The NHL playoff bracket underdogs went a perfect 3-0 on Friday night, as the Canadiens, Mammoth, and Ducks all took Game 3 at home to forge a 2-1 series lead over their respective opponents.
The Stanley Cup odds were shaken up in a major way, at least behind heavy conference favorites Colorado and Carolina.
Here are the latest NHL odds to lift Lord Stanley's Cup as the first round rolls on.
🏆Stanley Cup Final 2025-26 odds
| Team | R1 Opponent | |
|---|---|---|
Avalanche |
+240 | Kings (Up 3-0) |
Hurricanes |
+310 | Senators (Up 3-0) |
Lightning |
+875 | Canadiens (Down 2-1) |
Stars |
+1100 | Wild (Up 2-1) |
Sabres |
+1250 | Bruins (Up 2-1) |
Canadiens |
+1350 | Lightning (Up 2-1) |
Oilers |
+1550 | Ducks (Down 2-1) |
Golden Knights |
+1650 | Mammoth (Down 2-1) |
Mammoth |
+2000 | Golden Knights (Up 2-1) |
Flyers |
+2500 | Penguins (Up 3-0) |
Bruins |
+3000 | Sabres (Down 2-1) |
Wild |
+3000 | Stars (Down 2-1) |
Ducks |
+3500 | Oilers (Up 2-1) |
Kings |
+8000 | Avalanche (Down 3-0) |
Senators |
+10000 | Hurricanes (Down 3-0) |
| +20000 | Flyers (Down 3-0) |
Odds as of 4-25, 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
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: Vegas (+1100)
Call it the Torts effect, but the Knights have won six of seven since hiring John Tortorella — including wins at Edmonton and Colorado. More importantly, they've tightened up defensively, and will have the much easier path to the conference finals, going through the Pacific Division portion.
Vegas boasts incredible depth and talent, and is hitting its stride at the perfect time.
| Bet | Odds | Bet date | Units |
|---|---|---|---|
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
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 |
+1,200 | 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 |
+1,250 | Boston Bruins |
| 2017-18 | Washington Capitals |
+1,225 | 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 |
+1,400 | New York Rangers |
| 2012-13 | Chicago Blackhawks |
+400 | Boston Bruins |
| 2011-12 | Los Angeles Kings |
+2,200 | 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
The Colorado Avalanche are the current favorites to win the Stanley Cup in 2026.
The Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, and Los Angeles Kings are the biggest long shots to win the Stanley Cup.
The Florida Panthers won their second Stanley Cup in a row in 2025, beating the Edmonton Oilers in six games.
The 2026 Stanley Cup Final will begin sometime in June.
Avalanche
Hurricanes
Lightning
Stars
Sabres
Canadiens
Oilers
Golden Knights
Mammoth
Flyers
Bruins
Wild
Ducks
Kings
Senators
Florida Panthers
St. Louis Blues
Washington Capitals
Pittsburgh Penguins
Nashville Predators
San Jose Sharks
Chicago Blackhawks
New York Rangers
New Jersey Devils
Vancouver Canucks
Toronto Maple Leafs
Detroit Red Wings
New York Islanders






