2025 NHL Playoffs: Round 1 Betting Guide

The best time of the hockey season is here as the Stanley Cup playoffs drop the puck on Saturday for the league’s “second season.” There are several storylines to watch when the action gets underway.

The Florida Panthers are looking for a third-straight appearance in the Stanley Cup finals after losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023 and then bringing home a title for South Florida last season with a Game 7 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.

Speaking of the Oilers, Connor McDavid’s squad has a chance to bring Canada the country’s first Stanley Cup title since the Montreal Canadiens won in 1993.

This year, four other teams from north of the border are hoping to grab that honor as well – the Maple Leafs, Jets, Senators, and Canadiens.

After two straight Western Conference finals appearances in the last two years, can the Dallas Stars break through? Big D has a young talented team, but lost the final seven games of the season.

The Jets and Maple Leafs have flamed out in the playoffs over the last few years, but will be hoping to leave that history well in the past.

Here’s a quick look at what to expect in the first round of the NHL playoffs and how the odds makers are looking at the early-round matchups.

Matchups to Watch

The Stars and Avalanche have plenty of history in the playoffs and this one should be another great series that just might go seven games.

Both teams topped the 100-point mark this season and the Stars notched just a single win more than Colorado, but the Avs were 2-1 against Dallas in the regular season.

One of those wins came in overtime to further show just how close these two teams are.

Dallas has a deep roster with Jason Robertson and Watt Johnston really shining over the last half of the season.

Thoms Harley, 23, has been a big addition to the defense, but a key injury to Miro Heiskanen on the blue line could be glaring. A late-season trade for former Avalanche Mikko Rantanen only adds to the Stars’ firepower.

The Avalanche have been solid all season despite some major tinkering with the roster that included trading the team’s goaltending tandem.

Nathan MacKinnon finished second in the league in scoring and Cale Makar is a tough customer as well. Here’s a look at a few other matchups to keep an eye on.

• Jets vs. Blues – Fired earlier in the season from Boston, Blues coach Jim Montgomery has his team playing well. The Blues have been one of the best teams since January, but face off against a team that is difficult to score against. Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck finished the season with just a 2.0 goals against average to lead the league and should win his second-straight Vezina Trophy as the league’s best goaltender. The Jets were also the league’s best on the power play at 28.9%.
• Lightning vs. Panthers – A hockey war in Florida may sound strange, but these two teams have had some huge seasons in recent years. The Lightning won the Cup in ‘20 and ‘21 with the Panthers securing a title last year after making an appearance in 2023. Both teams have excellent goaltending with Tampa’s Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Panthers’ Sergei Bobrovsky finishing among the top give in the league. Nikita Kucherov finished the season as the NHL top scorer for the Lightning.
• Leafs vs. Senators – This battle for Ontario should be an interesting matchup with the Leafs squaring off against an up-and-coming Senators squad that showed major improvement. The Leafs have been the Dallas Cowboys of the NHL in recent years, putting up big numbers in the regular season but falling well short of expectations in the playoffs. The Leafs are stout in goal, with Anthony Stolarz posting a 2.14 goals against average, good for third in the league.Mitch Marner put up 100 points and WIlliam Nylander finished second in goals with 45. However, don’t rule out an upset based on past Toronto performances. The Senators have been solid in goal and have a well-rounded team.
• Kings vs. Oilers – The Kings have been hot the second half of the season, but face a pair of the best players in the league in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, who finished third in the league with 106 points. McDavid pitched in another 100 points to give Edmonton a massive one-two punch. The Oilers came up one game short of a Stanley Cup title last season and will be looking to make another deep run. The Kings are giving up just 2.44 goals per game and Darcy Kuemper finished second in the leaague in goals against average at 2.02.

Stanley Cup Playoffs – Round 1 Odds to Win Series

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

Western Conference

Matchup	Series Winner
Winnipeg Jets vs. St Louis Blues	Jets -225 Blues +184
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Minnesota Wild	Knights -235 Wild +190
Dallas Stars vs. Colorado Avalanche	Stars +126 Avalanche -152
L.A. Kings vs. Edmonton Oilers	Kings +115 Oilers -136

Eastern Conference

Matchup	Series Winner
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Ottawa Senators	Maple Leafs -172 Senators +142
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Florida Panthers	Lightning -102 Panthers -118
Washington Capitals vs. Montreal Canadiens	Capitals -260 Canadiens +210
Carolina Hurricanes vs. New Jersey Devils	Hurricanes -280 Devils +222

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 as well.

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

Here’s a quick look at some picks for the first round of the playoffs.

• Winnipeg Jets vs. St Louis Blues – That Winnipeg goaltending and defense is just too tough. Take the ‘Peg to win this one and look for the series to wrap up in about six games.
• Vegas Golden Knights vs. Minnesota Wild – The Knights are one of the league’s best-scoring teams, while the Wild struggle to put pucks in the net. Look for this one to go the Knights’ way in five or six.
• Dallas Stars vs. Colorado Avalanche – The Stars have had the Avalanche’s number in the payoffs and that included winning in six games last season. This could be tougher with Miro Heiskanen out. However, seeing Tyler Seguin back in the lineup after hip surgery in December should help. Look for this one to go seven with Stars goalie Jake Oettinger making the difference and giving Dallas the win.
• L.A. Kings vs. Edmonton Oilers – The Oilers have had some injuries of late but Connor McDavid says his team is “ready to roll.” The Oilers may get this done, but look for a long series reaching six or seven games.
• Maple Leafs vs. Senators – The Leafs have lost in the first round three of the last four years with all three of those losses coming in seven games. This should be different and look for Toronto to move on after topping Ottawa in six games.
• Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Florida Panthers – This should be a real showdown and may go seven. Look for the Panthers to do enough to come out on top. 
• Washington Capitals vs. Montreal Canadiens – It’s nice to see the Canadiens back in the playoffs after missing the playoffs for the last three seasons. But look for the Caps to ride the wave of Alex Ovechkin passing Wayne Gretzky for the NHL’s all-time goal scoring record. Washington should win this one in six or less.
• Carolina Hurricanes vs. New Jersey Devils – Carolina averages scoring 3.22 goals a game while the Devils check in at 2.93. Both have solid goaltending and seem like very similar teams. Look for a long series with the Devils coming out on top. It seems the first round regularly yields an upset or two, and this one has the possibility of seeing that happen.

Good luck with your own picks!