The NHL has joined the NBA and MLB with a return to play plan, but unlike the other two sports, the NHL will forego the rest of their regular season and jump right into the playoffs. The NHL is letting 24 of their 31 teams into the Stanley Cup playoffs with eight teams getting first round byes, while the other 16 meet in what they are calling Stanley Cup Qualifiers. Games will be held in Toronto and Edmonton. Let’s look at the Stanley Cup Playoff schedule, matchups, Stanley Cup playoff odds and a couple of picks.
Stanley Cup Playoff Schedule
Qualifiers and Round-Robins Begin – August 1
First Round Series Begin – August 11
Second Round Series Begin – August 25 (tentative)
Conference Finals Begin – September 8 (tentative)
Stanley Cup Final Begins – September 22 (tentative)
The Stanley Cup qualifiers begin on August 1 and will be best-of-five series. While those series are taking place there will be a round-robin between the top four teams in each conference to determine seeds for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The second round series, Conference finals and Stanley Cup Final will all be best-of-seven series.
Eastern Conference Byes – Boston, Tampa Bay, Washington, Philadelphia
Western Conference Byes – St. Louis, Colorado, Vegas, Dallas
Eastern Conference Qualifiers (Series Prices)
Pittsburgh Penguins -220 vs. Montreal Canadiens
Carolina Hurricanes -145 vs. New York Rangers
New York Islanders -125 vs. Florida Panthers
Toronto Maple Leafs -160 vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
Western Conference Qualifiers (Series Prices)
Edmonton Oilers -165 vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Nashville Predators -135 vs. Arizona Coyotes
Vancouver Canucks -125 vs. Minnesota Wild
Calgary Flames -120 vs. Winnipeg Jets
Odds to Win 2020 Stanley Cup
Tampa Bay Lightning +555
Boston Bruins +675
Vegas Golden Knights +850
Colorado Avalanche +865
St. Louis Blues +1025
Washington Capitals +1200
Philadelphia Flyers +1245
Pittsburgh Penguins +1525
Dallas Stars +1700
Toronto Maple Leafs +1700
Edmonton Oilers +1950
Nashville Predators +3000
Arizona Coyotes +3450
Minnesota Wild +3500
New York Rangers +3600
Vancouver Canucks +3750
Calgary Flames +4000
Carolina Hurricanes +4200
Florida Panthers +4200
New York Islanders +4500
Columbus Blue Jackets +5000
Winnipeg Jets +5000
Chicago Blackhawks +6000
Montreal Canadiens +6300
Stanley Cup Playoff Picks
Picking this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs will be like nothing else in history. There will be no home ice advantage, as all games will be played in Toronto and Edmonton with no fans. Forget about Edmonton and Toronto having any home ice edge, as every team is going to be playing with no fans and in the same arena. That means throw out home and road records during the regular season. Perhaps you can look at some past history between the teams, but this entire COVID-19 situation is unique and anything can happen.
One thing we do know is that taking the plus money is probably going to be the way to go. These first round series are complete crapshoots and I am not sure it will be much different in the second round. I think it may be wise to play it very cautious early in these first round series in order to get an idea of which teams will thrive in this atmosphere and which ones will struggle.
If I was going to take a position on any of the first round matchups I would definitely look at Columbus at +160 vs. Toronto. The Maple Leafs are perennial chokers in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, while the Blue Jackets have a coach in John Tortorella who knows how to win playoff games.
I am not a huge fan of playing futures unless I get a lot of value, but I am looking at the New York Rangers. Keep in mind that they finished just 11 points behind Washington in the Metropolitan. I know that they finished 7th in the division, but there is not much separating any of those teams. The Capitals are listed at 12-1 to win the Cup and yet the Rangers are 36-1.
I don’t see that type of difference in terms of the team’s chances so there could be some value on New York at big odds. That is the only team I would consider in Stanley Cup futures at the moment. There should be some good live betting opportunities once the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin and perhaps some value in updated series prices.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
