NHL Playoffs Betting Preview

The 2024-25 NHL regular season has finally come to an end, and that means we’re just a little more than a day away from the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. We’ve ended the season super strong and finished up nearly 20 units after a big season finale. Still, there’s a lot more money to be made through the next couple months, and I’m going to kick things off with FTN’s NHL Playoff Betting Preview.

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Eastern Conference Bets

Montreal Canadiens Series Win vs. Capitals 

+260, DraftKings, 2 units to win 5.2 units

The Capitals have been extremely good throughout the season but have hit a clear lull ever since Alex Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky’s goal record nearly two weeks ago. You definitely want teams to be showing some sort of consistency when you head into the playoffs, and I don’t feel we’re seeing anything even close to that from the Capitals. The biggest red flag for me is their goaltending situation. The Capitals went the entire season giving Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren a 50/50 split. Thompson has been the clear No. 1 throughout the season but has slumped over the last month or so. In fact, since March 1, Thompson has put up a negative GSAA, which is extremely uncharacteristic of him considering he has a 12.16 GSAA over the course of the entire season. 

With the playoffs here, you’re unlikely to see a 50/50 split at the goaltender position, and I expect to see Thompson get the starts unless he severely underperforms. He’ll likely be doing so as cold as can be, considering he hasn’t started since April 2. In contrast, there’s just been a lot to like about the Habs’ late-season run where they were actually carried by the likes of Nick Suzuki and Christian Dvorak. Dvorak’s second line with Josh Anderson and Brendan Gallagher has gotten better and better throughout the season. They are three hard-nosed vets who had all regressed leading up to the 2024-25 season and have had a bit of a renaissance. They’re a line that can carry the team through the ups and downs of playoff hockey.  I love the value we’re getting for a Habs series win on DraftKings and will take them for 2 units to win 5.2 units. 

Secondary Bet: Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup (+10000, DraftKings, 0.1 units to win 10 units)

Carolina Hurricanes/New Jersey Devils under 5.5 total games 

+124, FanDuel, 2 units to win 2.48 units

It’s truly difficult to see a world where the Devils are able to get out of a tough first-round matchup against the Hurricanes. They truly lack the necessary offensive firepower due to a season-ending injury to Jack Hughes. While Dougie Hamilton did return finally, I find it quite doubtful for him to immediately show up and provide significant impact against an always gritty and hard-hitting Hurricanes forecheck. The Hurricanes are going into the series well-rested and with their new deadline acquisitions fully acclimated to the team. I can’t see this series getting to six games, and considering we’re getting plus money on the series ending in four or five, this is simply a bet we have to take a shot on.  

Secondary Bet: Jackson Blake Series Top Goal Scorer (+1400, 0.2 units to win 2.8 units)

Western Conference Bets

Los Angeles Kings Series Win vs. Oilers 

+115, DraftKings, 3 units to win 3.45 units

You might want to be wary of this bet considering I am a known life-long Kings fan and I’m betting 3 units on a team to beat their playoff kryptonite, but I truly think it’s going to happen this year. This season’s version of the Kings is just a more complete unit. They have the ability to turn on the jets and score when needed, but their overall defense is just stifling at times. They will be counting on their goaltender, Darcy Kuemper, who has been the best goaltender not named Connor Hellebuyck this season. 

Kuemper’s 2.02 GAA and .922 SV% stat line would be the front-runner for the Vezina Trophy more often than not, but even with the Vezina out of play, the most important thing is that he should be able to perform at a level that gets them the extra game or two that was necessary for the team to overcome the dominance of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The McDavid/Draisaitl duo has been dealing with some nagging injuries recently, and it may get them off to a slow start. On top of that, the Oilers are getting some of the worst goaltending they’ve ever gotten, and will need either Stuart Skinner or Calvin Pickard to figure things out or they’ll get sent to Cancun pretty quickly. 

Secondary Bet: Los Angeles Kings win the Stanley Cup (+2000, BetMGM, 0.2 units to win 4 units)

Winnipeg Jets -1.5 games vs. Blues 

+110, DraftKings, 2 units to win 2.2 units

If you’ve been following my bets here at FTN over the last few months, you probably have made plenty of money betting on the Blues as they’ve made their miraculous run to snag a wild card spot in this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs. Unfortunately, their terrible start to the season put them in the absolute worst possible matchup – a meeting with the dominant Winnipeg Jets, who have had their number in recent years. From top to bottom, the Jets are easily the best team in the Western Conference. They’ve definitely suffered some tough first-round defeats in recent years, but losing to the eventual Stanley Cup Champions (VGK in 2022) and a stacked Avalanche team isn’t exactly shocking. 

They’ll need Connor Hellebuyck to continue to show his elite goaltending prowess if they are going to overcome their playoff struggles. Hellebuyck is going to have an outstanding group in front of him that has supported him extremely well at both ends of the ice, and I expect them to show up for this year’s postseason run. The Blues do not match up very well against the Jets. They have struggled against the Jets for the majority of the 2020s, and that includes a total of 14 losses in 17 meetings. I would feel more hopeful for the Blues if they had Dylan Holloway available, but it just doesn’t look like he’s going to be ready for the series. Even if he does play, it’s unlikely that he’ll have as much impact because of his lower-body injury. DraftKings has the Jets -1.5 series bet at a great price, and I’ll take it for 2 units to win 2.2 units. 

Secondary Bet: Kyle Connor Jets Series Top Goalscorer (+225, MGM, 1 unit to win 2.25 units)