2025 Stanley Cup Picks

2025 Stanley Cup Playoff Predictions & Picks to Win - NHL Finals Betting Odds

As usual, the Stanley Cup Playoffs have provided plenty of excitement and surprises. But now it’s time for the main event, as it’ll be the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers facing each other in the Stanley Cup Finals for the second straight year.

If you are looking to bet on ice hockey during the Stanley Cup Finals, Stake Sportsbook is the best place. Just keep in mind that the betting odds for the Panthers-Oilers series are as close as can be with no clear favorite. Read our sports betting guide so you have as much information as possible before placing a wager on the NHL Finals.

NHL News & Season Overview

The most compelling storyline in the NHL this season was Alex Ovechkin’s pursuit of history. On April 6, he scored his 895th career goal to pass Wayne Gretzky as the league’s all-time leading scorer. The league also welcomed a new team this season, as the Utah Hockey Club played its inaugural season.

Throughout the 2024-25 NHL season, the Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Winnipeg Jets all established themselves as the NHL’s elite teams by winning over 50 games. As usual, making NHL predictions during the playoffs proved to be difficult, with many surprises. In the end, it wasn’t the top teams during the regular season but rather a pair of teams that finished third in their division during the regular season who reached the Stanley Cup Finals.

NHL History & Previous Stanley Cup Winners

The NHL’s history dates back to 1917 when the league began its inaugural season. Interestingly, the Stanley Cup predates the NHL, as it was first awarded in 1915. During that long history, the Montreal Canadiens have been the most successful team, winning the Cup 24 times. The Toronto Maple Leafs are second with 13 Stanley Cup wins, although they haven’t won it since 1967.

Here is a list of the 10 most recent Stanley Cup winners.

2025 Stanley Cup Picks & NHL Finals Predictions

While they weren’t the projected conference champions at the start of the playoffs, there is no doubt that both the Panthers and Oilers earned their way to the finals. Either would be a worthy champion after being victorious in three rounds of compelling and challenging playoff games. The Panthers had to get past two division rivals that finished ahead of them in the regular season. They then took care of business against Andrei Svechnikov and the Hurricanes in just five games in the conference finals.

Edmonton had a similar path, beating two division foes that finished ahead of them before a matchup with Dallas in the Western Conference Finals. Despite the Stars having a loaded roster with the likes of Jason Robertson, Thomas Harley, Miro Heiskanen, and Tyler Seguin, the Oilers won the series in just five games, thanks to two road wins at the American Airlines Center.

Who Will Win the Stanley Cup?

The 2025 Stanley Cup Finals could easily go either way. On the one hand, the Panthers have both star power and experience from last year’s championship. Players like Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov, and Sam Reinhart are all capable of taking over a game. On the other hand, the Oilers have the ultimate game-changer with Connor McDavid. He’s the reigning Conn Smythe trophy winner and the leading candidate to win the award again. Edmonton also has veterans like defenceman Mattias Ekholm and goalie Calvin Pickard. The Oilers will also be more motivated after losing the Stanley Cup to the Panthers last year, which could be enough to put them over the top.

NHL Betting Tips, Odds & Preview

It’s always best to have a plan while betting. Have a clear strategy and approach before you start placing bets. Even hardcore hockey fans should keep a few things in mind before betting on the NHL, including the Stanley Cup Finals.

• Home teams tend to have an advantage over road teams. The advantage isn’t much, as the home team tends to win 55% of the time in hockey. But it’s a factor worth considering.

• In the playoffs, matchups are important. One team might look better on paper, but their strengths could help offset the strengths of the other team. Look closely at past meetings between the two teams to see how they might fare against one another.

• Depth is important in the postseason. Games sometimes need multiple overtime periods to be settled. Plus, a competitive series often goes six or seven games, giving an edge to the team with more overall depth on their roster.

Types of Ice Hockey Bets and How to Bet on the NHL

For big events, like the Stanley Cup Playoffs, there is no shortage of NHL betting markets. If you’re unsure how to bet on hockey, here are some of the most popular types of betting:

• Winner (Outrights) - Outright betting is also known as futures bets. These are bets on the ultimate winner of the Stanley Cup or a particular series. The same as placing futures bets. This can include the winner of a particular division or the winner of the Calder Cup.

• Moneyline - The simplest way to bet is with moneyline hockey bets, which wager on the winner and loser of a game.

• Handicap - Betting on the handicap is also called betting against the spread. In hockey, this is called the puck line. The favored team in a game must win by at least two goals; otherwise, the underdog will win the bet, even if they lose the game.

• Total - This is a bet on the total goals scored in a hockey game. The over/under for a game might be 5.5 goals, so the bet is made on whether the total goals will be higher or lower.

• Prop Bets - Hockey games offer many prop bets, often based on goals, assists, points, or saves a player collects throughout a game.

Live Stream NHL Online & Live Betting Markets

Stake Sportsbooks wants to make it easy to watch live games in a variety of sports, including hockey, right here on our platform. All you have to do is check out upcoming games and see if live streaming is available for that game. While it’s not available for every game, if streaming is available, place a bet on the match, and you can stream it. This allows you to monitor your betting picks closely. Plus, if you’re watching the live stream of a game, it’s easier to place live bets and explore live betting markets based on how the game is unfolding.

Bet on NHL & Ice Hockey Games with Best Odds & Promotions

Compared to other sports betting sites, Stake Sportsbook always tries to stand out with a wide selection of promotions and bonus offers. For hockey fans, this includes our 2+ lead payout, which gives you a payout if the team you bet on leads after two periods but doesn’t win. Meanwhile, if you decide to join our VIP club, you will have access to additional benefits and rewards.

We also offer a large selection of deposit and withdrawal methods. This includes platforms like Moonpay and Swapped , as well as traditional banking options. Players can make transactions using several cryptocurrencies, which are kept safe and secure by using the Stake Vault.

Finally, we encourage safe gambling practices and believe that sports betting should always be fun. Therefore, we provide our players with resources like the Stake Smart guide so they have the information they need to make responsible betting choices.