NHL Stanley Cup Odds

Online sports betting is not yet active in Florida. This page will be updated with the latest promos, news and odds once Florida sportsbooks launch.

As hockey fans know, the Stanley Cup playoffs are one of the most thrilling events on the yearly sports calendar. While Florida may not seem like a great fit for the NHL, the Tampa Bay Lightning have built themselves into a standard for the rest of the league to follow. Further south, the Florida Panthers have even had their moments here and there.

If you’re not a fan of hockey just yet, legal sports betting might get you to climb over the boards faster than the next Lightning shift change. In states where it’s legal, you can bet on daily NHL odds all season long and, of course, that includes the Stanley Cup playoffs.

If you’re a casual NHL betting fan or newbie, here’s how to get your bets straight for the Stanley Cup.

Live NHL Stanley Cup odds

The NHL futures market lets you place a bet on the next Stanley Cup winner nearly all year, and you can also bet on each game individually once the playoffs get underway. Check the live Stanley Cup odds feed below. If you see odds of winning the Stanley Cup you like, you can click on them to go to that sportsbook and start making your bets.

Lightning/Panthers Stanley Cup odds

The two in-state NHL teams are big attractions at Florida sportsbooks. Below, you’ll find the real-time Stanley Cup betting odds on the local squads to make some noise this season.

Lightning Stanley Cup odds

Panthers Stanley Cup odds

Guide to Stanley Cup betting

All season long, legal online sportsbooks in Florida will update their available Stanley Cup futures odds. You lock in your odds at the time you make your bet. Once the Stanley Cup Final starts, you’ll be able to bet on games, teams and players in the usual ways, but some options also emerge for the postseason. Here’s a run-through of all of the main ways to bet:

Moneyline

A simple bet on the winner of the game. One of the featured NHL bets at legal sportsbooks along with the puck line and total. An example you could see at DraftKings Sportsbook:

  • Montreal Canadiens +110
  • Tampa Bay Lightning -130

Puck line

The hockey version of a spread bet is typically set at 1.5 goals. The side you choose has to cover the line. Here’s an example of a Hurricanes vs. Panthers spread bet you could expect to see at BetMGM:

  • Carolina Hurricanes +1.5 (-140)
  • Florida Panthers -1.5 (+120)

Totals

Place your bets on the total combined goals in the game. Oddsmakers set the bar, typically in the range of 5.0 to 6.5 for the NHL. An example of a totals bet on the Lightning vs. Panthers you might get at HardRock Sportsbook is as follows:

  • Over 5 (-110)
  • Under 5 (-110)

Props

Additional pregame bets that you can find by clicking on the main game listing. Many depend on individual player stats.

Total points for Nikita Kucherov

  • Over 5 (+135)
  • Under 5 (-115)

Live betting

Bet in real time as an individual game plays out. It’s a fast-moving market with updated game lines and many prop-type wagers.

Who will have more shots on goal in period two?

  • Toronto Maple Leafs +105
  • Tampa Bay Lightning -105

During the early rounds of the playoffs, there are plenty of nights with multiple games. That makes for a great time to take a shot with parlays — bets in which you include two or more picks on one slip. Returns can be great, but they’re also high-risk, as one wrong choice means you win nothing.

Playoff series bets

Once the playoff field is ready, you can bet on the winners of the individual series. There are straight bets on which side will advance that look just like a standard moneyline bet and others that provide a range of choices to consider:

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Florida Panthers series winners (best of seven EXAMPLE)

  • Panthers in four +500
  • Panthers in five +400
  • Panthers in six +250
  • Panthers in seven +150
  • Lightning in four +150
  • Lightning in five -110
  • Lightning in six -125
  • Lightning in seven -150

How to bet on the Stanley Cup online in FL 

If you want to bet on the Stanley Cup playoffs, you will need a place to play. Legal sportsbooks are the place to go. With more and more states legalizing sports betting, there’s simply no valid reason for taking a risk with an unregulated or offshore sportsbook. You can create an account at a legal sportsbook in mere minutes by following these steps:

  • Head to the online sportsbook of your choice via links on this page.
  • Follow the prompts to register your account.
  • Download the app for your phone or tablet from the sportsbook website.
  • Be sure to claim any bonus offers or bonus bet promos at FL sportsbooks.
  • Make your first deposit.
  • Get ready to place your bets.

The registration process is simple and takes just a few minutes. You’ll need to provide some basic info and confirm your identity. Once complete, you’ll have access to a legal and safe sportsbook to bet on the Stanley Cup playoffs.

See the full house rules for NHL betting at Florida online sportsbooks.

More NHL futures odds

These are bets that stay active for much of the year. NHL betting lines and odds will come out in the offseason and shift as the season continues. The live odds feed above will show a variety of these options. Here are some of the most popular NHL futures bets in addition to the next Stanley Cup winner:

  • Conference and division winners
  • Teams to make or miss playoffs
  • Regular season team point totals
  • Season-long stat leaders
  • Individual Player Award winners — Hart, Art Ross, Vezina, Conn Smythe, etc.

If you start with futures, stay active during the regular season, and keep on rolling through the playoffs, you’ll be able to place various NHL bets all year long. While always entertaining, the action intensifies at the betting window for the Stanley Cup playoffs, just as it does for the players on the ice.

How do the NHL playoffs work?

Since the 1979-80 NHL season, the Stanley Cup playoffs have included 16 teams. There have been some changes to the overall structure through the years, but it has generally boiled down to eight teams from each conference qualifying.

The postseason field will be a bracket, with teams receiving seeds based on their regular season records. Once the first-round pairings are set, the playoffs get underway.

  • Each round consists of best-of-seven matchups. The first team to win four games advances.
  • The winners of the conference finals advance to play for the Stanley Cup.

The team with the best regular season record in each conference has home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs, followed by the team with the next-best record in the bracket, and so on. Tiebreakers include the total number of regulation wins.

In recent seasons, we’ve seen some interesting innovations on a trial basis. For 2019-20, there was a play-in tournament to reach the playoffs, so 12 teams in each conference kept playing after the regular season.

The 2020-21 season saw the NHL tweak its divisions and base the postseason around divisional play, with the survivors advancing to the conference finals. We’ll have to wait and see if these changes become permanent moving forward.

Florida’s greatest Stanley Cup moments 

The NHL officially came to the Sunshine State in the 1992-93 season when the Tampa Bay Lightning debuted. The following year, the Florida Panthers joined the fold. Both teams had some growing pains, just like any other expansion club.

In the years since we have seen many memorable moments in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the local teams. Here are the ones that stand out:

Panthers advance to Stanley Cup Final in 1996

The Panthers achieved liftoff in just their third season of action. After racking up 92 points in the regular season, the team surprised the NHL world with wins over the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers in the first two rounds to get to the conference finals. Florida then pulled off an absolute stunner, knocking off the Pittsburgh Penguins in seven games to reach the Stanley Cup Final. The Colorado Avalanche promptly swept the Panthers in the finals, but this postseason run was one for the books.

Lightning win first Stanley Cup in 2004

From their debut season of 1992-93 through 2001-02, the Lightning made it to the playoffs just one time. Things began to turn around in 2002-03, setting the stage for the club’s first run to glory the following year. Tampa Bay needed nine games to advance to the conference finals, where the team took down the Philadelphia Flyers in seven games. Next was a thrilling Stanley Cup Final win over the Calgary Flames, another series that went the distance.

Panthers and Lightning battle in 2021

This was the year when the two Florida squads finally crossed paths in the NHL playoffs. The Panthers closed out the season with 79 points, just ahead of the defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning at 75 points. The clubs met in the first round. Tampa Bay got out to a 2-0 series lead, but Florida showed some life with a 6-5 overtime win in game three. The Lightning closed things out with a 4-0 win in game six to continue their quest for another cup.

Tampa Bay wins back-to-back titles

After a tough series with the Panthers, the Lightning took care of the Carolina Hurricanes in five games in round two. Next was an epic seven-game series with the New York Islanders that closed out with a 1-0 victory for Tampa Bay. It was back to the finals to face the surprising Montreal Canadiens. However, the Lightning wouldn’t be denied in the repeat bid, closing out the series in five games for the second title in a row and third overall.

Essential Stanley Cup betting tips

There are lots of theories out there on the best ways to bet on the NHL. For those new to the game, perhaps the best starting advice is to learn what you can while focusing on what matters in terms of results.

Come playoff time, other factors may enter into the equation. The most important one to pay attention to is this:

  • There are no guarantees that regular season success will translate in the playoffs.

To further drive that point home, let’s consider the NHL Presidents’ Trophy, which has gone to the team with the most regular season points every year since the 1985-86 campaign.

Since its debut, there have been 35 winners. Just eight of them have gone on to win the Stanley Cup. It’s not all bad news, as 11 have at least made it as far as the final round, but you get the gist.

When examining the field, pay extra attention to which teams look like they may be built for the postseason. Recent playoff success can be a solid indicator to pay attention to. As with any other bet, there’s no way to be right every time, but you can put yourself in a position to make the best possible decisions each time you wager.