The play-in tournament in the National Hockey League has come to an end, and now there are 16 teams remaining to play a traditional four-round, best-of-seven bracket to crown the 2019-20 Stanley Cup winners.
After the Columbus Blue Jackets ousted the Toronto Maple Leafs from the play-in on Sunday night, the final bracket was set. Initially, the top twelve teams from each conference were invited to each conference’s “bubble” site, and the 5-12 seeds played in a best-of-five tournament, while the top four seeds played in a round-robin format that would determine their seeding. Some of the notable contenders from years past — the Pittsburgh Penguins, the San Jose Sharks, the Edmonton Oilers and the New York Rangers, for example — are gone. The teams with the best records at the COVID-19 shutdown in each conference — St. Louis and Boston — ended up going 0-3 in the round-robin play and slid down to the fourth seeds. The brackets will be reseeded after the round of 16 as well.
Take a look at the NHL brackets as well as our thoughts on each hockey matchup.
NHL Betting: Playoff Favorites & Underdogs
Stanley Cup Championship Betting Odds
Check those NHL Odds before they off the board right here
| NHL Teams | Odds |
|---|---|
| Vegas Golden Knights | +500 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | +500 |
| Boston Bruins | +600 |
| Colorado Avalanche | +700 |
| St. Louis Blues | +900 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | +1000 |
| Dallas Stars | +1500 |
| Washington Capitals | +1600 |
| Carolina Hurricanes | +2000 |
| Vancouver Canucks | +2500 |
| Calgary Flames | +2800 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | +3000 |
| Montreal Canadiens | +3000 |
| N.Y. Islanders | +3000 |
| Arizona Coyotes | +3200 |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | +5000 |
Western Conference
#1 Vegas Golden Knights vs #8 Chicago Blackhawks
Vegas scored 15 goals in their three round-robin matches. Against Dallas, they were down 3-1 going into the third period but scored four goals in the final frame for a 5-1 win. The Golden Knights have been in existence for three seasons now, and they have a Stanley Cup Final appearance, a first-round elimination by San Jose and now a top seed in the playoffs. Chicago only had a 32-30-8 record in the regular season but beat Edmonton in four games to take the last slot in the playoffs.
Golden Knights vs Blackhawks | Check the Odds
#2 Colorado Avalanche vs #7 Arizona Coyotes
Colorado looked solid in the round robin phase, going 2-1 and almost outlasting Vegas as well. They face a Coyotes team that sent Nashville home in four games. Arizona had shown flashes of greatness starting when the calendar turned to 2020, and that has resumed after the shutdown as this young team has lots of energy. Hot, young teams tend to roll along for at least a series in NHL playoffs.
Avalanche vs Coyotes | Check the Odds
#3 Dallas Stars vs #6 Calgary Flames
Dallas did not have starting goalie Ben Bishop or captain Tyler Seguin (both held out and ruled “Unfit to Play,” whatever that means, in their round robin finale against St. Louis. With backup Anton Khudobin in net, the Stars were able to come back late against St. Louis and win in a shootout; otherwise they would have been the four-seed. Calgary took Winnipeg to the cleaners in their play-in series, but Winnipeg was missing some key blueliners. I don’t see the Stars surviving a first-round series against an offense as dominant as Calgary’s.
Stars vs Flames | Check the Odds
#4 St. Louis Blues vs #5 Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver dropped their play-in opener against Minnesota but then won the next three to eliminate the Wild. Their reward is a round of 16 series against the defending Stanley Cup champions. The Blues looked competitive in their round-robin games but had some problems on defense and did not have Jordan Binnington in net much.
Eastern Conference
Blues vs Canucks | Check the Odds
#1 Philadelphia Flyers vs #8 Montreal Canadiens
The Flyers went 3-0 in round robin play, outscoring the opposition 11-3. They face a Montreal Canadiens team that unbelievably swept a listless Pittsburgh Penguins team in four games to make it through the play-in. Can Carey Price stand on his head long enough for Montreal to beat a hot Philly team four times in seven games? Because if the Canadiens pull off the sweep, that is what will have to happen.
Flyers vs Canadiens | Check the Odds
#2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs #7 Columbus Blue Jackets
Tampa Bay is a perennial contender and heavy favorite — and just about every year they underperform in the playoffs. Last year, these same Blue Jackets swept the Lightning in the first round — after the Lightning had put together a regular season of historic proportions. I’ve learned to leave the Lightning alone in the playoffs, because they just haven’t shown that they have a deep run in them.
Lightning vs Blue Jackets | Check the Odds
#3 Washington Capitals vs #6 New York Islanders
The Caps have Barry Trotz, who led them to a Stanley Cup in 2018, on the opposite bench this time. Washington has made the postseason 14 times and has lost in the first or second round 13 times — with the lone exception being the run to a title under Trotz. Braden Holtby does not have a reliable backup in net, as Ilya Samsonov is out for the rest of the season. The two teams split their season series, 2-2, with all four games decided by no more than two goals. So this could go the distance.
Capitals vs Islanders | Check the Odds
#4 Boston Bruins vs #5 Carolina Hurricanes
These two teams met in the Eastern Conference finals last year — and the Bruins swept the Hurricanes out of the playoffs before turning around and losing the Stanley Cup Finals to St. Louis in seven. So Carolina — who swept the New York Rangers in the play-in tournament — is hungry for some revenge. Boston had already earned 100 points and a President’s Trophy before falling off the table in round-robin play. These are both talented teams, so this series should go longer than four this time. The B’s won the season’s only meeting between the two sides, 2-0 on December 3.
Bruins vs Hurricanes | Check the Odds
