Puck Drops April 18 – Here Is Your Entire Betting Guide to the First Round of the NHL Playoffs
The 2026 Stanley cup playoffs have already commenced and to the hockey enthusiasts in Canada this is the best time of the year. The NHL playoffs have never been more intimate to fans all the way to Victoria to Halifax with seven Canadian franchises making the postseason field. You want to check NHL scores on your phone at midnight with the first bet of the postseason or you are just starting and want to understand everything about Round 1 and the competitors, and who to bet on, and where the money is.
Canadian Teams 2026 NHL Playoffs
This is a historic postseason to Canada. The three largest Canadian markets in hockey have viable competitors, and the Canadian representation in the bracket is something the fans have never observed in the years. The following is a brief summary of the Canadian clubs that are entering Round 1:
- Montreal Canadiens – The revelation of the NHL season, the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Division.
- Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators are the second seed in the Atlantic, a young and threatening team.
- Edmonton Oilers -3rd seed in the Pacific, long time Stanley Cup competitors.
- Winnipeg Jets – Central Wild Card, struggling to gain respect.
- Toronto Maple Leafs (Atlantic Division qualifier) is under the burden of a nation.
- Vancouver Canucks Pacific Division qualifier, on their heels with great goaltending.
- Calgary Flames Wild card, Pacific, the Pacific dark horse.
A question that has dominated the NHL news cycle leading up to the playoffs is this; can any Canadian team finally end the Stanley Cup drought that the country has been experiencing, to the point of being stretched all the way back to 1993?
Three Round 1 darkhorses to follow
One cannot mention the NHL playoffs without mentioning Connor McDavid. The most hazardous post season player in the game currently is the Oilers captain who has 44 career playoff goals and 106 assist in 96 games. Today McDavid is scoring 37 goals and 78 assists in regular season and when the intensity increases in April, his game is also improved with it. Edmonton is also finding its way into the bracket of the most feared teams in the West, and it is McDavid who makes it possible.
Nick Suzuki- Montreal Canadiens
The greatest NHL news of 2025-26 has been the emergence of the Montreal Canadiens and the core of the emergence is the captain Nick Suzuki. London, Ontario native has scored 68 points (19 goals, 49 assists) in 59 games this season, which has established him as one of the top two-way centres in the Eastern Conference. The leadership and the ability to stay cool when the team is in dire need of a player make Suzuki the best possible candidate to take Montreal into the playoff deep.
Auston Matthews Toronto Maple Leafs
Auston Matthews has never experienced any playoff pressure like he does in Canada. The franchise centre of Leafs has been one of the goal scorers all season who has been very dominant in the goals per season in the NHL and the fans of Toronto are hoping he will finally put it together to come up with a deep postseason run. The fact that Matthews can combine his power in shots, skating and sense of the game makes him a nightmare to any opposing defence during a series of seven games.
Betting Odds Stanley Cup and Round 1 Lines
The sportsbooks are an indication of how competitive the bracket of this year will be. The following is a sample of the important NHL playoffs betting lines:
| Team | Stanley Cup Odds | Round 1 Series Odds |
| Montreal Canadiens | +2400 | -165 (favoured) |
| Edmonton Oilers | +1050 | -180 (favoured) |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | +550 | -140 (favoured) |
| Winnipeg Jets | +3200 | +155 (underdog) |
In the market, player prop bets are a great option to bettors who want to go beyond the series winner market in Round 1. McDavid scoring in any single game is pegged at -130 whereas the over/under of Suzuki on the number of points per game is a crisp punche at -115 when the depth of the offensive Montreal has.
Why Round 1 Is the Most Thrilling Betting Window of the Year
The initial stage of the NHL playoffs is when an upset occurs, where the NHL results surprise the hockey community, and value punters get paid. The difference in series odds is enormous between game 1 and game 2 so the odds offered prior to the puck being dropped on April 18 are the lowest prices you are going to get once the playoffs begin.
To the Canadian bettors, the home-ice factor, combined with the crowds and the fact that there are far too many Canadian teams in the bracket is what makes this the most interesting Round 1 in memory. Keep track of the NHL standings and be on line to see the lines change every time a game is won and do not forget in the playoffs anything can happen.
Michael Harris
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