Our 2024 NHL predictions update after each game all the way through the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The NHL playoffs are here following a regular season in which the New York Rangers won the Eastern Conference and Dallas Stars paced the Western Conference. Heading into the postseason, we have the Rangers with the best chances of any team to reach the second round (71.1%), but it’s the Stars with the highest likelihood of lifting the Stanley Cup (12.2%). To do so, they’ll need to get through an opening-round series against the defending champion Vegas Golden Knights.
But there are underdog stories as well. The Boston Bruins edged out the Toronto Maple Leafs for second place in the Atlantic Division, but entering Game 1 our model gives the Leafs the advantage in the first-round matchup of Original 6 teams with a 55.9% chance of advancing. The only closer first-round pairing is in the West with the Winnipeg Jets as slight favorites (55.4%) over the Colorado Avalanche.
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