Stanley Cup Showdown: Your Amazing Ticket to NHL Playoff Betting Success

The NHL post season has got to be one of the most grueling playoffs of all the major sports. 16 teams enter the NHL playoffs but only one exits as the Stanley Cup champion. Given the format, it’s quite a grind for the teams to go through. To run the gauntlet, a team needs to get to 16 wins. The first to do it gets to lift Lord Stanley’s cup.

If you’re a fan or bettor, you just get to sit back and watch. While teeth are lost and wins are piled up, you get to kick back and enjoy the show. If you’ve never bet on the NHL playoffs before, let’s walk you through it to get you ready for the NHL’s second season.

As mentioned, 16 teams enter the playoffs with eight coming from each conference. The teams are then paired off based on where they finished in the standings. Then in each series, the teams go head-to-head in a best-of-seven showdown.

The first team to collect four wins advances to the next stage. The higher-ranked seed (the team that finished with more regular season points) gets home-ice advantage and gets one more home game in the series. Teams progress through four rounds — from the quarterfinals to the semifinals, then conference finals, and finally the Stanley Cup Finals. The ultimate champion is the team that wins 16 games first, by winning all four series.

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In the regular season, it’s easier to find mismatches. There are good teams versus bad teams, injuries can have a factor and rest can come into play. In the playoffs, teams are generally healthier (teams with significant injuries tend to fall off), so the rest isn’t as much of a consideration.

Teams typically play every other night with minimal exceptions, and the matchups are fairly even since it’s only good teams that remain. That means that when you bet on the NHL playoffs, you have to sharpen your mind a little bit. Here are four tips to help you win in the NHL playoffs.

Tip 1: Goal tending is important

In the regular season, many teams get away with a 1A and a 1B in net. What that means is that they don’t have a stellar, clear-cut number one goaltender but two decent ones that alternate.

In the playoffs, having two good goaltenders is not a substitute for one top-of-the-line one. Give the edge to teams that excel in net to begin with (over teams that struggle in that realm). Give another edge to teams that have an elite net minder. They are the ones that tend to go further.

Tip 2: Expect the unexpected (bet on the underdogs)

In the NBA playoffs, it’s rare for a No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 8. In the NFL, the teams that had their bye during Wild Card Weekend usually have a leg up in the Divisional Round. While those sports, and others tend to show a big edge to certain teams early in the playoffs, that’s not the case in the NHL.

Take the 2022-23 NHL playoffs, for example. The Boston Bruins set a regular season record for points with 135. They were clearly the best team in the league and the best regular season team of all-time…and then they lost in the first round to the Florida Panthers.

These types of things happen in the NHL playoffs, which goes to say that you should bet underdogs. If you handicap the game and series and see value, go with it. There are no “sure things” in the NHL playoffs as there might be in other sports.

Tip 3: Track special teams

One aspect of handicapping hockey playoffs that’s often forgotten is evaluating the special teams. The power play and penalty kill comes into extra focus come playoff time — especially the penalty kill. Teams that excel at killing off those man-advantages deserve to be rated higher. It will matter at some point, and the teams that are better in these categories tend to last longer.

Tip 4: Don’t count on top-heavy teams

Teams led by one or two stars with a lack of depth tend to get exposed in the playoffs. For example, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisatl of the Edmonton Oilers are a great example. These are two of the best players in the NHL, but absent of quality depth behind them, the Oilers haven’t been able to get too far.

Teams that have a quality top line, a second scoring unit that is effective and a checking line that can go two ways are more likely to last — and depth on the blue line is key. In other words, teams that have four to six trustworthy defencemen are what you’re looking for. Having just two or three good ones, along with some fillers at the back, doesn’t work well in the playoffs.

Many online sites give you the option to bet on the NHL playoffs and while the lines look similar, these sites are not all cut from the same cloth. If you’re not sure where to place your bets this season, don’t worry — we’ve got you covered.

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Whether you’re betting on a team to win outright via futures or playing along from game-to-game, wagering on the NHL playoffs is one of the more entertaining pastimes you can pick up. The 16 teams begin the trek just as winter is thawing and spring arrives, and one team is crowned after they’ve run the gauntlet to collect 16 wins.

Hopefully, our recommendations will put you on the path to success. If you’re looking for more sports betting tips, make sure you check out our selection of online sports betting sites. Beyond that, get ready for this year’s playoffs as the race for Lord Stanley’s Trophy begins!