Mark Lammey
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Believe it or not, the 2023-24 NHL season gets started tonight with a tripleheader on ESPN. The slate features a Tampa Bay Lightning that is looking to reach their fourth Stanley Cup in the past five seasons, rookie phenom Connor Bedard taking on his childhood hero of Sidney Crosby and the defending-champion Vegas Golden Knights. We have NHL picks for each of those games and will have NHL predictions for every matchup this season. But before we get to today’s slate, we’ve provided our best Stanley Cup predictions while the preseason odds are still available.
NHL Stanley Cup Final 2023-24 betting lines and odds
We have both a Stanley Cup best bet and longshot for you, but first, here are the latest NHL odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook:
- Carolina Hurricanes: +800
- New Jersey Devils: +900
- Toronto Maple Leafs: +900
- Colorado Avalanche: +1000
- Edmonton Oilers: +1000
- Vegas Golden Knights: +1200
- New York Rangers: +1300
- Dallas Stars: +1400
- Boston Bruins: +1600
- Florida Panthers: +1600
- Tampa Bay Lightning: +2000
- Los Angeles Kings: +2200
- Pittsburgh Penguins: +2800
- Minnesota Wild: +3000
- Calgary Flames: +3000
Our experts provided their early best bet immediately following the 2023 Stanley Cup Final on the New Jersey Devils while they were priced at +1300 odds. Based on the movement, we weren’t alone in that pick. Don’t worry — we have another Stanley Cup best bet now that we’ve seen the offseason play out.
2023-24 NHL Stanley Cup Best Bet: Edmonton Oilers (+1000)
There’s no doubt that we’re far from the only ones eyeing the Edmonton Oilers with their NHL Stanley Cup predictions. Even still, we’re able to get them with four-digit, plus-money odds, so we’ll happily take that. We mentioned Connor Bedard when we opened things up, and there’s been no one as touted as him since Connor McDavid.
When the Oilers drafted McDavid, fans fully anticipated Edmonton to have won a Stanley Cup by now, if not multiple. While it’s surprising that they haven’t yet, it’s certainly no fault of McDavid’s. We know that this could turn into an “all about Connor” article with the accolades and achievements under his belt, so we’ll just leave it at the fact that last season he had the first 150-point campaign since 1996-97.
It also doesn’t hurt that the Oilers have Leon Draisaitl, who finished with the second-most points last season at 128. Those two alone account for the same amount of offense as some of the lesser teams in the league, so finding the back of the net has never been their issue. So, the question continues to be, what is their goaltending outlook for this season?
Well, fans can be optimistic in that regard. In what was essentially Stuart Skinner’s rookie season, he led Edmonton to within two games of the Stanley Cup Final. Although they fell to the eventual champion Golden Knights, in the Oilers’ two wins, Skinner allowed just a single goal. If he can keep that momentum rolling into this season, McDavid and Draisaitl can take care of the rest.
Get our expert’s NHL player awards futures picks, including a +1800 best bet!
2023-24 NHL Stanley Cup Longshot: Pittsburgh Penguins (+2800)
Not only did we mention Connor Bedard, but we also mentioned how he’s facing his childhood hero — Sidney Crosby. When the Pittsburgh Penguins missed out on the postseason last year, it was the first time in Crosby’s 18-year career. So, you can be sure he and the Pens are as hungry as ever.
That also holds just as true for the core they’ve maintained around Crosby for years — Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. Those key players are back yet again, and Pittsburgh made arguably the biggest acquisition of the entire offseason. That would be defenseman Erik Karlsson, who just won his third Norris Trophy for the NHL’s best defenseman.
The combination of Karlsson and Letang in front of goaltender Tristan Jarry should provide him with plenty of confidence. They’ll also have the physicality of Ryan Graves all season, and they have the ability to put plenty of pressure on the opposing net with a volume shooter in Jake Guentzel. Along with role player Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell contributing over 100 points last season, a hungry Pens team is our best Stanley Cup long shot.
We have NHL division winner best bets for every div, including a +650 under-the-radar pick
