The best Round 2 series came to a conclusion Monday night in Buffalo, and the Montreal Canadiens skated past the Sabres in Game 7 with a 3-2 win in overtime to advance to the Eastern Conference finals against the top seed Carolina Hurricanes. The Western Conference finals begin Wednesday, May 20 in Denver with the top seed and Presidents' Trophy winners Colorado Avalanche facing off against the Vegas Golden Knights.

NHL Conference Finals Odds

Stanley Cup Playoff series odds and daily game odds from BetOnline and leading online sportsbooks refresh periodically and are subject to change, including on props and live betting. 

- Carolina Hurricanes (-273) vs. Montreal Canadiens (+225)
- Colorado Avalanche (-280) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (+230) 

Game 1 

Wed., May 20 - Avalanche (-200) vs. Golden Knights (+175)
Thurs., May 21 - Hurricanes (-191) vs. Canadiens (+167)

Bet Avs (-125) to win in regulation and over Game 1 total. 

Both game totals are 6 goals, and puck lines (-1.5) Avs (+137), Golden Knights (+1.5, -157), and Hurricans (+125), Canadiens (+1.5, -145).

Our Round 2 series picks and opinions went 1-1 with the Sabres losing the tightest series that became a tossup, and a win on Vegas in less than 7 games. No picks or opinions on the conference finals series as I won't lay nearly 3/1 on the favorites, and don't have opinions to win in 6 games or less and better odds.

I've seen the Golden Knights play many times this season as media at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, including playoff Game 5 and double overtime win over Utah. I gave the Wild a better chance to beat the Avalanche than VGK, who went through some longer losing streaks and stretches this season. Vegas is now playing their best hockey in the playoffs with stability in net as Carter Hart took over 6 of the final 7 games of the regular season and has played all playoff games. The controversial move of replacing head coach Bruce Cassidy with John Tortorella late in the season seams like it's paid off, but Vegas was barely better if at all in winning both playoff series over Utah and Anaheim.

It's easy to pick Hurricanes like most pundits and media members, but I give the Canadiens a better chance than most after two long playoff series and a pair of lower-scoring Game 7 wins. Montreal beat Carolina twice in late March, and also Jan. 1 to go 3-0 against the Hurricanes this season while outscoring Carolina 15-8.  

Players to watch

The Avalanche-Golden Knights series is filled with star power, and VGK's Canadian Olympian Mitch Marner leads all playoff players in points with 18 on 7 goals and 11 assists. That includes the series-clinching Game 6 spectacular between-the-legs goal on a long heads-up pass from William Karlsson, who returned to the lineup in the series vs. Anaheim after missing most the season with injury. Marner has 29 shots on net and a plus-11 rating over 12 playoff games to lead Vegas. Fellow Olympian and playmaker Jack Eichel has 15 playoff points, but the top American has just one goal on 31 shots on net (27 goals reg season), nine blocked shots and a plus-4 rating through 11 playoff games. Fourth year pro Pavel Dorofeyev leads the Knights with 9 playoff goals followed by emerging Brett Howden with 8 goals including 3 shorthanded. Both players have two assists, and Dorofeyev led the Golden Knights with 37 goals during the regular season. 

Leading VGK defenseman and Canadian Olympian Shea Theodore has 4 goals and 5 assists logging the most ice time (25+ min/game, +7) along with fellow defensemen and Olympians American Noah Hanifin (24 min) and Sweden's Rasmus Andersson (24 min). Canadian Olympian and VGK Captain Mark Stone suffered a lower-body injury in Game 3 against the Ducks. He's not played since, and is likely out at least Game 1 against the Avalanche having missed practice Monday, May 18. His 28 goals in the regular season and 3 in the playoffs are just part of his leadership to the 2023 Stanley Cup champions. Defenseman Jeremy Lauzon's undisclosed injury leaves him still a question mark for Game 1 after missing the entire series against the Ducks. He lead the Knights in penalty minutes this season. Czech Olympian Tomas Hertl had 24 goals in the regular season, but did not score a goal for two months starting March 4 and has 2 goals and 4 assists in the playoffs. Ivan Barbashev (23 goals) has 3 goals in the playoffs. For the Knights to pull the series upset, they'll need continued strong goaltening from Carter Hart, who has a 2.37 goals against average and .917 playoff save percentage of .917 entering the Conference final.

But the 2022 Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche were a juggernaut this season and clearly the team to beat as the Avs try to become the first Presidents' Trophy winner to win the Stanley Cup since the 2013 Chicago Black Hawks. Entering the Western Conference Final, the Avs were the highest-scoring team in the Stanley Cup playoffs (4.11 GF/G). Colorado has played just 9 playoff games to dispatch the Kings and Wild, and Canadian Olympian Nathan MacKinnon (7 goals, 6 assists) led the NHL with 53 goals this season. He joins Czech Olympian Martin Necas (11 points, 1 goal playoffs, 38/62 for 100 points reg season) on top of the stats sheet in the playoffs.

Six other Avalanche players were Olympians this year including Canadian defenseman Devon Toews (2 goals, 6 assists playoffs) and the league's top defenseman and Canadian Cale Makar (20 goals, 59 assists, 4 goals playoffs). Sweden's captain Gabriel Landeskog has 3 playoff goals and 5 assists, while Finland's Artturi Lehkonen and Joel Kiviranta add to the Avs depth and strength. Gold Medal winning American Brock Nelson (2 goals) had 33 goals and 32 assists this season. Former Golden Knights center and Stanley Cup winner Nicolas Roy (3 goals, 3 assists, 12 min per game) has contributed at center in the playoffs for the Avs since coming over from Toronto at the trade deadline. Roy was dealt to the Maple Leafs as part of the Mitch Marner trade last offseason. 

The Hurricanes-Canadiens series features five Olympians on Carolina, who is 8-0 in the playoffs after sweeping the Senators and Flyers. The Hurricanes have yet to allow 3 goals in a playoff game, and won three games in overtime by exact 3-2 scores. The Hurricanes’ penalty kill has been historic at 95.0%, allowing just 2 power-play goals on 40 chances across two rounds. Hurricane's Olympians include:

Defenseman Jaccob Slavin (USA)
Center Seth Jarvis (Canada)
Center Sebastian Aho (Finland)
Goalie Frederik Andersen (Denmark)
Forward Nikolaj Ehlers (Denmark) 

The Hurricanes top playoff scorers are forwards Tayler Hall (3 goals, 9 assists) and Jackson Blake (4 g,7 a), and diminutive center Logan Stankoven (7, 1), who are all +/- 7 to 10 along with defenseman K'Andre Miller. The goalie star of the playoffs has been Frederik Andersen and his 1.12 GAA and .950 save percentage through eight starts with two shutouts. The Hurricane's have had the easiest path to the conference finals, and Carolina is a big favorite to snap their 0-4 skid in Conference Finals since winning the Cup in 2006. 

The Canadiens last won the Stanley Cup in the 1992-93 season, and lost in the Cup finals in 2021. Montreal has 13 power-play goals across 14 playoff games the past month, cashing in at a 25% rate. Monteal's 21-year-old goalie Jakup Dobes has started every game and posted a .908 save percentage. Alex Newhook scored his 7th playoff goal in the 3-2 overtime win over Buffalo in Game 7. That leads the Canadiens, with Cole Caufield, Canadien Olympian Nick Suzuki and Slovakian Olympian Juraj Slafkovsky all with 4 playoff goals. French Olympian Alexandre Texier has 3 playoff goals while defenseman Lane Hutson leads the Canadiens with 14 playoff points (2 goals). Finish Olympian, 22-year-old Oliver Kapanen is without a goal in 5 playoff games after tallying 22 goals this season. 

I would bet on the Canadiens to win game 3 back home in Montreal as an underdog in front of their fabulous fans. I'll be pulling for more Canadiens wins as I have a Stanley Cup futures exacta of Avalanche over Canadiens at 30/1 odds made during the NHL playoffs. 

Check out MoneyPuck stats, predictions and odds, and follow along for any additional puck plays and updates during the conference finals and into the Stanley Cup.

You can bet on it. 

FairwayJay is a leading sports betting industry analyst, handicapper, content creator, writer, reporter and poker player based in Las Vegas. He's been covering major sports including from a betting perspective for more than two decades. FairwayJay is also on the scene for major sports and poker events plus industry conferences as a credentialed media member. Follow @FairwayJay on X and OSGA for more insight and information you can bet on.