The Stanley Cup Finals is the National Hockey League’s annual championship series, pitting the champion of the Eastern Conference against the champion of the Western Conference. Our page dedicated to Stanley Cup betting covers the basics crucial to wagering on Stanley Cup Finals odds at top online sportsbooks like BetOnline and Everygame.
Here, you can discover and explore the best Stanley Cup Finals betting sites, types of Stanley Cup Finals bets, Stanley Cup Finals history, and basic information about the format of the Stanley Cup Finals and NHL playoffs. Also, you can learn more about the other resources we have to help you with your Stanley Cup Finals bets.
Where to Bet on the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals
All reputable sports betting sites for U.S. players offer 2026 Stanley Cup Finals odds, given the NHL’s popularity and the Stanley Cup’s standing as one of the most well-known trophies in sports. So, hockey bettors have a lot of options to choose from if they want to bet on the upcoming NHL championship series.
But what are the best Stanley Cup Finals betting sites? We have checked out many top sports betting sites, and from that long list of options, we have selected five books we highly recommend for Stanley Cup betting and NHL betting.
We have full reviews for each of these sites, so if you want to learn more about BetOnline, Lucky Rebel, and our other top picks, take a gander at those reviews.
What Is the Stanley Cup Finals?
The Stanley Cup Finals is a best-of-seven series between the Eastern Conference champion and Western Conference champion. It represents the climax of the season-ending Stanley Cup playoffs, which currently consist of three rounds prior to the Stanley Cup Finals.
All four rounds of the NHL playoffs are played in a 2-2-1-1-1 format. The team that holds home-ice advantage in each series hosts Games 1, 2, 5 (if necessary), and 7 (if necessary), while the other team hosts Games 2, 4, and 6 (if necessary).
In the first two rounds, home-ice advantage is determined by seeding. In the conference finals and Stanley Cup Finals, regular season records determine home-ice advantage. Therefore, a team who was a lower seed in its conference could have home-ice advantage over a team that was a higher seed in its conference.
This was the case in the 2025 Stanley Cup Finals. The Edmonton Oilers were the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, while the Florida Panthers were the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. However, the Oilers had 101 points in the regular season, while the Panthers had 98 points in the regular season.
What Is the Format of the NHL Playoffs?
First Round
The Stanley Cup playoffs begin with the First Round. The First Round consists of eight best-of-seven series, four in the Eastern Conference and four in the Western Conference.
What are the matchups for the First Round? Here are the pairings for the four series in each conference.
- No. 1 seed (division winner with the best record) vs. No. 8 seed (wild card team with the worst record)
- No. 2 seed (division winner with the second-best record) vs. No. 7 seed (wild card team with the second-worst record)
- No. 3 seed (division non-winner with the best record) vs. No. 6 seed (division non-winner with the fourth-best record)
- No. 4 seed (division non-winner with the second-best record) vs. No. 5 seed (division non-winner with the third-best record)
Second Round
The winners of each First Round series move on to the Second Round. This round consists of four best-of-seven series, two in the Eastern Conference and two in the Western Conference.
What are the matchups for the Second Round? The bracket is reseeded based on regular season records, with the highest remaining seed facing the lowest remaining seed in each conference.
This sets the Stanley Cup playoffs apart from the playoff formats for the NFL, NBA, WNBA, and MLB, none of which have reseeding at any point. However, the NFL postseason does have a similar format for the Divisional Round, in which the highest remaining seeds play the lowest remaining seeds.
Conference Finals (Eastern Conference Finals & Western Conference Finals)
The Second Round winners in each conference move on to the best-of-seven Conference Finals round, which consists of the Eastern Conference Finals and Western Conference Finals.
Stanley Cup Finals
The winners of the Conference Finals move on to the Stanley Cup Finals, which also features a 2-2-1-1-1 format. The team with the better regular-season record gets home-ice advantage.
Since the first Stanley Cup Finals in 1893-94, it has taken place every season except for 1919 and 2005.
In 1919, the Stanley Cup Finals between the Montreal Canadiens and Seattle Metropolitans was cancelled after five games due to the Spanish flu pandemic, with no winner declared.
In 2005, there was no Stanley Cup Finals due to the lockout that cancelled the entire 2004-05 NHL season.
As of 2025, the Montreal Canadiens lead the way with 24 Stanley Cup titles. However, their most recent title came in 1993. The Toronto Maple Leafs (13) and Detroit Red Wings (11) are the only other franchises with ten or more championships.
How to Bet on the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals
The Stanley Cup Finals is a very popular event to bet on, like the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, and other championship events in American sports.
There are several ways to bet on the Stanley Cup Finals. You can bet on array of markets for each game of the series or bet on Stanley Cup Finals futures odds.
NHL Championship Futures Betting
All year long, you can make futures bets on the Stanley Cup Finals. Whether it is before the season, during the regular season, or during the NHL playoffs, you can bet on Stanley Cup Finals futures odds.
Later in the regular season and during the playoffs, sportsbooks typically offer expanded options for Stanley Cup Finals futures betting. But the primary option year-round is betting on who you think will become the next NHL champion.
Let’s look at Stanley Cup Finals winner odds using an example of 2026 Stanley Cup Finals winner odds from BetOnline:
| Odds to Win the 2026 Stanley Cup | |
|---|---|
| Colorado Avalanche | +375 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | +750 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | +775 |
| Florida Panthers | +800 |
| Vegas Golden Knights | +900 |
| Edmonton Oilers | +1000 |
| Dallas Stars | +1200 |
| New Jersey Devils | +1800 |
| Washington Capitals | +1800 |
| Los Angeles Kings | +2800 |
| Winnipeg Jets | +2800 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | +3300 |
| New York Rangers | +3500 |
| Anaheim Ducks | +4000 |
| Montreal Canadiens | +4500 |
| Ottawa Senators | +4500 |
| Utah Mammoth | +4500 |
| Minnesota Wild | +5000 |
Do you think the Florida Panthers will three-peat and win the 2026 Stanley Cup? If you place a $100 bet on the Panthers to win the Stanley Cup, a winning wager will yield a return of $900. You would receive your original $100 stake along with $800 in winnings for your successful wager.
Betting on Stanley Cup Finals Games
During the Stanley Cup Finals, you can also bet on each game. Let’s look at the kinds of Stanley Cup Finals betting you can do on each game.
Moneyline Betting
Moneyline bets are wagers placed on who you feel will win a particular game. Let’s look at a hypothetical example. Say the Panthers are hosting the Oilers in a Stanley Cup Finals game. Here’s what the moneyline could look like for that matchup.
- Edmonton Oilers +125
- Florida Panthers -145
If you think the Panthers will win the game, then you would place a bet on Panthers -145. If the Panthers win by any margin, your bet wins as well.
Puck Line Betting
A puck line bet is a wager placed on the scoring margin in a hockey matchup. Puck line betting is hockey’s version of point spread betting.
Let’s look at puck line betting using the same hypothetical Stanley Cup Finals matchup.
- Edmonton Oilers +1.5 (-180)
- Florida Panthers -1.5 (+150)
Do you think the Panthers will win by two or more goals? If so, your bet is Panthers -1.5 at odds of +150. If the final score is 4-2 Panthers, then your bet wins.
Do you think the Oilers will lose by one goal or win the game? If so, your bet will be Oilers +1.5. If the final score is 3-2 Panthers, then your wager would be a winner.
Total Betting
Total bets, which are also known as over/under bets, are wagers placed on how many combined goals–or whatever measure of scoring is used in the particular sport you are betting on–will be scored in a given matchup.
Let’s look at a hypothetical total for the above matchup between the Oilers and Panthers.
- Over 6.5 (-110)
- Under 6.5 (-110)
Do you think the two teams will combine for seven or more goals? If you do, you will bet the over. If the final score is 4-3 Panthers, your wager would be a winner.
Do you think that the two teams will combine for six or fewer goals? If you do, your bet will be on the under. If the final score is 3-2 Panthers, your wager would be a winner.
Prop Betting
Prop bets are wagers that are not necessarily directly linked to the above outcomes.
What are some popular NHL prop bets available at sportsbooks such as BetOnline and Lucky Rebel?
Goal scorer props and shot props are two of the most popular types of NHL player props. With those two props, you can bet on if a specific player will score a goal or how many shots on goal one of the star players will have.
For team and game props, two popular options are which team will score first and total shots on goal. Period betting is also very popular, allowing you to bet on individual periods within the game.
Let’s look at a few NHL prop bet examples using the Oilers vs Panthers scenario and Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner.
| Sergei Bobrovsky Total Saves | |
|---|---|
| Sergei Bobrovsky Over 28.5 Saves | (-115) |
| Sergei Bobrovsky Under 28.5 Saves | (-105) |
If Bobrovsky has 29 or more saves, the over would be the winner. If Bobrovsky has 28 or fewer saves, the under would be the winner.
Let’s look at another example, using first goal scorer betting.
| First Goal Scorer | |
|---|---|
| Connor McDavid (Oilers) | +700 |
| Aleksander Barkov (Panthers) | +800 |
| Leon Draisaitl (Oilers) | +850 |
| Matthew Tkachuk (Panthers) | +900 |
If you bet on Connor McDavid to score the first goal and he does, you would win at +700 odds.
Live Betting
Live betting has become one of the most popular ways to bet on the Stanley Cup Finals and other events and sports.
With live betting, you can bet on the moneyline, total, puck line, props, and more while the action is going on. Among other things, live betting enables you to hedge bets that are not looking so good or confidently but responsibly bet more on a desired outcome.
Stanley Cup Finals Odds and Picks
Compare Odds for Every Stanley Cup Finals Game at Betting News
Throughout the NHL season, our NHL betting experts offer up predictions and picks for top hockey matchups, as well as their takes on the latest headlines and NHL futures odds.
Beyond this, we do our part to steer you in the right direction with your Stanley Cup Finals bets or choosing the right sportsbook in other ways. That includes our reviews of sportsbooks, betting tools, and picks services (AI sports picks and premium betting picks from handicappers), as well as guides on types of bets and betting strategy.
It also includes the NHL game odds we offer for every game. We take odds from BetOnline, Bovada, and other top sportsbooks and stick them in one nice, neat place. This means that you do not have to look a million different places to track line movement or do your line shopping.
Get Stanley Cup Finals Expert and Consensus Picks for Free at Betting News
When it’s time for the Stanley Cup Finals festivities, Betting News will have both expert picks and consensus picks for every game of the Stanley Cup Finals matchup. And like all other content we provide, these picks are all available for the low, low cost of free.
Our NHL betting experts have been watching the games, crunching the numbers, tracking the trends, and betting on the names and games all season long, so you can trust their picks and research.
In addition to our NHL expert picks, we also offer NHL consensus picks for every game on the NHL schedule, including every game of the playoffs and Stanley Cup Finals.
Moneyline, spread (puck line), and total picks are aggregated from reputable and renowned sports betting industry sources, and they are combined with our collected odds to form the consensus ML, PL, and O/U picks for every game.
These picks are not going to hit all of the time. No sports betting picks do, whether they are free picks or premium picks. However, we hope our expert picks and consensus picks can be a valuable supplement to your Stanley Cup Finals betting research.
Recent Stanley Cup Finals Winners and Playoff MVPs
Another thing that sets the NHL playoffs and Stanley Cup Finals apart from other major North American professional sports leagues is the Conn Smythe Trophy.
Whereas World Series MVP, NBA Finals MVP, WNBA Finals MVP, and Super Bowl MVP are all awarded specifically to a top performer in the championship series (or game, as is the case for the Super Bowl), the Conn Smythe Trophy is awarded to the most player deemed the most valuable player across the entire NHL playoffs.
Of course, this means that Conn Smythe Trophy winners will be from teams that make the Stanley Cup Finals. But this distinction opens up the possibility for players from losing Stanley Cup finalists to claim the award.
As of 2025, this has happened six times, most recently in 2024. That year, Connor McDavid received the Conn Smythe Trophy despite the Oilers’ loss to the Panthers, after he and Edmonton became the first Stanley Cup finalist since 1945 to overcome a 3-0 series deficit to force a Game 7.
Who Are the Last 20 NHL Champions and Playoff MVPs?
| Year | Champion | Opponent | Result | Conn Smythe Trophy Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Florida Panthers (EC) | Edmonton Oilers (WC) | 4-2 | Sam Bennett (Oilers) |
| 2024 | Florida Panthers (EC) | Edmonton Oilers (WC) | 4-3 | Connor McDavid (Oilers) |
| 2023 | Vegas Golden Knights (WC) | Florida Panthers (EC) | 4-1 | Jonathan Marchessault (Golden Knights) |
| 2022 | Colorado Avalanche (WC) | Tampa Bay Lightning (EC) | 4-2 | Cale Makar (Avalanche) |
| 2021 | Tampa Bay Lightning (EC) | Montreal Canadiens (EC) | 4-1 | Andrei Vasilevskiy (Lightning) |
| 2020 | Tampa Bay Lightning (EC) | Dallas Stars (WC) | 4-2 | Victor Hedman (Lightning) |
| 2019 | St. Louis Blues (WC) | Boston Bruins (EC) | 4-3 | Ryan O’Reilly (Blues) |
| 2018 | Washington Capitals (EC) | Vegas Golden Knights (WC) | 4-1 | Alex Ovechkin (Capitals) |
| 2017 | Pittsburgh Penguins (EC) | Nashville Predators (WC) | 4-2 | Sidney Crosby (Penguins) |
| 2016 | Pittsburgh Penguins (EC) | San Jose Sharks (WC) | 4-2 | Sidney Crosby (Penguins) |
| 2015 | Chicago Blackhawks (WC) | Tampa Bay Lightning (EC) | 4-2 | Duncan Keith (Blackhawks) |
| 2014 | Los Angeles Kings (WC) | New York Rangers (EC) | 4-1 | Justin Williams (Kings) |
| 2013 | Chicago Blackhawks (WC) | Boston Bruins (EC) | 4-2 | Patrick Kane (Blackhawks) |
| 2012 | Los Angeles Kings (WC) | New Jersey Devils (EC) | 4-2 | Jonathan Quick (Kings) |
| 2011 | Boston Bruins (EC) | Vancouver Canucks (WC) | 4-3 | Tim Thomas (Bruins) |
| 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks (WC) | Philadelphia Flyers (EC) | 4-2 | Jonathan Toews (Blackhawks) |
| 2009 | Pittsburgh Penguins (EC) | Detroit Red Wings (WC) | 4-3 | Evgeni Malkin (Penguins) |
| 2008 | Detroit Red Wings (WC) | Pittsburgh Penguins (EC) | 4-2 | Henrik Zetterberg (Red Wings) |
| 2007 | Anaheim Ducks (WC) | Ottawa Senators (EC) | 4-1 | Scott Niedermayer (Ducks) |
| 2006 | Carolina Hurricanes (EC) | Edmonton Oilers (WC) | 4-3 | Cam Ward (Hurricanes) |
Other NHL Betting Information
Now that you know what kind of Stanley Cup Finals bets you can place, you should be well on your way to maximize your chances of Stanley Cup Finals betting success.
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