The Edmonton Oilers are the betting favorite to move on to the Stanley Cup
Stuart Skinner held the Vegas Golden Knights scoreless in games four and five
The Dallas Stars defense ranks 17th overall in Expected Goals Against in All Situations
Plenty of Stanley Cup contenders and star players reside in the Western Conference this season, turning their side of the bracket into a gauntlet with nearly every team grading out well on both sides of the ice. With the gaps in talent razor-thin amongst each other, expect plenty of entertaining series to take place until one team is deemed the Western Conference champion.
With the NHL season wrapping up, this market is no longer available. Check back with us soon, as we will bring you the latest predictions as soon as odds become available at online sportsbooks.
After a shaky start to the playoffs, the Dallas Stars have started to recapture the same success they had in the regular season by putting away the Presidents’ Trophy winners in six games. Winnipeg’s defense struggled to contain the Stars spread out attack which hurt Connor Hellebuyck’s chances of walling them off.
Should Dallas want to avoid losing to Edmonton for the second straight year in the Western Conference Finals, then their defense will need to quickly elevate their level of play. As of writing, the Stars defense ranks 10th overall of all playoff contenders in Expected Goals Against in All Situations with an average of 3.26 Expected Goals Against per game. Should their defense continue to struggle, then they will find themselves quickly behind on the scoreboard.
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Stuart Skinner managed to round back into form at the end of their series against Vegas as the former starting goalie held the Golden Knights scoreless in games four and five. Should Skinner be able to sustain his high level of play against Dallas, then expect the Oilers to move on to the Stanley Cup Finals. Especially with their offense playing at a very high level as the Oilers front line currently ranks second of all playoff contenders in Expected Goals For in All Situations.
When looking to place a wager on the NHL Western Conference winner market, it’s vital to take a look at how they perform on both sides of the ice. Two metrics to look at are Expected Goals For and Expected Goals Against in All Situations. This digs into the quality of their shot attempts, as well as ability to defend against them over the duration of their contests.
You want to target a team who grades out well in both metrics as it means they are consistent and deal with a low amount of variance in their contests. Goalie play also plays a major role in a teams ability to compete for the conference championship, making it vital you back someone who is anchored by a player who ranks high in average Goals Against per game and in Save Percentage.
Before making any type of wager, it’s important to understand how the listed odds work. If you place a $100 on the Colorado Avalanche to win the Western Conference championship at their early playoff odds of +250, then a $100 wager would profit you $250 if they win the title.
If you wait to see if they make it to the conference finals and are listed with a minus sign in front of their odds (-125 for example), then you would need to wager $125 to profit $100. Make sure you line shop before placing a wager as the odds for the same market can vary between each mobile app.
BetMGM Sportsbook has been one of the top choices for the NHL as they consistently edge out the rest of the apps in terms of listed odds. If you have not signed up yet with BetMGM and are looking to bet on the playoffs, you can claim welcome offer: Get Up to $1,500 in Bonus Bets after creating an account with the WSN promo code WSNSPORTS.
Another great app to use is FanDuel Sportsbook as they are quick to update their odds and have tons of unique markets for their users to wager on. FanDuel is also giving new users the followinf welcome offer: Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets if Your Bet Wins for simply creating an account and winning their first bet of at least $5. No promo code is required, new users just need to finish the registration process and win their first bet of at least $5 on any valid Fanduel market.
The Western Conference has seen plenty of parity over the past 15 years as no one has won two straight titles since the Detroit Red Wings in 2008 and 2009. The Edmonton Oilers have the opportunity to be the first team since Detroit to pull off that feat after they won the championship in 2024.
Speaking of Edmonton, the Oilers comfortably lead the Western Conference for the most championships with eight total titles. The Dallas Stars are in second place for teams still in the Western Conference with four total championships.
Team | Year |
---|---|
Edmonton Oilers | 2024 |
Vegas Golden Knights | 2023 |
Colorado Avalanche | 2022 |
Voided - Covid | 2021 |
Dallas Stars | 2020 |
St. Louis Blues | 2019 |
Vegas Golden Knights | 2018 |
Nashville Predators | 2017 |
San Jose Sharks | 2016 |
Chicago Blackhawks | 2015 |
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