2026 Stanley Cup Odds: Sabres, Golden Knights Move Up Board After Advancing to Second Round

Just nine teams remain in the NHL playoff bracket following another pair of eliminations on Friday night.

The Buffalo Sabres sent the Boston Bruins packing, while the Vegas Golden Knights eliminated the Utah Mammoth.

Here's a look at the latest Stanley Cup odds as we head into Saturday night's NHL odds action.

🏆Stanley Cup Final 2025-26 odds

Team		R1 Opponent
Avalanche	+210	Kings (Won 4-0)
Hurricanes	+260	Senators (Won 4-0)
Golden Knights	+640	Mammoth (Won 4-2)
Lightning	+675	Canadiens (Tied 3-3)
Wild	+950	Stars (Won 4-2)
Sabres	+1100	Bruins (Won 4-2)
Ducks	+2000	Oilers (Won 4-2)
Flyers	+2100	Penguins (Won 4-2)
Canadiens	+2250	Lightning (Tied 3-3)

Odds as of 5-2, courtesy of BET99, one of our best betting sites. Sign up with our BET99 promo code, or get one of our other sportsbook promos.

Odds movement

5/1: It was another thrilling Friday on the ice as the Lightning forced Game 7 vs. the Canadiens in overtime. The Bolts went from +1400 to +675, while the Habs went from +1150 to +2250. Meanwhile, the Sabres took care of business vs. the Bruins, and the Golden Knights eliminated the Mammoth. The Knights are now third-choice, while the Sabres are still somewhat of an outsider at +1100.

5/1: A Minnesota Wild series victory over the Dallas Stars might have been expected, but not many saw the Anaheim Ducks bouncing out the two-time reigning conference champion Edmonton Oilers. The Wild have slimmed to +950 from +1400, while the Ducks, who were at +6500 before their first-round series began, now sit at +1900.

4/30: A series win shortened the Philadelphia Flyers' odds from +2500 to +2250, but that's because the Carolina Hurricanes are what awaits them. Meanwhile, the Montreal Canadiens' odds nearly halved after a huge road win over the Lightning (+1400).

4/29: The Minnesota Wild's odds jumped from +1900 to +1150 after pulling off a massive Game 5 win on the road. This dumped Dallas' odds to +2500. Meanwhile, the Oilers also went from +2100 to +1350 as their series swings back to Anaheim.

4/28: The Vegas Golden Knights entered Game 4 at +1650 on the Stanley Cup odds, but the double OT win shortened their odds to +1100 and moved them into fourth on the board.

4/27: The Oilers fell way down the board after losing Game 4 last night. They were listed at +1650 yesterday and are now as long as +3000 with a 3-1 deficit now in front of them.

4/26: The Hurricanes quickly wrapped up their Round 1 series against the Senators and now sit as short as +295 to win the Stanley Cup, second only to the Avalanche +235.

4/25: The Lightning are still third-choice to win the Cup, though they took a step back in the odds after falling behind the Habs 2-1 in the series. The Mammoth (+3300 to +2000) and Ducks (+6000 to +3500) saw the biggest swings in their prices after forging 2-1 series leads of their own.

4/24: There have been precious few anxious moments thus far for the Avalanche and Hurricanes. Each club is now just one game away from punching their ticket to the second round. Colorado fell from +255 to +240 to win it all, while Carolina went from +365 to +325. 

4/23: The Stars snagged Game 3 against the Wild in double overtime last night and saw their odds shorten from 14/1 to +950. The bad news is that the winner of this series will surely face the favored Avalanche (+255) in Round 2.

4/21: The Flyers blanked the Penguins 3-0 in Game 2 to take a 2-0 series lead, bumping their Stanley Cup odds from 33/1 to 27/1. They're still underdogs, but the defense is legit. The Stars evened things up with the Wild, jumping from 19/1 to 14/1. Meanwhile, with the Hurricanes up 2-0 over the Senators after an epic 2OT win, Carolina is +350 to win it all, just behind the Avalanche.

4/20: The Canadiens drew first blood in their series vs. Tampa Bay, pulling off a Game 1 upset in overtime — the win jumped them up to 16/1, while the Bolts dropped from around 5/1 to +725.

4/19: After Minnesota's dominant 6-1 win at Dallas in Game 1 of their series, the Wild moved from +1650 to +1150, while the Stars tumbled from 11/1 to 19/1. The Flyers also made a big jump, going from +6000 to +3000 following their 3-2 win at Pittsburgh — and the Pens went from 27/1 to +4000.

4/18: With the Western Conference bracket finalized — and Colorado facing the veteran-laden Kings (as opposed to the upstart Ducks) — the Avs have moved back to longer than 3/1 on the first day of the playoffs. Vegas also leapfrogged Dallas on the board, moving slightly ahead at +1050.

4/14: Tampa Bay and Carolina have moved shorter than 5/1, while the Flyers have gone from 25/1 to +6000 after a late surge to sneak into the final spot in the Metro Division.

4/2: There hasn't been any massive movement atop the odds board, but the gap between the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning is growing smaller.

Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers have moved from +1350 to +1200, but are yet to crack into the Top 3.

3/23: The Dallas Stars have broken into the Top 5, now sitting with the fourth-best odds at +950. They leapfrogged both the Golden Knights (+1050) and Oilers (+1350), who currently find themselves in a pillow fight for the Pacific Division.

The Top 3 remained unchanged: the Avalanche, Lightning, and Hurricanes. With teams starting to get eliminated from playoff contention, odds at the bottom of the table will eventually go off the board.

3/6: The Anaheim Ducks have seen a slight bump in odds (+6000 to +5000) after landing star defenseman John Carlson from Washington, while the New York Islanders bolstered their forward depth by bringing in center Brayden Schenn.

Detroit also added D-man Justin Faulk at the buzzer as the Red Wings aim for their first Cup run in a decade, and the Seattle Kraken acquired winger Bobby McMann in a deal with Toronto.

Colorado and Tampa Bay have held the Top 2 spots on the board since the New Year. One of the biggest falls from grace has come from the defending champion Florida Panthers, who now sit at +10000 after opening at +750.

Enjoying Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account

Stanley Cup prediction

Latest pick: Stars (+2500)

Okay, fine, I'll bite. Even though the Dallas Stars are down 3-2, they have more than enough talent — and playoff experience — to come back against the Wild. And if they do, +2500 is a bargain for a team this good.

I'm also somewhat hedging my bet, as I'm holding on to a Wild +1700 ticket that I picked up back in March. Either team winning sets me up well heading into Round 2.

Bet	Odds	Bet date	Units
Stars	+2500	April 29	1
Golden Knights	+1100	April 4	1
Wild	+1700	March 6	1

Any Canadian team to reach the Second Round of the playoffs is boosted to +100.
(not available in Ontario)

⚙️ Covers NHL betting tools

• NHL odds
• NHL free picks
• NHL player props
• Best NHL betting sites

Opening Stanley Cup odds

• Edmonton Oilers: +650
• Florida Panthers: +750
• Colorado Avalanche: +800
• Dallas Stars: +850
• Carolina Hurricanes: +900
• Vegas Golden Knights: +1200
• Tampa Bay Lightning: +1500
• Toronto Maple Leafs: +1300
• New Jersey Devils: +1800
• Los Angeles Kings: +2000
• Toronto Maple Leafs: +2000
• Winnipeg Jets: +2200
• Washington Capitals: +2800
• Vegas Golden Knights: +1800
• New York Rangers: +3000
• Ottawa Senators: +3300
• Minnesota Wild: +3500
• St. Louis Blues: +4000
• Utah Mammoth: +4000
• Vancouver Canucks: +5000
• New York Islanders: +6600
• Columbus Blue Jackets: +8000
• Montreal Canadiens: +8000
• Calgary Flames: +9000
• Nashville Predators: +9000
• Boston Bruins: +10000
• Detroit Red Wings: +10000
• Philadelphia Flyers: +10000
• Anaheim Ducks: +15000
• Buffalo Sabres: +15000
• Pittsburgh Penguins: +20000
• Seattle Kraken: +30000
• Chicago Blackhawks: +50000
• San Jose Sharks: +50000

📈 Stanley Cup betting trends

Here are some trends you may want to consider before placing a bet on the Stanley Cup.

• Repeat winners are more common than you think. Since 2010, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning have successfully defended their Cup once. Florida now enters that elite group.
• Top teams from the beginning of the year typically go on to win the Cup. Since 2010, just five teams with odds above +1,000 have gone on to hoist Lord Stanley.
• In the last 10 seasons, the Eastern Conference has won seven Cups.
• The President’s Trophy winner has gone on to win the Stanley Cup just eight times in the 35 years that both trophies have been awarded.
• A team has won 2+ consecutive Stanley Cups 16 times, with the Panthers just completing the task.
• The runners-up have gone on to win the Stanley Cup in the following season only once since 1990 (Pittsburgh Penguins 2009).

Despite losing in the Eastern Conference Finals again, books think next year may be the year for the Carolina Hurricanes. Following suit are familiar faces in Florida and Edmonton.

👑 Past Stanley Cup winners

Here are the last 15 winners of the Stanley Cup, their odds of winning just before the playoffs began (courtesy of Sports Odds History), and the team that lost in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Season	Stanley Cup Winners	Odds before playoffs	Runner Up
2024-25	Florida Panthers	+1000	Edmonton Oilers
2023-24	Florida Panthers	+800	Edmonton Oilers
2022-23	Vegas Golden Knights	+1200	Florida Panthers
2021-22	Colorado Avalanche	+325	Tampa Bay Lightning
2020-21	Tampa Bay Lightning	+800	Montreal Canadiens
2019-20	Tampa Bay Lightning	+650	Dallas Stars
2018-19	St. Louis Blues	+1250	Boston Bruins
2017-18	Washington Capitals	+1225	Vegas Golden Knights
2016-17	Pittsburgh Penguins	+770	Nashville Predators
2015-16	Pittsburgh Penguins	+650	San Jose Sharks
2014-15	Chicago Blackhawks	+800	Tampa Bay Lightning
2013-14	Los Angeles Kings	+1400	New York Rangers
2012-13	Chicago Blackhawks	+400	Boston Bruins
2011-12	Los Angeles Kings	+2200	New Jersey Devils
2010-11	Boston Bruins	+800	Vancouver Canucks
2009-10	Chicago Blackhawks	+450	Philadelphia Flyers

As the Lightning appear set to fade a bit, the Panthers have reached consecutive Cup Finals and are favored to do it again next year.

🥅 NHL teams with the most Stanley Cups

Team	Stanley Cup wins	Stanley Cup appearances
Montreal Canadiens	24	35
Toronto Maple Leafs	13	21
Detroit Red Wings	11	24
Boston Bruins	6	20
Chicago Blackhawks	6	13
Edmonton Oilers	5	8
Pittsburgh Penguins	5	6
New York Islanders	4	5
New York Rangers	4	11
Colorado Avalanche	3	3
New Jersey Devils	3	5
Tampa Bay Lightning	3	5

The Habs have a comfortable lead in the clubhouse but haven't hoisted Lord Stanley's Cup since 1993 — the last Canadian-based team to do so.

Stanley Cup Odds FAQs

Pages related to this topic