Stanley Cup Playoffs: Eastern Conference Final Odds, Schedule, X-Factors, & Pick

Not having a game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last night was tough. The first two rounds were awesome with non-stop games night after night, but as we get further into the postseason and start to have nights without hockey, it starts to become a stark reminder that we’re nearing the end.

Having said that, we have two fantastic matchups in the conference finals coming up. The Western Conference Final between Edmonton and Dallas gets going Thursday while the Panthers and Rangers drop the puck on the Eastern Conference Final on Wednesday. Let’s take a look at the series out East before they get started this evening.

Eastern Conference Final Preview

Game Schedule

Game 1 (Wed, May 22): Panthers at Rangers – 8:00 PM ET – ESPN

Game 2 (Fri, May 24): Panthers at Rangers – 8:00 PM ET – ESPN

Game 3 (Sun, May 26): Rangers at Panthers – 3:00 PM ET – ABC

Game 4 (Tue, May 28): Rangers at Panthers – 8:00 PM ET – ESPN

Game 5* (Thu, May 30): Panthers at Rangers – 8:00 PM ET – ESPN

Game 6* (Sat, June 1): Rangers at Panthers – 8:00 PM ET – ABC

Game 7* (Mon, June 3): Panthers at Rangers – 8:00 PM ET – ESPN
* – if necessary

Stanley Cup Playoffs & Eastern Conference Final Odds

Eastern Conference Final Odds

Florida Panthers -150 | New York Rangers +130

Odds to Win Stanley Cup

Florida Panthers +215

Dallas Stars +260

Edmonton Oilers +280

New York Rangers +400

Conn Smythe Trophy Odds

Jake Oettinger +500

Igor Shesterkin +550

Aleksander Barkov +650

Connor McDavid +700

Matthew Tkachuk +800

Leon Draisaitl +850

Miro Heiskanen +1100

Wyatt Johnston +1400

Sergei Bobrovsky +2000

Carter Verhaeghe +2500

Artemi Panarin +3000

Jason Robertson +3000

Vincent Trocheck +3000

Mika Zibanejad +3000

Numbers To Know

The Rangers own a +9 goal differential in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but they’re also getting outshot by over six shots on goal per game. New York got outshot in every game of the series against Carolina, and multiple times by double digits. The Rangers took that series largely on the back of their significant advantage in net. With Sergei Bobrovsky between the pipes for Florida, that advantage has significantly narrowed. On the other hand, Florida is outshooting their opponent by nearly nine SOG per game.

New York has been a fast-starting team. They’re outscoring their opponents 24-15 in the postseason. That means their +9 goal differential is credited to their first-period success.

Florida is undefeated in these playoffs when leading after two periods. The Panthers are 7-0 when taking a lead into the final frame.

The Panthers penalty kill was damn near perfect in the second round against the Bruins. Florida went 15-for-16 with a man down in the series against Boston.

Series X-Factors For Each Team

Rangers: Goaltending. Maybe this isn’t an X-Factor, but it’s by far the most important part of the series for New York in my opinion. Florida has looked like the best team in the playoffs so far, but it doesn’t matter how good a team is if a goalie is hot enough. Igor Shesterkin is the best goalie in the world in my opinion, and he’s why we’re talking about a Rangers/Panthers ECF as opposed to a Hurricanes/Panthers conference final. If Shesterkin is great, the Rangers can win. If he’s not, I don’t think this will be a long series.

Panthers: Win the special teams battle. As mentioned above, Florida’s penalty kill has been great thus far. Their power play though has been just OK at 22%. The Rangers outscored the Hurricanes 7-2 on special teams in their last series, so Florida’s task will be to fare better in those situations than the Canes. Despite the low PP numbers, Florida is still the third-highest scoring team in the postseason at 3.55 goals per game. If the power play ticks up a bit, this offense can be that much more dangerous. If the P’s can win the special teams battle, the Rangers will have a tough time winning this series.

Prediction: Panthers in 6. I think Igor Shesterkin can and will steal a game or two for New York in this series as Jeremy Swayman did for Boston in the last round. But the Panthers are just two deep for New York in my opinion, and the goaltending matchup should be much more even than what New York saw last round. Florida is a very complete team. So was Carolina. Had Carolina had a better goaltending option, I think they probably win that series. Florida has that better goaltending option.