +150 DK, Rangers Sweep 4-0 +500 DK .25u, Chris Kreider Most Goals +600 BETMGM

(M2) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (M3) New York Islanders

Hurricanes -340 (52-23-7, 111 PTS), Islanders +280 (39-27-16, 94 PTS)

Head-to-Head Matchup

Series Tied 2-2
GF:GA 16-14 (CAR)

CAR 4 @ NYI 3 OT
NYI 5 @ CAR 4 OT
NYI 5 @ CAR 4 
CAR 4 @ NYI 1

Team Leaders 

Goals 

Sebastian Aho — 36
Seth Jarvis — 33
Jake Guentzel — 30

Brock Nelson — 34
Bo Horvat — 33
Kyle Palmieri — 30

Points 

Sebastian Aho — 89
Jake Guentzel — 77
Seth Jarvis — 67

Mathew Barzal — 80
Noah Dobson — 70
Brock Nelson — 69

Breakdown

• CAR 27-10-4 at home; second-most home wins in East.
• Goal Differential: CAR +63, NYI -17.
• 30 combined goals in four games, which is surprising to me. I don’t expect a lot of offense.
• The road team won all four games in the regular season.
• The Hurricanes were top 10 in goals and top five in goals against.
• NYI scored the second-fewest goals among playoff teams.
• Carolina ranks second in power play and first in penalty kill percentage. 
• The Islanders have the worst PK in the league. 
•  Carolina ranked second in shots at 5v5/60, and they allowed the fewest.

Normally I fade the Hurricanes in the playoffs, but I loved the additions of Jake Guentzel and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Both have Stanley Cups on their resume and they give Carolina a more balanced attack. Carolina is a much better 5v5 team with the best special teams in the game. 

Prediction

Hurricanes in 6

Series Props 

CAR -1.5 -155, Jake Guentzel Most Goals +600 DK, Jake Guentzel Shots Leader +900 BETMGM, Jake Guentzel 3 Goals In Series +120 FD, Martin Necas Most Goals +1100 DK .25

(A1) Florida Panthers vs. (WC1) Tampa Bay Lightning

Panthers -180 (52-24-6, 110 PTS), vs. Lightning +150 (45-29-8, 98 PTS)

Head-to-Head Matchup

FLA 2-1
GF:GA 15-9 (FLA)

FLA 3 @ TB 2
FLA 9 @ TB 2
TB 5 @ FLA 3

Team Leaders 

Goals

Sam Reinhart — 57
Carter Verhaeghe — 34
Matthew Tkachuk — 26

Brayden Point — 46
Nikita Kucherov — 44
Steven Stamkos — 40

Points

Sam Reinhart — 94
Matthew Tkachuk — 88
Aleksander Barkov — 80

Nikita Kucherov — 144
Brayden Point — 90
Steven Stamkos — 81

Breakdown 

• Florida scored 15 goals in three games vs. TB.
• FLA 26 road wins; most in the East (tied w/ Dallas).
• The Panthers allowed the fewest goals and had a league-best +68 goal differential.
• TB fifth in goals per game and FLA ranked 11th. We should see offense!
• Tampa Bay has the best PP% in the NHL, but FLA has the sixth-best PK%.

Along with Dallas, Florida is our team here at FTN. We already cashed a 4-1 future thanks to their division title and we’re hoping to cash an 18-1 Stanley Cup ticket on them as well. This isn’t an easy matchup and Tampa does come with a bit of value in the betting market, but the Panthers are more complete. They’re strong in goal, better at 5v5, and have more to offer on the blue line than the Lightning. Tampa Bay is thin on the blue line without Mikhail Sergachev. I was originally leaning Florida in 5 or 6, but Andrei Vasilevskiy could steal a couple of games. Both teams know exactly what it takes to get to the SCF. This should be a fun series.

Prediction

Panthers in 7

Series Props

Carter Verhaeghe 3 Goals In Series +150 FD, Carter Verhaeghe Most Goals +900 DK .5u, Verhaeghe Most Shots +850 BETMGM .5u, Tanner Jeannot Most Hits +650 BETMGM, Anthony Duclair 2 Goals In Series +150 FD, Vladimir Tarasenko Most Goals 66-1 BETMGM .10u

(A2) Boston Bruins vs. (A3) Toronto Maple Leafs

Bruins -125 (47-20-15, 109 PTS), vs. Maple Leafs +105 (46-26-10, 102 PTS)

Head-to-Head Matchup

BOS 4-1
GF:GA 15-7 (BOS)

TOR 2 @ BOS 3 SO
BOS 4 @ TOR 3 OT
BOS 4 @ TOR 1
TOR 1 @ BOS 4

Team Leaders

Goals 

David Pastrnak — 47
Brad Marchand — 29
Charlie Coyle — 25

Austin Matthews — 69
William Nylander — 40
John Tavares — 29

Points

David Pastrnak — 110
Brad Marchand — 67
Charlie Coyle — 60

Auston Matthews — 107
William Nylander — 98
Mitchell Marner — 85

Breakdown 

• TOR ranked second in goals per game, but Boston allowed 39 fewer goals.
• Boston won all four matchups and they’ve won seven straight against Toronto. 
• Two of those four wins by BOS came in March. 
• BOS has three series wins against TOR since 2012-13. 
• BOS has the seventh-best PK and the Maple Leafs rank 23rd in PK%. 

I rarely ever back this Maple Leafs’ core. I don’t think they have what it takes to go on a deep run, but I don’t think the Bruins do either. I believe Boston is more sound in goal, they have the experience and the better penalty kill unit, which could limit Toronto’s offense, but I think they lack depth down the middle of the ice. I believe the Maple Leafs dodged a bullet getting Boston over Florida, and I think their skill will take over at 5v5. The Bruins don’t have their shutdown center in Patrice Bergeron this season, and I think that catches up to them in the playoffs. They aren’t as deep at the center position this season as in the past. They’ve also had a difficult time finding consistent offense outside of David Pastrnak.

UPDATE: William Nylander wasn’t available for practice Friday and he’s a “possibility” for tomorrow. If he were to miss Game 1, this would be enough for me to switch to Boston. Even if it’s just one game, that’s huge with this series starting in Boston. Check back on Saturday for more series props in this game.

Prediction

TOR in 7

Series Props

Brad Marchand 2 Goals In Series -135 FD, Mitch Marner 2 Goals In Series -120 FD, Tyler Bertuzzi 2 Goals In Series +105 FD

Western Conference 

(C1) Dallas Stars vs. (WC2) Vegas Golden Knights

Stars -130 (52-21-9, 113 PTS), Golden Knights +108 (45-28-8, 98 PTS)

Head-to-Head Matchup

VGK 3-0
GF:GA 11-4 (VGK)

DAL 2 @ VGK 3 SO
VGK 2 @ DAL 1 OT
VGK 6 @ DAL 1

Team Leaders

Goals 

Wyatt Johnston — 32
Roope Hintz — 30
Jason Robertson — 29

Jonathan Marchessault — 42
Jack Eichel — 30
William Karlsson — 30

Points

Jason Robertson — 80
Joe Pavelski — 67
Matt Duchene — 65

Jonathan Marchessault — 69
Jack Eichel — 67
William Karlsson — 59

Breakdown 

• These teams haven’t played each other since Dec. 9.
• DAL’s 26 wins on the road tied with FLA for the most in the NHL.
• DAL has eight 20-goal scorers (most in the NHL). They ranked third in goals per game.
• Vegas is 14th in goals per game but reinforcements (Mark Stone) are on the way. 
• Dallas has a top-eight power play and penalty kill. VGK ranks in the middle of the pack. 

We have a Stanley Cup future on the Dallas Stars from before the season started, so we’re thrilled at FTN with the strong regular season. However, this isn’t the matchup we wanted to see. The defending Stanley Cup champion Golden Knights were big winners at the deadline, and it sounds like Stone will be ready to go in time for Game 1 just like he was last season. This is a rematch of the Western Conference Finals from a year ago, which was fantastic, but this is also a bummer! This series may be the best of the eight to watch, it’s too bad one will be bounced in the first round. I’m not wavering on the Stars. I believe they’re the most complete team in hockey. I know Vegas can flip the switch, but they’re not fully healthy and haven’t had great goaltending from Adin Hill lately. Give me Dallas, but I won’t lie to you, I’m hedging my future ticket with Vegas because whoever wins this series could represent the West in the Conference Finals. Dallas is a bit deeper this season than last year with the addition of Matt Duchene, the emergence of Wyatt Johnston, and rookie Logan Stankoven.

Prediction

Stars in 7

Series Props

Tyler Seguin 2 Goals In Series -105 FD, Jamie Benn 2 Goals In Series +140 FD, William Karlsson 2 Goals In Series +115 FD, Wyatt Johnston Most Goals +1200 BETMGM, .5u, Tyler Seguin Most Goals +1500 DK .25u

(C2) Winnipeg Jets vs. (C3) Colorado Avalanche

Jets +115 (52-24-6, 110 PTS), vs. Avalanche -135 (50-25-7, 107 PTS)

Head-to-Head Matchup

WPG 3-0
GF:GA 15-4 (WPG)

WPG 4 @ COL 2
COL 2 @ WPG 6
WPG 7 @ COL 0

Team Leaders

Goals 

Kyle Connor — 34
Tyler Toffoli — 33
Sean Monahan — 26

Nathan MacKinnon — 51
Mikko Rantanen — 42
Valeri Nichushkin — 28

Points

Mark Scheifele — 72
Josh Morrissey — 69
Nikolaj Ehlers — 61

Nathan MacKinnon — 140
Mikko Rantanen — 104
Cale Makar — 90

Breakdown 

• COL was first in goals but the Jets allowed the fewest goals against. 
• COL has a top-five power play compared to a bottom 10 for the Jets.
• The Jets won all three matchups and outscored COL 15-4.
• WPG spanked COL 7-0 last week to grab home ice. 
• Goaltending will be the difference in this series and the Jets have a massive edge. 

The Avs are top-heavy and have the three best skaters in this series with MacKinnon, Rantanen, and Makar, but this is a tough matchup. The Jets were successful against Colorado this season. They’re a deeper team, especially in the bottom six. They have a great shutdown center in Adam Lowry and Connor Hellebuyck is the best goalie in the league. Colorado’s Alexandar Georgiev will have to be much better than he’s been in the regular season. I have a feeling he’ll have a short leash and we could see Justus Annunen between the pipes at some point. If that were the case, I’d like the Avs’ chances at a potential comeback should they fall behind in the series. The Jets are extremely deep down the middle of the ice, and the additions of Sean Monahan and Tyler Toffoli will help their power play.

Prediction

Jets in 7

Series Props

Nathan MacKinnon Series Shot Leader -110 BETMGM, Gabriel Vilardi 2 Goals In Series -135 FD, Nikolaj Ehlers 2 Goals In Series +105 FD, Kyle Connor Most Goals +600 DK .5u, Gabriel Vilardi Most Goals +1500 .25u

(P1) Vancouver Canucks vs. (WC1) Nashville Predators

Canucks -150 (50-23-9, 109 PTS), Predators +130 (47-30-5, 99 PTS)

Head-to-Head Matchup

VAN 3-0
GF:GA 13-6 (VAN)

VAN 3 @ NSH 2
NSH 2@ VAN 5
VAN 5 @ NSH 2

Team Leaders

Goals 

Brock Boeser — 40
J.T. Miller — 37
Elias Pettersson — 34

Filip Forsberg — 48
Ryan O’Reilly — 26
Roman Josi — 23

Points

J.T. Miller — 103
Quinn Hughes — 92
Elias Pettersson — 89

Filip Forsberg — 94
Roman Josi — 85
Gustav Nyquist — 75

Breakdown 

• All three wins by VAN came before Dec. 19.
• Both top 10 teams in goals per game; VAN 6th, NSH 10th.
• Canucks have a slightly better power play and penalty kill.
• Both teams have 27 wins since Jan. 1, despite a 10-point gap in the standings. 
• Nashville’s 21-7-3 record and 45 points since Feb. 1 ranks fourth and second in the West behind DAL.
• The Canucks only have 38 points since Feb. 1, but they were without Thatcher Demko.

This is the toughest series for me to call. I want to believe in the recent run by the Predators, and I don’t want to believe in the season Vancouver had. Don’t get me wrong, they had a great season and they have superstars, but I think they had quite a bit of puck luck (highest 5v5 shooting percentage) and I think they have holes in their top six, outside of Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller, and Brock Boeser. With that said, they have more offense than Nashville and if they can shut down their top line they should handle the Predators. Demko’s return makes me lean toward Vancouver, but I don’t think either team will go deep. Elias Lindholm hasn’t lived up to expectations yet, but he could be a difference-maker on the third line with Conor Garland.

Prediction

Canucks in 7

Series Props

Conor Garland 2 Goals -120 FD, Gustav Nyquist 2 Goals In Series -115 FD, Brock Boeser Most Goals +700 BETMGM .5u, Conor Garland Most Goals +1300 BETMGM .25u

(P2) Edmonton Oilers vs. (P3) Los Angeles Kings

Oilers -190 (49-27-6, 104 PTS), vs. Angeles Kings +160 (44-27-11, 99 PTS)

Head-to-Head Matchup

EDM 3-1
GF:GA 11-9 (EDM)

EDM 3 @ LA 2 OT
EDM 0 @ LA 4
LA 2 @ EDM 4
LA 1@ EDM 4

Team Leaders

Goals 

Zach Hyman — 54
Leon Draisaitl — 41
Connor McDavid — 32

Trevor Moore — 31
Kevin Fiala — 29
Adrian Kempe — 28

Points

Connor McDavid — 132
Leon Draisaitl -106
Evan Bouchard — 82

Adrian Kempe — 74
Kevin Fiala — 73
Anze Kopitar — 70

Breakdown 

• Meeting in the first round for the third straight season.
• EDM ranks fourth in goals; LA ranks in 16th.
• Both teams have a top-12 power play, but EDM ranks fourth (LA 11th).
• The Kings have the second-best PK in the league. 
• LA allowed the third-fewest goals this season. 

Only the Panthers and Jets allowed fewer goals than the Kings (2.56) this season. Cam Talbot was awesome to start the season, but he’s been awful in the second half. I think his game is more like the game we’ve seen over the past couple of months. The Kings are deep but haven’t had the best track record against the Oilers. Goaltending will be the difference in the series. Edmonton’s addition of Adam Henrique allows them to split up McDavid and Draisaitl.

Prediction

Oilers in 6

Series Props

Connor McDavid Most Points -115 FD, Zach Hyman Most Goals +500 DK .5u, Adrian Kempe Most Goals +850 BETMGM .25u, Trevor Moore Most Goals +1800 BETMGM .15u, Trevor Moore 2 Goals In Series +105 FD