Things looked grim for the Dallas Stars just eight minutes into Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. They were on their heels in a raucous Rogers Center, and the Edmonton Oilers had lit the lamp twice to take an early 2-0 lead. The game felt a lot like the first five minutes of the second period of Game 1, when the Oil scored twice and got enough of a lead to keep things close enough for an overtime win. The Oilers kept the barrage going for the rest of the first period, but Dallas’ Jake Oettinger didn’t let in another goal. The second period saw a change in the Stars as they scored three goals in a span of 3:33 to take a lead – their quickest three-goal postseason outburst since the team moved to Texas in the mid-1990’s. The Oilers tied the game in the last minute of the second period, but the Stars got a goal in the third period as Jason Robertson completed his hat trick and then added an empty-netter to get a 5-3 win. Now the Stars have a 2-1 lead in the series and are currently the sports betting favorites to win the Stanley Cup for the first time in 25 years. Let’s take a look at each of the four contenders, as both series stand at 2-1, with the Rangers leading the Panthers in the East finals.
NHL Betting: Updated Odds to Win the Stanley Cup 2024
- Dallas Stars +150
- N.Y. Rangers +260
- Florida Panthers +375
- Edmonton Oilers +400
An interesting feature about this group of four is that, for the first time in the history of the NHL, we’re guaranteed to have a winner with a championship drought of at least 20 seasons. The Florida Panthers have never won a Stanley Cup. They did get to the Final last year; if they win the title, they’ll be the first team since 2009 to win the Stanley Cup the year after they lost in the Final, when Pittsburgh pulled it off. The Rangers last made the Cup Final in 2014, but they haven’t won a title since 1994. Dallas last made the Stanley Cup Final in the COVID-19 pandemic season, when the entire playoffs took place in Edmonton. They fell to Tampa Bay then; their last title came against Buffalo in 1999. Edmonton last made a Cup Final in 2006, when they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes. Their last title came in 1990.
The Oilers have one of the great center duos in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. They’ve been teammates for nine seasons now, and coming into the West finals, they are the top two in postseason points. Draisaitl has 24 (eight goals, 16 assists) in 12 games; his scoring streak reached 13 before ending in Game 2 against Dallas. McDavid had 21 points (two goals, 19 assists) in the 12 games going into the West finals. They got this far two years ago, and McDavid and Draisaitl combined for 13 points in the West finals, but that didn’t keep them from getting swept by the Colorado Avalanche.
In the East, Vincent Trocheck has been a wrecking ball of revenge. He stopped one of his former teams with eight points in six games in the second round as the Rangers eliminated the Carolina Hurricanes. His scoring included the Game 2 winner in double overtime. He has a chance to eliminate another former team as the Rangers play the Panthers. He was in Florida for seven seasons before they dealt him to Carolina in February 2020. He had 282 points (111 goals, 171 assists) in 420 regular-season games and a single assist in two postseason games with Florida. With the Rangers, he has stood tall in each series.
Will the Oilers tie up the Western Conference Final tonight? 🤭 #StanleyCup
— NHL (@NHL) May 29, 2024
📺: @DallasStars vs. @EdmontonOilers at 8:30p ET on @NHL_On_TNT (truTV), @SportsonMax, @Sportsnet, and @TVASports pic.twitter.com/mZUWLeuAPn
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