2024 NHL Western Conference Stanley Cup Playoff Preview (Who Should Bettors Trust?)

It’s mid-April, which means that the madness of college basketball is in the rearview, baseball is in full swing, and football is light-years away. With that being said, we get to enjoy the two best words in all of sports. Playoff Hockey.

Sixteen teams will spend the next two months battling to raise the Stanley Cup trophy and I for one cannot wait another day.

Lets take a look at the odds of the teams in the Western Conference and cover why each team can win and also cannot win the Stanley Cup title.

Odds are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

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NHL Western Conference Championship Odds

Dallas Stars

Why can they win? Balance on offense and a disciplined roster. The Stars have the third highest scoring offense in the NHL, averaging 3.59 g/gp, and they feature seven 20-goal scorers, the most in the NHL.

This team does an excellent job of controlling the puck and their stout defense makes it very difficult for opponents to establish any momentum in their offensive zone, with their opponents averaging only 28.66 shots on goal, the seventh fewest in the NHL.

The Stars also don’t allow many power play opportunities, taking the fewest penalty minutes in the league, and if they do find themselves down a man, the Stars boast the eighth best penalty kill (82%).

Why can’t they win? Because Jake Oettinger is having the worst season of his young career after posting a career low save percentage of .905, which has been easy to overlook seeing how the Stars have had great success this season and they don’t allow their opponents to put many shots on goal.

However, when you dig deeper and look at Oettinger’s performance against fast-paced offenses such as Colorado, Vegas, and Florida, all teams that Dallas could play on their way to a title, Oettinger has posted a 2-5-2 record, with an average 3.67 ga/gp and a save percentage of .868 in those games.

Colorado Avalanche

Why can they win? Because Nathan MacKinnon might not be from this planet and no team has found a way to stop him. MacKinnon’s 51 goals pace an Avs team that leads the NHL with 3.68 goals per game (g/gp), and Miko Rantanen and his second consecutive 100-point season makes him the perfect Robin to MacKinnon’s Batman.

The offense will be tested immediately as they start their run to the Cup against a Winnipeg Jets team that they were winless against during the regular season.

Why can’t they win? Goaltending. Alexander Georgiev has a save percentage of .897, which is tied for 39th in the league, and during the month of April, Georgiev went 1-4 with a 4.40 goals allowed per game (ga/gp) average and stopped only .859 of shots faced, and all four losses came against playoff teams in the west.

The Avs title chances rely on Georgiev having the ability to make timely saves, and his regular season performance makes that a serious concern.

Edmonton Oilers

Why can they win? The Oilers boast arguably the deepest and most complete roster in the NHL this season. This Oilers team is no longer about Connor McDavid torching defenses, as he has played the role of facilitator, leading the NHL with an astonishing 100 assists, while allowing Leon Draisaitl to handle a bulk of the scoring as he has reached 40 goals for the fifth time in his career.

The biggest surprise of this team has been the emergence of Zach Hyman, as he has exploded for 54 goals for an Oilers offense that averages 3.61 g/gp. A big step forward for this team has been the improvement on the defensive end of the ice, particularly after the mid-season coaching change, which has seen them allow 1.5 fewer goals a game since that change, which gave the Oilers a top ten scoring defense with a 2.88 ga/gp average.

For the first time since the Wayne Gretzky era, the Oilers have a complete unit made for a title run.

Why can’t they win? While the Oilers defense has improved from the start of the season to this point, the Oilers rank in the bottom five of the NHL in blocked shots. Which has placed an additional strain on their goaltender Stuart Skinner when playing against some of the higher volume shooting teams.

Speaking of Skinner, he will look to rebound from last postseason that saw him allow 3.68 goals a game with a .883 save percentage. The Oilers improved defense and high-powered offense has taken some of the burden off of his shoulders during the regular season, but his .905 save percentage during the regular season is leaving Oilers fans with an uneasy feeling heading into the playoffs.

Vegas Golden Knights

Why can they win? The reigning Stanley Cup champions have optimism when it comes to their chances at repeating as champions in large part because of their success against the other playoff teams in the west.

The Golden Knights have gone an impressive 14-6-2 against their western playoff foes. That success can be attributed to the talent of a roster that averages 3.21 g/gp and posted a 2.96 ga/gp average. Jonathan Marchessault scored 42 goals this season, and Jack Eichel and William Karlsson each poured in 30-goal seasons for the Knights.

Why can’t they win? The biggest concern for the Golden Knights is the health and on-ice chemistry of their lineup. Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, Alex Pietrangelo, Alec Martinez, and Shea Theodore have all missed significant time this season, which is a big reason why this team was not as dominate as last season and have found themselves in a wild card position.

Vegas’ big time trade acquisition Tomas Hertl has only played a handful of games with his new linemates as he has missed the last two months with an injury. The odds indicate that a title run is possible, but bettors should be cautious about the lack of on-ice time this lineup has played together.

Vancouver Canucks

Why they can win? The Canucks are the biggest surprise of the NHL season, winning the Pacific division and now have title aspirations for the first time since 2011. The Canucks offense ranks sixth in scoring, averaging 3.40 g/gp and is led by a three-headed monster of J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson, and Brock Boeser, with all three having scored over 30 goals this season.

The Canucks also feature the soon to be Norris trophy winner Quinn Hughes who leads the team in assists with 75, and he anchors a top five scoring defense, averaging only 2.70 ga/gp and they make it nearly impossible for their opponents to find scoring chances, with a 28.54 sa/gp average, the sixth fewest in the NHL.

Why they can’t win? The health of Thatcher Demko will determine this teams fate. Demko was in contention for the Venzena trophy before suffering a knee injury on March 9th and eventually missed the next month of action.

During that span without Demko the Canucks went 2-6 against playoff teams with 3.50 ga/gp. If Demko is healthy this team can win the cup and bettors can get great value. If Demko isn’t healthy, this team has a first round exit in their future.

Winnipeg Jets

Why can they win? Connor Hellebuyck is the best goaltender in the NHL this season. Hellebuyck ran away with the Venzena trophy this season; with a .921 save percentage and is the face of a Jets team that posted a 2.41 ga/gp average, the fewest in the NHL.

Josh Morrissey has solidified himself as one of the best two-way defenseman in the NHL, and leads a Jets defense that takes the eighth fewest penalty minutes in the NHL.

Why can’t they win? A lack of firepower and star power on offense has been a problem for the Jets all season. The Jets have an average offense at best, averaging only 3.16 g/gp and their power play (18.8%) ranks 22nd in the NHL.

Outside of Kyle Connor who has surpassed the 30-goal mark for the sixth time in his career, there aren’t any skaters that would be deemed scoring threats on this team. Hellebuyck is great, but he can’t carry this team through the playoffs without scoring help.

Los Angeles Kings

Why can they win? The resurgence of Cam Talbot, coupled with an impressive defense. Talbot is having his best season in almost a decade; with 2.50 gaa and a .913 save percentage have resulted in the Kings having the third best scoring defense in the NHL.

The lack of scoring by the Kings opponents can also be attributed to the Kings having the second best penalty kill unit (84.6%) in the NHL.

Why can’t they win? Inconsistency on offense has plagued the Kings from reaching their full potential. For a team that features talented scorers like Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala, Anze Kopitar, and Trevor Moore, all of whom have scored 25 or more goals this season, it is confusing how they average 3.10 g/gp.

The power play has been the major point of frustration for Kings fans this season, particularly at home where the Kings convert only 21.4% of their man advantage opportunities. Compare that to a 23.9% conversion rate on the road and you have a team that as a whole struggles to consistently find the back of the net.

The inconsistent offense is a big reason why the Kings finished the regular season with an 8-12-3 record against playoff teams in the west.

Nashville Predators

Why can they win? In mid-February the Predators looked dead in the water with no realistic chance of making the playoffs. That was until the Predators proceeded to go 16-0-2 from mid-February through the end of March and catapulted themselves back into the postseason.

The Predators can win the Stanley Cup if they can recreate the magic they had during that 18-game stretch. During that time the Predators averaged 4.11 g/gp and 1.83 ga/gp, beat five playoff teams from the west, and star left winger Filip Forsberg scored 15 goals during that 18-game stretch and his performance will be a big reason if this team can make another deep playoff run or be sent home early.

Why can’t they win? The home and road splits when it comes to both the Predators power play and penalty kill are frightening. When playing on home ice the Predators score on 25% of their power play opportunities and kill off 80.3% of the opponent’s power plays, both of which are excellent numbers.

When it comes to playing on the road the Predators score on only 18.2% of their power plays and kill off only 73.8% of their opponent’s chances. Those splits are among the worst in the league and for a team that will be without home ice during this playoff run, staying out of the penalty box will become even more imperative for this Predators team.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.