Three Canadian teams left in NHL playoffs and here's who's most likely to win the Stanley Cup
If you talk to any die-hard Canadian NHL fan, there’s likely to be one gripe they have in common about the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
While the games almost always feature high-flying, intense action, there’s been something conspicuously absent from the postseason over the last three decades: a Canadian team standing on top at the end of it all.
The last time a team based in Canada won the Stanley Cup was in 1993, with the Montreal Canadiens famously the last franchise up north to be crowned champions.
While the Canadiens, Edmonton Oilers (twice), Vancouver Canucks (twice), Calgary Flames, and Ottawa Senators have all made it to the final round of the playoffs since 1993, Canadian teams have posted seven straight losses in the big dance.
With eight teams remaining in this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs and three of the four second-round series containing a Canadian team, hope remains that this could be the year the Cup returns north to Canada.
It’s the first time since 2004 that three Canadian teams have moved on to the second round, with Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal all advancing that year.
Western Conference
- Winnipeg Jets vs. Dallas Stars
- Vegas Golden Knights vs. Edmonton Oilers
Though the Oilers and Jets gave their fans plenty to sweat about in the first round of the playoffs, both teams eked their way through to live another day.
Edmonton gets their series underway on Tuesday night, while Winnipeg can rest up until Wednesday after a 2OT Game 7 thriller on Sunday night that kept their season alive with a win over the St. Louis Blues.
Eastern Conference
- Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Florida Panthers
- Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes
Toronto faces a rematch of their 2023 second-round series against the Florida Panthers, who advanced after a five-game beatdown of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Meanwhile, the Washington Capitals are seeing how long they can ride Alexander Ovechkin’s magic record-setting season, while the Hurricanes are looking to avoid a fourth second-round defeat since 2021.
Who’s winning the Stanley Cup?
Oddsmakers at FanDuel Sportsbook have released odds for the second round, although they don’t appear to be giving too much love to Canada.
The Florida Panthers, last year’s champions, are favoured to repeat at +410, while the Dallas Stars are right on their heels with +420:
Florida Panthers, +410
Dallas Stars, +420
Carolina Hurricanes, +490
Edmonton Oilers, +550
Vegas Golden Knights, +600
Washington Capitals, +1000
Toronto Maple Leafs, +1000
Winnipeg Jets, +1000
The Oilers have the best odds of breaking Canada’s curse at +550, while the Leafs and Jets are tied at +1000 with the Capitals for the longest odds in the league, despite Winnipeg winning the Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL’s best regular season record.
The second round kicks off on Monday at 8 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. PDT, with the Leafs and Panthers being the first matchup of the second series.
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