The NHL season has reached it's business end as the playoffs look to set to begin to crown the 2024 Stanley Cup champion.
The Vegas Golden Knights have struggled to match their feats of last season, but there is no real, clear favorite heading into the postseason for who will come out on top with several teams fancying their chances of success.
We'll take a look at the favorites to come out on top and provide you with our best free NHL betting picks to see if we can earn you some extra cash along the way.
| NHL Stanley Cup 2024 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina Hurricanes | +650 | +700 | +650 |
| Dallas Stars | +750 | +800 | +750 |
| Edmonton Oilers | +750 | +800 | +650 |
| Florida Panthers | +750 | +700 | +700 |
| Colorado Avalanche | +850 | +800 | +650 |
| New York Rangers | +900 | +900 | +900 |
Learn more about how to bet on the NHL playoffs here.
NHL Stanley Cup 2024 information
- NHL Playoffs start date: April 20th 2024
- NHL Stanley Cup final: To end no later than June 24th, 2024
- Las Vegas Golden Knights defending champions
NHL Stanley Cup 2024 favorites
Below you'll find a list of favorites to win the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup.
Carolina Hurricanes - (+700)
Not only are the Canes again one of the stingiest teams in the NHL, with just 2.53 goals allowed per game on average for the third best defense, but general manager Don Waddell finally addressed the team’s offensive deficiencies at the trade deadline.
Waddell brought in a pair of former Stanley Cup champions in Evgeny Kuznetsov and Jake Guentzel to bolster Carolina’s offense, which has struggled to make an impact in the last five seasons of the playoffs where they should have done much better.
Those additions, along with the steady play of Sebastian Aho and healthy Andrei Svechnikov, should make the Hurricanes a bona fide Cup contender. With an exceptional defense and a pair of dynamite goalies in Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov, Carolina looks like a tough out this postseason.
At +700 there is tremendous value in backing them now, so don't waste too much time.
Check out our review for BetUS sports betting here.
Dallas Stars - (+800)
The Stars were the Western Conference runners-up last season have spent this season competing with the Colorado Avalanche and Winnipeg Jets for the Central Division lead.
The Stars have been to the NHL’s final four in two of the past four seasons, so they have playoff experience, and are committed to playing coach Peter DeBoer’s defense-first structure. The coach is also someone who is looking to put right his 0-2 record in finals, so there is plenty of motivation for them to get it right.
This season they have averaged 3.62 goals per game to rank third in the NHL, while defensively they are ranked 10th for goals allowed with an average of 2.85. They're only getting better too, so they could be a good bet.
History is not on their side however, having failed to win the big one since 1999, but now is as good an opportunity as ever for them.
Edmonton Oilers - (+800)
The Oilers have weathered an awful start to the season this year and are listed among the favorites to go all the way now.
Edmonton’s offense is never in doubt, led by reigning Hart Trophy winner Connor McDavid and 2020 MVP Leon Draisaitl. Edmonton really kicked on in January, catapulted by its record-breaking 16-game win streak that helped to cement a playoff spot in a wide-open division.
Goalie Stuart Skinner has recovered after his early-season struggles under coach Kris Knoblauch, who took over for previously fired Jay Woodcroft. Defensively they have accrued an average of 2.84 goals against per game, ranking them ninth in the NHL, but they haven't been the most convincing and those early-season issues are still bubbling so this feels like one to avoid.
Florida Panthers - (+750)
The defending Eastern Conference champions have been rolling and finally overtook Boston for the top spot in both the Atlantic Division and NHL standings, before acquiring sniper Vladimir Tarasenko and gritty forward Kyle Okposo to join their star-studded lineup before the trade deadline.
Florida is well-coached by veteran Paul Maurice, has already dealt with crucial injuries to stalwart defensive stars Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad, and still has an embarrassment of offensive riches led by Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe, that could easily lead them to success.
The big question for the Panthers will be in goal, with Sergei Bobrovsky still a doubt when it comes to dips in form. But if he can overcome those problems and have a good playoff run, then the Panthers are arguably the best team and the ones to stop.
Check out our review for BetOnline sports betting here.
Colorado Avalanche - (+850)
Colorado are an outside bet at this stage with odds of +850, which means that one of the strongest teams in the NHL has got tremendous value.
Colorado has been nearly unbeatable at Ball Arena this season with a 30-9-1 record this season. With Nathan MacKinnon, plus Cale Makar, Mikko Rantanen, and Devon Toews, the Avalanche look hard to beat so long as everyone is able to stay fit and healthy throughout the postseason.
There will no doubt be challenges but statistically they're very much in with a shout and with such quality on their roster, they simply cannot and should not be overlooked.
