Canes favored to win Stanley Cup by ESPN

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are finally here.

After several months and 82 games of a grueling, grind-it-out schedule, NHL teams now have the chance to chase the ultimate prize – a Stanley Cup title.

One thing I love about the playoffs is seeding does not matter. We’ve seen plenty of eight over one seed upsets in recent years, such as the Florida Panthers beating the Boston Bruins last year.

Back in 2019, our Carolina Hurricanes upset the top-seeded Washington Capitals.

Speaking of the Canes, they kick off their Stanley Cup quest at 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 20 against the New York Islanders. This will be Carolina’s third time meeting Long Island’s lone professional hockey team in the past six playoffs, with each of the previous outings resulting in series victories for the Canes.

In more good news for Carolina, they are ESPN’s slim betting favorites to take home the Stanley Cup – at +550. This is the Canes’ (52-23-7) first time in franchise history ever being named the betting favorites, dating back to their Hartford Whaler days.

Carolina has a significantly improved roster, headlined by the additions of Dmitry Orlov (offseason), Jake Guentzel and Evgeny Kuznetsov (trade deadline acquisitions). The Canes will still have to compete in a stacked Eastern Conference with the likes of the New York Rangers, Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins.

For Carolina’s full first-round schedule, click here to view.