The NHL Conference Finals are set, with four teams vying for the greatest trophy in sports: the Stanley Cup.
The puck will drop for Game 1 of the Western Conference Final between the Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday night. Then, the Eastern Conference Final matchup between the Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens will begin on Thursday.
To prepare for the penultimate round of the playoffs, here are some of my NHL Conference Finals best bets.
All NHL odds used for these Conference Finals predictions are current as of Tuesday, May 19, and courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
NHL Conference Finals Predictions
Hurricanes vs Canadiens: Over 5.5 Games (-145)
This series total games line is interesting because the Hurricanes needed just four games to advance in Rounds 1 and 2, while the Canadiens played seven games against the Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning.
I expect this series to meet somewhere in the middle.
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Montreal beat Carolina in all three regular-season contests between these teams, but the Habs have exerted much more energy to reach this point. Martin St. Louis’ squad also doesn’t have the experience that the Canes do at this stage of the competition.
That said, Carolina could certainly be affected by its historic 12-day layoff between rounds, especially in Game 1 on home ice. Given these factors, I’m backing this series to go at least six games as one of my best NHL bets today.
Avalanche -1.5 Games vs Golden Knights (-120)
The Golden Knights have played their best hockey of the season over the last month-plus, but I’m not convinced that it’s going to be enough to take down the Avalanche.
Colorado won the Presidents’ Trophy with 121 points and has shown no signs of slowing down in the postseason, sweeping the Los Angeles Kings and eliminating a Minnesota Wild team that earned 104 points in five games.
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Vegas topped the Pacific Division with 95 points and needed six games to get past the Utah Mammoth and Anaheim Ducks, who both recorded 92 points, the second-fewest of any playoff team. For reference, 95 points wasn’t enough for the Washington Capitals to make the postseason in the East.
While I think the Golden Knights are better than their regular-season resume would suggest, I don’t see the Avalanche needing more than six games to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.
