2025 NHL Playoffs: Round 2 Betting Guide

Big hits, huge goals, and plenty of action – round one of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs is now in the books and certainly delivered. The first round was a real dichotomy with the Western Conference seeing two series go to seven games and two others reach six.

The Eastern Conference saw some different dynamics, with three series only reaching five games. Toronto-Ottawa was the only one going further, finishing up in six games with the Leafs coming out on top in the battle of Ontario.

The second round brings some tasty matchups with some bruised and bloodied teams again dropping the puck in the NHL annual postseason war of attrition. Here’s a quick look at what to expect as the action gets underway.

Matchups to Watch

Ready to drop a few bucks on the playoffs? Here’s a quick look at the matchup of the league’s final eight teams remaining.

Vegas Golden Knights vs. Edmonton Oilers

Minnesota and the Knights certainly put up a big fight in the first round against these two teams.

Connor McDavid was unsurprisingly dominating in the first round against the Knights, chalking up 11 points (2 goals, 9 assists). Leon Draisaitl was almost just as good, recording 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists).

However, the Oilers struggled in net and on defense at times, giving up an average of four goals per game. Will that McDavid-Draisaitl combination be enough to overcome those shortcomings?

They at least got some help from blue line scoring, with defenseman Evan Bouchard chipping in 7 points (4 goals, 3 assists).

The Golden Knights spread the scoring around in the first round with 12 different players putting the puck in the net. Centers Tomas Hertl and Jack Eichel led Vegas in scoring with 5 points each (3 goals, 2 assists for Hertl and 1 goal, 4 assists for Eichel).

Adin Hill had a 2.83 goals against average, similar to Edmonton’s Alvin Pickard at 2.93. The question is if Vegas can match the Oilers offensively.

A grinding series may go the Knights’ way while a more wide-open offensive approach may work in the Oilers’ favor.

Winnipeg Jets vs. Dallas Stars

These two teams made quite a splash in reaching this round. The Stars pulled off a late-season trade for Mikko Rantanen, and he certainly delivered in a miraculous Game 7 comeback.

After falling behind 2-0 with under 10 minutes left in the third period, Rantanen scored a hat trick to give the Stars the unlikely 4-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche.

Rantanen is now tied for the playoff scoring lead with 12 points and will be worth watching. The Stars have plenty of weapons, with Roope Hintz and Wyatt Johnston also adding seven points each. 

The squad now has the possibility to get even better with the team’s best defenseman, Miro Heiskanen, and top regular-season scorer, Jason Robertson, likely to return in round two.

Additionally, Jake Oettinger has been solid in goal with a 2.85 goals against average.

The Jets staged an equally amazing comeback in Game 7 against the St. Louis Blues.

With just three minutes remaining and down 3-1, Winnipeg scored two goals with an empty net and a sixth attacker in. The last of those came with just three seconds remaining.

Despite that, the Jets had some issues putting the puck in the net, averaging just three goals per game. Kyle Connor proved a big help in getting the team across the finish line, leading in scoring with 12 points (4 goals, 8 assists).

While he may win the Vezina Trophy a second-straight year as the league’s best goalie, Connor Hellebuyck had some issues against the Blues and logged one of the worst goals against averages of any starting goaltenders in the playoffs at 3.85%.

However, Hellebuyck is extremely talented and could certainly bounce back and cause major problems for the Stars.

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Florida Panthers

The Panthers were dominating physically against the Lightning. The bruising series showed that the Stanley Cup champions remain a major obstacle for any opponent.

Sergei Bobrovsky was dominating in goal, with just a 2.21 goals against average.

Florida averaged a solid 3.8 goals per game, spreading it out with six players at least scoring two each.

Center Sam Reinhart led in scoring with 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists), followed by center Sam Bennett, Matthew Tkachuk, and Anton Lundell, all with 5 points each.

This is a rematch of the 2022-23 conference semifinals that saw the Hurricanes come out on top 4-1.

After six first-round losses since 2017, could this be the year the Leafs finally put it all together for a bigger run through the playoffs?

That seems a possibility if the win over the Senators is any indication.

Winger William Nylander was solid with 9 points (3 goals, 6 assists) to lead the team in scoring, and fellow winger Mitch Marner added 8 points (1 goal, 7 assists).

The biggest help may have been Anthony Stolarz in goal, who finished with a .901 save percentage and 2.21 goals against average.

The Leafs have the talent, but face a much tougher opponent in the second round.

Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes

This promises a fantastic Eastern Conference matchup between two teams that ended their first-round series in just five games.

For the Capitals, the top team in the Eastern Conference in the regular season, Logan Thompson was dominant in goal to help dispatch the Montreal Canadiens.

Thompson had a 2.23 goals against average. However, Carolina’s Frederik Andersen had a stellar 1.59 average, so this series may see some top-notch goaltending.

Center Dyan Strome led the Caps in scoring with 9 points (2 goals, 7 assists), followed by Alex Ovechkin, who added 5 points (4 goals, 1 assist). After notching the NHL goal-scoring record, Ovechkin seems determined to make it an even more magical season.

For the Hurricanes, center Sebastian Aho has been a force of nature himself, recording three goals and five assists against the New Jersey Devils.

Andrei Svechnikov tied for second in the playoffs in goal scoring with five, pretty salty considering the others at that level all played more games in the first round.

Overall, the Canes scored four goals in three of their five games against New Jersey.

Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2 – Odds to Win Series

Ready to make those selections for this second round of playoffs? Here’s a look at the odds for each matchup, courtesy of FanDuel.

Western Conference

Matchup	Series Winner
Winnipeg Jets vs. Dallas Stars	Jets +135 Stars -166
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Edmonton Oilers	Knights +100 Oilers -120

Eastern Conference

Matchup	Series Winner
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Florida Panthers	Maple Leafs +146 Panthers -176
Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes	Capitals +136 Hurricanes -164

Where to Watch

In the U.S., the Stanley Cup playoffs can be found on ESPN, TNT, and ABC. Fans can also stream the national games on ESPN+, Hulu, and Max. Games may also be shown on regional television.

In Canada, games will be shown on Sportsnet and TVA Sports(in French). The action also streams on the Sportsnet app, Amazon Prime Video (only in Canada), and the TVA app.

Picks for the People

In Round 1, we put up some nice results in our series selections, hitting on the Knights, Oilers, Capitals, Maple Leafs, Panthers, Stars, and Jets.

The Devils couldn’t put together an upset, and the Hurricanes came out on top in those five games, giving us a 7-1 record in the first round. Here’s your second-round predictions.

• Vegas Golden Knights vs. Edmonton Oilers – The Oilers struggled mightily in the regular season against the Knights, scoring just four goals in four games. Can the Oilers make two straight Western Conference finals appearances? Look for the Knights’ defense to continue finding success against Edmonton and come out on top in six or possibly seven games.
• Winnipeg Jets vs. Dallas Stars – As noted above, some real issues surfaced for the Jets in round one, and they now have some injury issues as well. That comes just as the Stars are getting healthy and will likely see the return of Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen. The Stars prove to be too much and find a series win in six games.
• Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Florida Panthers – The Panthers have truly been a tough customer, and that should continue this round. A Stanley Cup dream for the Leafs looks to be coming to an end, but they should put up a fight and get it to six games.
• Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes – These teams looked strong in the first round, and a real collision looks to be at hand in the second round, possibly getting to seven games. Look for some stellar goaltending with Ovechkin putting in some key goals to advance the Caps to the Eastern Conference finals.

Good luck with your own picks as the second round gets underway!