The FanDuel betting lines for the NHL’s convention finals could not be clearer: The cash is on a Colorado-Carolina Stanley Cup Last.
If the cash is correct, this may mark the primary time since 2001 that the highest seed from every convention made the Stanley Cup Last. Colorado (118 factors) defeated New Jersey (111 factors) in seven video games that yr.
The betting strains are comparable
Colorado, the 2026 Presidents’ Trophy winners for many factors, will face Vegas within the Western Convention Finals. Carolina, the 2026 high seed within the East, will face upstart Montreal within the Jap Last.
The strains to win the sequence are equivalent. Each Colorado and Carolina sit at -285 to win. In the meantime, the strains are practically equivalent when it comes to how they do it. Carolina is -125 to win by no less than 1.5 video games (so, in six video games or fewer). Colorado is -128 in the identical unfold.
The case for the favorites
Not solely have each these groups been the very best all common season, however they’ve additionally been the very best within the playoffs. Carolina has but to lose a playoff sport, sweeping each Philadelphia and a tricky Ottawa workforce. Colorado has misplaced solely as soon as — to a Minnesota workforce broadly considered among the finest within the NHL.
MoneyPuck’s expected goals metric, which values “distance from the web, angle of the shot, sort of shot, and what occurred earlier than the shot,” ranks Colorado first (57.33 p.c) and Carolina second (56.41 p.c) within the Stanley Cup playoffs. These rankings are equivalent to the common season, when Colorado completed first (56.85 p.c) and Carolina completed second (56.31 p.c).
Carolina is beginning to see the fruits of years of labor, however the greatest story is what has occurred in objective. Frederik Andersen leads the Stanley Cup playoffs by MoneyPuck’s Targets Saved Above Anticipated, which contrasts precise objectives allowed versus what the anticipated objectives towards quantity is for the workforce.
The Hurricanes have been doomed by subpar goaltending earlier than within the eight years below head coach Rod Brind’Amour. Andersen’s playoff historical past is blended, significantly for Carolina. His two shutouts, .950 save proportion and 1.12 goals-against common on this postseason are all profession bests.
The Avalanche are led by among the finest strains in all of hockey thanks, partially, to heart Nathan MacKinnon and former Hurricanes winger Martin Necas. The Avalanche are profitable 8-2 at five-on-five with these two on, no matter who’s on the left wing.
When joined by captain Gabriel Landeskog (for 57 minutes, 24 seconds this postseason), that line leads the Stanley Cup playoffs in MoneyPuck’s anticipated objectives with an astonishing 75 p.c.
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