The playoffs carry on. The grueling 82-game regular season is behind us and the field of 32 NHL teams looking for a Stanley Cup championship continues to dwindle.
With Florida taking the East after sweeping the Carolina Hurricanes, the West will come down to Vegas or Dallas.
2023 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Series Prices
Here's a look at the two series left and who should book their ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals in both the Eastern and Western conferences.
Carolina Hurricanes vs Florida Panthers Series Odds
| Team | Opening Odds |
|---|---|
| Carolina Hurricanes | -135 |
| Florida Panthers | +115 |
Odds as of May 25
Florida Panthers Wins Series: 4-0
I should have just stuck with my original bet, eh? That's what happens when you chase profits. I initially took Florida to win the series outright at +115. I changed that to say Florida will win the series in five games at double the profit from my initial bet.
And I was wrong. Carolina didn't have enough fight to win at least one game in this series. A costly mistake at the end of the game settled the series.
With the game tied in the last minute of play, Jordan Staal took a tripping penalty against Gustav Forsling and Matthew Takchuk made them pay with only 4.9 seconds remaining in regulation.
Best Bet: Florida to win series 4-1 (+330)
Vegas Golden Knights vs Dallas Stars Odds
| Team | Current Odds | Opening Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Vegas Golden Knights | -1800 | -135 |
| Dallas Stars | +1000 | +115 |
Odds as of May 25
Vegas Golden Knights Lead Series: 3-0
Alright, I waited to see if Dallas would wake up in the Western Conference Finals as the series shifted to the American Airlines Center. And the Stars failed that test, hard.
Jake Oettinger was horrible allowing three goals on five shots in the first seven minutes of the game. Captain Jamie Benn was given a game misconduct less than two minutes into the contest. And then he decided he wouldn't speak to the media after the game. Oh, and the Stars didn't score a single goal on 28 shots.
Dallas is spiraling out of control. So with that, I'm going full 180 with my best bet. Not only am I taking the Knights to win the series, but I'm going to say they complete the sweep.
I know I just said it's hard to put teams away in the playoffs, but the Stars are making it easy for Vegas right now. Dallas's "star goalie" is in terrible form with a 0.848SV% and 4.62GAA, they barely get any offense with 1.67 goals per game in this series and their captain lacks leadership.
No goaltending, no offense and no direction? It's falling apart for the team from the Lonestar state. They're done.
Best Bet: Knights win series 4-0 (+105)
