NHL Odds: Full Stanley Cup Playoffs Betting Update

• The unique 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs are underway as the Carolina Hurricanes became the first team to win their series from inside the bubble.
• Five other qualifying series are tied 1-1 as teams head into pivotal game three matchups.
• The top four teams look to their second of the round-robin games, with the Tampa Bay Lightning still holding the shortest odds to win the Stanley Cup at +600.

EDMONTON, Canada – After months of sports-less purgatory the action has finally returned with no bigger competition straight out of the gate than the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The 24 best teams in the league have headed to Canada, and are now settled into their temporary homes in either Toronto or Edmonton. The two conferences are split between the two cities, with a unique playoff format already well underway.

The top four teams in each conference are entering the second game of their round-robin to decide seeding at the top of the playoffs. Teams placed five through eight in the playoff seeding will be filled by the winners of each five-game qualification series, also currently underway.

The Carolina Hurricanes became the first team through to the next round after they swept the New York Rangers on Tuesday.

Overall, the Tampa Bay Lightning barely hold on to the shortest legal betting odds to win the Stanley Cup, with multiple teams right behind.

Eastern Conference

In a matchup atop the Eastern Conference, the Boston Bruins face the Lightning. The Bruins lost their first game 4-1 to Philadelphia, while Tampa was able to win in a shootout against the Capitals.

Elsewhere in the East Wednesday, the No. 7 place New York Islanders look to win their series 3-0 against the No. 10 Florida Panthers.

The fifth-place Pittsburgh Penguins thought they received the easiest bid of the qualification round when they drew the twelfth place Montreal Canadiens but now find themselves in a 1-1 tie heading into a pivotal game three.

Western Conference

Among the top teams, the Colorado Avalanche take on the Dallas Stars looking for a commanding lead in the seeding games. The Avs won their first game 2-1 over the Blues, while Dallas fell 5-3 against the Vegas Golden Knights.

In the series between the No. 6 Nashville Predators and the No. 11 Arizona Coyotes, things are tied after a stunningly dominant Arizona win. Nashville is still the favorite in this one, but looked all out of sorts in their first loss.

In a similar situation to the East, the fifth-place West team is tied 1-1 in their series against the last-to-qualify twelfth place squad. The Edmonton Oilers look to avoid the upset against the Chicago Blackhawks by getting a win in game three.

Regardless of which teams get the win today, hockey bettors are overjoyed with the return of their favorite sport.

News tags: Boston Bruins | Carolina Hurricanes | Chicago Blackhawks | Colorado Avalanche | Dallas Stars | NHL | Philadelphia Flyers | St. Louis Blues | Tampa Bay Lightning | Vegas Golden Knights | Washington Capitals