Top 5 Betting Tips for the Stanley Cup Finals!
Reaching the Stanley Cup Finals is the goal for all teams in the NHL every year. The winner of the Western Conference will meet the winner of the Eastern Conference in a best-of-seven series to see who will be the Stanley Cup champion.
The finals of the NHL season is typically one of the most exciting matchups of the entire playoffs. Each team has already had to endure three hard-fought series, winning 12 previous games just to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. Now, they are here for one more series to take home the trophy.
If you want to know how to bet on the finals, we recommend you to check out our guide on how to bet on the Stanley Cup Finals first.
There are many ways to bet on the Stanley Cup finals, and here are some Stanley Cup Finals betting tips that can help you tilt those stanley cup odds in your favour!
Stanley Cup Finals Betting Tip #1 Check out Player Health
The NHL playoffs are very competitive and also very rugged. Teams are forced to play a lot of games in a very short period of time, with emotions running high and wear and tear on their bodies adding up after an 82-game season.
Teams that make it to the Stanley Cup finals often have players who are quite banged up. Teams don't release a lot of detailed information about injuries during the playoffs, but you'll notice certain players not playing with the same vigor or energy at times than they have before.
This could be an indication that they're playing through an injury.
Injuries to star players (and even contributing players) can have a huge role in the outcome of the Stanley Cup Finals. They could alter the expectations of certain teams based on their normal performance.
So, pay attention to the injuries that players are trying to play through, because this could change how you bet on the finals.
Stanley Cup Finals Betting Tip #2 Expect Tightly-Contested Games
Even in Stanley Cup Finals in which one team sweeps the other, it's common for all games to be tightly-contested. Teams often play much closer to the vest than they normally do at other points in the season (and even playoffs), and that can result in games that are closer in score.
You could potentially take advantage of this on the puck line, depending on how long the odds are for the underdog. While the underdog may not have a realistic chance at actually winning the game, they could cover the puck line on one or more occasions. This could be a way to get some extra value on your bets.
Stanley Cup Finals Betting Tip #3 Keep in Mind That Scoring is Typically Lower
Scoring in the NHL has been on the rise in recent years, as the game has opened up to bring more excitement to the ice and to fans watching the games. The opening rounds of the playoffs typically have this same high-scoring nature. However, that tends to slow down (sometimes significantly) in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Defense and goaltending often reigns supreme in the finals, and that reflects on the scoreboard. As such, you might be able to take advantage of betting some unders on the totals line. Sportsbooks may have to adjust the totals number high because of all the scoring between the two teams over the playoffs, but they might not match that same scoring output in the Stanley Cup Finals.
This isn't a sure-fire way to win anymore as it used to be, but it's still a strong angle that you could be able to take advantage of.
Stanley Cup Finals Betting Tip #4 Go with Experience and Depth
Teams that have experienced coaches and players are not to be overlooked come the Stanley Cup Finals. There is so much pressure in this championship series that experience can really pay off in helping a team be successful and come out the other end with the title.
If one team has a huge experience advantage over the other, it could play out on the ice and on the scoreboard. This goes for the coaching staff, too. A savvy, experienced coaching staff knows what it takes to win and can often use that to find advantages and openings versus the other team.
Another aspect not to overlook is a team's depth. In the Stanley Cup Finals, the most successful teams are those that can rely on players up and down the lineup not only for playing time but also for contributions in the stat sheet.
It's hard for a team to rely on scoring from just their top players who are often on the first and second lines. Scoring needs to come from the third and even fourth lines at times for teams to be successful in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Teams that are very deep (and healthy) can be relied upon more than those that don't have that depth and health. So, make sure to analyze which players are contributing on a team when making your betting decisions.
Bonus Tip Build a Winning Strategy
When you have a goal in mind you need a strategy to achieve it.
That's why we recommend you to check out betting strategies for the Stanley Cup finals to help you build your own!