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Stanley Cup Playoffs betting guide: Will McDavid, Draisaitl tilt series for Oilers?
As the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs begins, let’s take a closer look at the four series — ranked from most lopsided to hardest to call, according to oddsmakers at BetMGM.
As the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs begins, let’s take a closer look at the four series — ranked from most lopsided to hardest to call, according to oddsmakers at BetMGM.
Florida (-185) vs. Toronto (+150) | Full series preview
Your guys did it, Leaf fans! It wasn’t easy but they beat the Ottawa Senators and made it out of the first round of the playoffs. Phew! In recognition of their efforts, the Toronto Maple Leafs are cordially invited to a second-round date with … the Stanley Cup favourites (+425)!
According to oddsmakers at BetMGM, Toronto is the least likely of the eight remaining teams to advance to the third round — and understandably so. The Panthers seem borderline flawless and dead set on repeating as champions. Jon Cooper, the Tampa coach, called them “an exceptional team.” But Cooper said something else, too. He said that winning the Cup is something “that’s learned, and it’s an art.” Can the Leafs find the creative muse to make it happen? If so, Auston Matthews at +2500 to carry on and win the playoffs MVP is a tempting wager. That said, BetMGM reckons that the most likely series outcome is Florida in six (+350).
if (!res.ok) { throw new Error('Failed to fetch odds data'); }
const data = await res.json(); const oddsData = data?.data?.game?.details?.current_line; const visitingTeam = data?.data?.game?.visiting_team; const visitingTeamLogo = data?.data?.game?.visiting_team?.image_url_90; const homeTeam = data?.data?.game?.home_team; const homeTeamLogo = data?.data?.game?.home_team?.image_url_90; const gameTimestamp = data?.data?.game?.details?.timestamp;
return { oddsData, visitingTeam, visitingTeamLogo, homeTeam, homeTeamLogo, gameTimestamp }; }
async function renderBetMGM(componentId, league, gameId) { let oddsData, visitingTeam, visitingTeamLogo, homeTeam, homeTeamLogo, gameTimestamp, error;
const container = document.getElementById(componentId + '-odds'); if (!container) return;
try { ({ oddsData, visitingTeam, visitingTeamLogo, homeTeam, homeTeamLogo, gameTimestamp } = await fetchOddsData(league, gameId)); } catch (err) { error = err.message; }
if (error) { container.innerHTML = `
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if (!oddsData) { container.innerHTML = `
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let gameDate = new Date(gameTimestamp * 1000); const gameDateFormatted = gameDate.toLocaleDateString('en-US', { year: 'numeric', month: 'long', day: 'numeric' });
container.innerHTML = `
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// Example usage renderBetMGM('block_07f09a865b83cb7a5a7f140370ea6dce', 'NHL', 'd8b9b23c-1260-4fe6-9406-44d5d050a203');
Washington (+140) vs. Carolina (-170) | Full series preview
The only series without a Canadian team may well fly under the radar north of the border. Not that the Hurricanes care. They’re favoured to lock this one up in six games, despite the offensive threat posed by Alex Ovechkin and the punch-you-in-the-face threat posed by Tom Wilson.
By the way, Ovechkin is not only listed as the favourite (+300) to be the top goal scorer in the series, he also has incredibly short odds (-115) to net two or more goals in any one game. Feeling even more bullish on hockey’s greatest goal scorer? He’s +725 to score a hat trick during the series.
if (!res.ok) { throw new Error('Failed to fetch odds data'); }
const data = await res.json(); const oddsData = data?.data?.game?.details?.current_line; const visitingTeam = data?.data?.game?.visiting_team; const visitingTeamLogo = data?.data?.game?.visiting_team?.image_url_90; const homeTeam = data?.data?.game?.home_team; const homeTeamLogo = data?.data?.game?.home_team?.image_url_90; const gameTimestamp = data?.data?.game?.details?.timestamp;
return { oddsData, visitingTeam, visitingTeamLogo, homeTeam, homeTeamLogo, gameTimestamp }; }
async function renderBetMGM(componentId, league, gameId) { let oddsData, visitingTeam, visitingTeamLogo, homeTeam, homeTeamLogo, gameTimestamp, error;
const container = document.getElementById(componentId + '-odds'); if (!container) return;
try { ({ oddsData, visitingTeam, visitingTeamLogo, homeTeam, homeTeamLogo, gameTimestamp } = await fetchOddsData(league, gameId)); } catch (err) { error = err.message; }
if (error) { container.innerHTML = `
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if (!oddsData) { container.innerHTML = `
`; return; }
let gameDate = new Date(gameTimestamp * 1000); const gameDateFormatted = gameDate.toLocaleDateString('en-US', { year: 'numeric', month: 'long', day: 'numeric' });
container.innerHTML = `
`; }
// Example usage renderBetMGM('block_5c046ba169403b5267185e72af9441e2', 'NHL', '375e0e7a-6bc7-49b6-be3f-701d9e1df4e8');
Dallas (-160) vs. Winnipeg (+135)
How much office work got done in Winnipeg on Monday morning? Surely the typical hour-long Zoom call dedicated 50 minutes to reliving the many thrills and absurdities of the Jets’ Game 7 overtime win — followed by a solemn 10-minute ceremony to try to lift whatever voodoo curse is afflicting goalie Connor Hellebuyck. But Dallas, too, comes into this series riding the emotional high of an improbable third-period comeback in Game 7.
Despite winning the Presidents’ Trophy, the Jets (+900 at BetMGM) are ahead of only the Capitals (+1000) and Leafs in Cup-winning probability. The main reason? The Stars look awesome. They’re the favourites (+200) to represent the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Final. And Miko Rantanen (+1100) and Jake Oettinger (+1400) now have the second- and fourth-best odds to win the Conn Smythe Trophy. Dallas (-120) is even favoured to take Game 1 on Winnipeg ice. But those who foresee a second act of Jets’ drama can get +450 odds on Winnipeg in seven.
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Las Vegas (-110) vs. Edmonton (-110) | Full series preview
This is a rematch of a second-round series from 2023 — and the pick ’em odds at BetMGM reflect the consensus that this one could go in either direction.
Ready for some visionary deep-dive analysis? It could very well come down to how the stars perform. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl had 21 points between them in the Round 1 series against Los Angeles. (Vegas, meanwhile, didn’t have a player with more than five points.) The Oilers’ duo is so dominant that McDavid is listed at only +225 to record at least one point in every game of the series. That’s pretty wild. Jack Eichel, by way of comparison, is at +575. If you think this one bucks the trend and ends up as a sweep for either team, BetMGM will take your wager at +600.
if (!res.ok) { throw new Error('Failed to fetch odds data'); }
const data = await res.json(); const oddsData = data?.data?.game?.details?.current_line; const visitingTeam = data?.data?.game?.visiting_team; const visitingTeamLogo = data?.data?.game?.visiting_team?.image_url_90; const homeTeam = data?.data?.game?.home_team; const homeTeamLogo = data?.data?.game?.home_team?.image_url_90; const gameTimestamp = data?.data?.game?.details?.timestamp;
return { oddsData, visitingTeam, visitingTeamLogo, homeTeam, homeTeamLogo, gameTimestamp }; }
async function renderBetMGM(componentId, league, gameId) { let oddsData, visitingTeam, visitingTeamLogo, homeTeam, homeTeamLogo, gameTimestamp, error;
const container = document.getElementById(componentId + '-odds'); if (!container) return;
try { ({ oddsData, visitingTeam, visitingTeamLogo, homeTeam, homeTeamLogo, gameTimestamp } = await fetchOddsData(league, gameId)); } catch (err) { error = err.message; }
if (error) { container.innerHTML = `
`; return; }
if (!oddsData) { container.innerHTML = `
`; return; }
let gameDate = new Date(gameTimestamp * 1000); const gameDateFormatted = gameDate.toLocaleDateString('en-US', { year: 'numeric', month: 'long', day: 'numeric' });
container.innerHTML = `
`; }
// Example usage renderBetMGM('block_75fd49ec29d97ef9630167b64e421f1e', 'NHL', 'bee51ba8-d7ee-4166-b5ea-a794b565bfb5');
