And then there were four.
The Edmonton Oilers outlasted the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 on Monday night, securing the final spot in the 2024 NHL Conference Finals.
But which two teams will advance to the Stanley Cup Final?
Let’s dig into the latest series odds and pick out our best bets for the NHL Conference Finals.
NHL odds used for these third-round predictions are current as of Tuesday, May 21, and courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
NHL Conference Finals Best Bets
Stars Win Series (-125) vs Oilers
The Oilers and Stars are no strangers to the Western Conference Final.
Dallas reached this stage last season, but it lost in six games to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights. Edmonton was swept in the 2022 West Final by the Cup-winning Colorado Avalanche.
Both teams will hope for a better result as they chase their franchise’s first Cup win this century. The Stars last won it all in 1999, while the Oilers’ last title came in 1990.
- Check out our top Stanley Cup 2024 predictions.
When it comes down to it, I’m backing Dallas to win this series for one significant reason: Jake Oettinger.
The Stars’ netminder has been the backbone of this franchise for the last three years and has been terrific this postseason. His 2.09 GAA is the best among the remaining goalies, and his .918 Sv% is second to New York’s Igor Shesterkin (.923).
Oettinger offers way more between the pipes than Edmonton’s Stuart Skinner (2.87 GAA and .881 Sv% this postseason), and that should be the crucial difference between two evenly-matched teams.
Back the Stars, who also have home-ice advantage and won two of the three regular-season meetings between these teams, as your hockey bet of the day.
Rangers vs Panthers: Series Goes Seven Games (+210)
The Panthers were on this stage last season and sensationally swept the Carolina Hurricanes to advance to the Stanley Cup Final, where they ultimately fell short against the Golden Knights.
However, I don’t see this Eastern Conference Final going quite so quickly.
- Wager on this series daily with our best NHL parlays today.
Florida has played 11 postseason games to this point, while New York has played only 10, so both teams should be at a similar level physically.
We also saw during the regular season that these teams were pretty evenly matched in terms of talent. The Rangers finished with four more points than the Panthers, but Florida got the better of the head-to-head meetings, going 2-0-1.
That doesn’t tell the whole story, though. The teams split a pair of 4-3 results, with the Rangers winning theirs via shootout, and the Panthers took the other game 4-2.
New York has the better goaltender in Igor Shesterkin and an advantage on special teams. Florida has a better defensive core and is more physical up front.
This series feels like it’ll be a back-and-forth battle, so I’m taking it to go the distance.
NHL Conference Finals Player Props
Leon Draisaitl: Most Points in Series (+310)
Draisaitl is the NHL postseason leader in points (24), scoring eight goals and adding 16 assists for the Oilers.
However, he is the second-favorite in this category behind Connor McDavid (+135) despite outproducing his teammate in the Vancouver series.
Draisaitl recorded 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) to McDavid’s nine (one goal, eight assists) in seven games against the Canucks, and had two points to the three-time NHL MVP’s one in three regular-season games against Dallas.
While I like the Stars to win the series, Dallas gets much more depth scoring than Edmonton, which relies on its star players and lethal power play for production.
With McDavid likely drawing most of the attention, I’ll back Draisaitl to lead the WCF in points at slightly longer odds.
Sam Reinhart: Most Goals in Series (+400)
Reinhart led the Panthers in the regular season with 57 goals, eight clear of Rangers’ leading goalscorer, Artemi Panarin, and 23 clear of his closest teammate, Carter Verhaeghe.
With that said, it’s no surprise that the 28-year-old is the betting favorite to score the most goals in the 2024 Eastern Conference Final.
- Find all of our best NHL prop bets today.
Reinhart has five tallies this postseason, tied for second-most on the Panthers, and scored four times in three regular-season games against New York.
His net-front presence will be a significant factor in this series, as Shesterkin rarely gets beat without a screen or deflection.
Reinhart has just two goals in his last seven games, but I think he’s a prime breakout candidate in the ECF.
