Current NHL playoff odds are in the table below. You can find betting odds for each team to make the 2025 NHL playoffs.
2024-25 NHL Playoff Futures
2024 Stanley Cup playoff results
It was a postseason of upsets and unexpected outcomes. Here’s the full rundown on last season’s playoff results in every best-of-seven series.
First round
Florida Panthers over Boston Bruins, 4-3. The Panthers pulled off an upset, defeating the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
Toronto Maple Leafs over Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-2. The Maple Leafs won a playoff series for the first time in 19 years.
Carolina Hurricanes over New York Islanders, 4-2. The Metropolitan Division winners rolled over an Islanders squad that squeaked into the playoffs.
New Jersey Devils over New York Rangers, 4-3. The Devils bounced back after losing the first two games.
Seattle Kraken over Colorado Avalanche, 4-3. The Kraken pulled off an upset by eliminating the defending champions in a contentious series.
Dallas Stars over Minnesota Wild, 4-2. The Stars dropped two of the first three before coming back to reel off three straight wins.
Vegas Golden Knights over Winnipeg Jets, 4-1. After losing the first game in a surprising upset, the Golden Knights won four straight.
Edmonton Oilers over Los Angeles Kings, 4-2. In a series that saw a lot of overtime action, the Oilers advanced with help from star players.
Second round
Florida Panthers over Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-1. Improved playoff hopes proved to be short-lived for the Leafs, who narrowly avoided a sweep.
Carolina Hurricanes over New Jersey Devils, 4-1. The Hurricanes continued to show why they were the top team in their division with a series of blowout wins.
Dallas Stars over Seattle Kraken, 4-3. Without their top scorer after a first-round injury, the Stars still got it done in Game 7 to beat a scrappy Kraken squad.
Vegas Golden Knights over Edmonton Oilers, 4-2. After a close series through the first four games, the Knights pulled away with consecutive wins.
Conference finals
Florida Panthers over Carolina Hurricanes, 4-0. While the sweep made the matchup look more lopsided than it was, the Panthers consistently found a way to get it done in close games.
Vegas Golden Knights over Dallas Stars, 4-2. The Knights jumped out to a commanding 3-0 series lead, and it took a lot of pluck and resiliency for the Stars to make it still somewhat close in the end.
Stanley Cup finals
Vegas Golden Knights over Florida Panthers, 4-1. With the Panthers hampered by injuries, including one that finally knocked top scorer Matthew Tkachuk out of the series, the Knights proved to be too good everywhere.
How to bet on NHL playoff futures
To make the playoffs
Wager on which teams will qualify for the postseason. The final seeding or playoff performance of your pick does not matter for this wager. Your only aim is to correctly identify a team that will make the playoffs.
To win the division
Bet on which teams will win their respective divisions. Part of the appeal of this bet is that — at least far in advance — you can often get favorable odds even on likely division winners. Since division winners are decided by regular season point totals, it also allows you to bet on an NHL team’s performance only in the regular season. This removes a more unpredictable variable since you aren’t betting on results from a short series.
To win the conference
This bet allows you to wager on the winners of either or both conferences. Conference winners are decided in the playoffs, with the winners of the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference meeting to contend for the Stanley Cup. Because only one team can win each conference, you can often get favorable odds before the season starts or while the regular season is underway.
Learn more about NHL betting with our hockey betting guide.
NHL postseason format
Since 1979, the NHL postseason has consisted of 16 teams. The top three teams in each division earn automatic invites, claiming 12 of the spots in the postseason. The remaining four spots go to the next two best records from each conference, regardless of division.
The teams then fill separate brackets for the Eastern and Western Conferences. The top seed in each conference then begins the first round against the lowest-ranked wild card team. The four teams from each conference that advance to the second round then play one another to determine the two teams in each conference final. Conference winners then meet to determine a Stanley Cup champion. All series use the best-of-seven format, with home-ice advantage determining where the first two games of each series are played. In the first two rounds, home-ice advantage goes to the team with the higher standing during the regular season. In the conference finals and the Stanley Cup series, meanwhile, home-ice advantage goes to the better regular season record.
NHL playoff FAQ
The Stanley Cup final begins with Game 1 in Sunrise, Fla., on Saturday, June 8.
Yes. In every state where online sports betting is legal, sportsbooks will offer odds on every game during the NHL playoffs.
In addition to betting on the winner of each game, there are many other game and player props available at most sportsbooks. This can include goal scorer props, goal totals, spreads and points leaders.
Generally yes, though it can depend on the sportsbook and potential legal restrictions in your area. In most places, however, live betting is available for each NHL playoff game.
The Vegas Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup for the first time in team history, defeating the Florida Panthers in five games.