Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2 NHL odds, picks and props

The Stanley Cup Playoffs 2026 series continue following some exciting opening round NHL action. The top teams in the East and West have advanced to Round 2, and the Carolina Hurricanes will play the Philadelphia Flyers while the Presidents' Trophy winners Colorado Avalanche shoot to ice the Minnesota Wild. 

The big upset of Round 1 was completed April 30 when the Anaheim Ducks took down last year's Western Conference winners Edmonton Oilers in 6 games. Follow along Friday, May 1 as the division-winning Buffalo Sabres and Vegas Golden Knights try to close out their opponents (Boston, Utah) in Game 6 on the road, and MoneyPuck gives both teams a 77-79% chance to advance leading their series 3-2. I was at the Golden Knights 5-4 Game 5 double-overtime win over the Utah Mammoth in Las Vegas to experience the best of playoff hockey.

The Montreal Canadiens shoot for the series upset at home and can eliminate the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 Friday, and the Canadiens are a 72% favorite to advance. The Canadiens and Lightning have traded one-goal wins through five games with the first three in overtime and games 2-5 all ending with 3-2 scores. 

The Round 2 NHL Playoff series will begin Sat., May 2 with Carolina-Philadelphia following the Kentucky Derby, where bettors can pony up on props with more than 100 ways to bet on the Run for the Roses. The Colorado-Minnesota series start is TBD, but likely May 3 or 4. I'll update the series odds and additional stats and information you can bet on along with any picks and props as the three remaining series are decided and top online sportsbooks post more odds and props. 

NHL Series 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 (-340) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (+274)
- Montreal/Tampa Bay vs. Buffalo/Boston
- Colorado Avalanche (-230) vs. Minnesota Wild (+192)
- Anaheim Ducks vs. Vegas/Utah

Both Carolina and Colorado won Round 1 series in 4-game sweeps with each team allowing just 5 goals in 4 games. 

Colorado-Minnesota 

The Stars/Wild series was the best matchup in Round 1, and the Wild held the edge in 5-on-5 play and advanced despite allowing 10 power play goals by the Dallas Stars. Now the Avalanche-Wild is the best in the West and NHL Playoffs in Round 2, and MoneyPuck gives the Avs a 56.2% chance to advance, and the Wild 43.8%. In the regular season, the Avs and Wild split the season series. Both teams won in a shootout on home ice and in regulation on the road with Colorado's home win in November before the Wild traded for star defenseman Quinn Hughes in mid-December. The Wild had the second-most points in the Western Conference after making the trade for Hughes, and the Wild's 67 points in 52 games was just ahead of the Stars (65) and behind the league-leading Avalanche's 72 points since Dec. 11. 

Hughes had 2 goals and an assist in the Wild Game 6 clinching win over the Dallas Stars, and he finished the series with 2 goals and 6 assists and +9. Hughes joins Avs star defenseman Cale Makar as the best two blue-liners and offensive playmakers in the NHL for another special series in what I project as the winner to be the 2026 Western Conference and Stanley Cup champion. 

While the Avs lead the league in goals (302) on their way to winning the President's Trophy for best regular season record, it's Colorado's defending and checking that is the core of the Avs system. More observations and takeaways from the Avs Round 1 win over the Kings, and what to watch for against the Wild. Only star scorer Nathan MacKinnon and Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog remain from the 2014 team that lost in 7 games to the Wild. 

I'm holding futures tickets on the Wild to win the West (25/1) and Stanley Cup (50/1), bet in early December before they acquired Quinn Hughes. 

The last two years Western Conference winners have been eliminated this year with both the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars out. The Vegas Golden Knights won the West in 2023 on their way to overcoming the odds to capture the Stanley Cup. The Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 2022. The Florida Panthers did not make the NHL playoffs this season after winning the Stanley Cup in 2024 and 2025. 

Carolina-Philadelphia 

The Hurricanes won the season series 3-1 with all four games decided by one goal and three in a shootout. Carolina's 53 wins and 113 points were best in the Eastern Conference. The Flyers are the biggest surprise remaining in the playoffs. Coming out of the Winter Olympics and Team USA's Gold Medal overtime win over Canada, the Flyers were 26-21-11 and were given a 3.6% chance to make the playoffs by MoneyPuck. The Flyers fought their way back going 18-7-1 in their final 26 games including a big overtime shootout win over the injured Hurricanes in the second-to-last game of the regular season. 

Flyers goalie Dan Vladar tied for the most wins (12) post Olympics, and he was strong in net in the Round 1 series win over the Penguins with a .973 save percentage. Special teams will be key in this series with Carolina's strong power play (25%, 4th in NHL) able to convert just 2-of-15 PP chances in Round 1 but still sweeping Ottawa. The 'Canes were 20-for-21 on the penalty kill vs. Ottawa. The Flyers had the worst power play (15.7%) in the NHL during the regular season, and were just 2-for-17 in their series win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

The Hurricanes top line combined for 16 points over the four games series sweep of the Senators. Second-year Hurricane Logan Stankoven became just the second player in NHL history to score a game-opening goal in three consecutive games to start playoffs.

Last year I posted a NHL Round 2 series winner on the Carolina Hurricanes to win in less than 7 games at reduced odds. Now Carolina is twice the odds (-340) to win the series over the Flyers, and a Philly win would clearly be the biggest upset of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. I wouldn't bet on it, but I'm hoping the Flyers find a way to win to increase the chances and odds for the Wild or select Avs futures against the Sabres or Canadiens. 

Check back as I review the remaining series matchups and odds and consider a series bet and any posted props of interest. Any game-by-game bets to consider posted on X, and I'll have most interest in the Avs-Wild series.  

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.