Morning Coffee: Canadian NHL teams continue Stanley Cup chase as underdogs

Last night, the Winnipeg Jets were exactly three seconds away from a long summer filled with regrets.

Instead, thanks in large part to a 23-year-old from Whitby, Ontario named Cole Perfetti, they’re headed to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Perfetti’s second goal of the night tied the game at 3-3 with three seconds left in regulation – the latest game-tying goal in a Game 7 in NHL history.

Nearly two hours later, their captain Adam Lowry scored his first-career overtime goal in the playoffs to win the series in double overtime.

Winnipeg, which could be found as high as +4000 to win Game 7 live at FanDuel, became just the fourth team in NHL history to overcome a multi-goal deficit in the final two minutes to win a game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

With their backs against the wall, the Jets cranked the turbines, turned on the afterburners, and soared into the second round with the type of comeback victory that will leave the St. Louis Blues and their fans wondering what the heck went wrong for many months to come.

While Winnipeg is still buzzing from its double-OT win, the focus now shifts to the second round with three Canadian NHL teams in the hunt for the Stanley Cup.

The Jets and Toronto Maple Leafs roll into the second round with home-ice advantage.

The familiar feel, fervent fans, and the ability to match lines with the last change should all benefit Canada’s remaining Stanley Cup contenders.

However, home-ice advantage isn’t a cheat code.

Taking a quick glance at FanDuel’s updated series winner odds, it appears as though each of the three remaining Canadian contenders will be underdogs to go any further in this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs.

This is your Morning Coffee for Monday May 5th, 2025.

Canadian NHL Teams Continue Cup Chase as Underdogs in Stanley Cup Playoffs

For just the second time in NHL history, multiple teams have rallied from a multi-goal deficit in Game 7 to advance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Ironically, those teams will meet in the second round.

The Dallas Stars could be found as high as +2200 to win the Stanley Cup at FanDuel late Saturday night when they trailed the Colorado Avalanche 2-0 late in the third period of Game 7.

Then Mikko Rantanen went off with a hat-trick and four points in the final 13 minutes of regulation as the Stars rallied to beat the Avalanche 4-2 and advance.

Head coach Pete DeBoer improved to 9-0 all-time in Game 7s – the most wins by any player or head coach in NHL history.

Believe it or not, Dallas trailed after two periods in three of its four wins over Colorado.

After finding a way to win the series, the Stars’ odds to win the Stanley Cup were cut from +2200 to +400 as they emerged as the favourite to win it all at FanDuel.

Dallas also opened as a heavy favourite to win its second round series against Winnipeg at -166.

The Jets are +138 to advance to the second round.

At some point during Morning Coffee, the Stars odds to win the Stanley Cup jumped from +400 to +420.

Meanwhile, the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers re-emerged as the favourite from +420 to +400.

The Panthers are a -126 favourite for Game 1 in Toronto tonight and -184 to win that series at FanDuel.

At +150, the Maple Leafs have the longest odds to advance of any team that qualified for the second round.

In fact, that current number represents Toronto’s longest odds to win a series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since they lost to the Washington Capitals in the first round in 2017 as a +325 underdog.

With the Edmonton Oilers flipping from a small favourite to a small underdog to win their series against the Vegas Golden Knights at -102, all three Canadian NHL teams are underdogs to advance past the second round.

After a strong start to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, I’m looking to pick up where I left off on the heels of four straight FanDuel Best Bet winners in this column.

For Game 1 between Florida and Toronto, I’ll keep it simple in this column.

I’ll take the Panthers to win Game 1 outright at -136.

In case you missed it, I’m on Florida to win Game 1, to win the series, and to cover -1.5 in the series at -118.

I picked the Panthers to repeat as Stanley Cup champions when I built my bracket at the start of the playoffs, and nothing I saw in the first round changed my mind.

Florida rolled to a 6-2 win in Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning and won a series that many expected to be close in just five games.

The Panthers have gone 4-1 in series openers dating back to the start of last year’s Stanley Cup run, covering the puck line in three of the four wins and outscoring their opponents a combined 15-4 in the four victories.

The Maple Leafs won the Battle of Ontario in six games, but Florida represents a major step up in class, and three of Toronto’s four wins over Ottawa were either decided in overtime or went down to the wire before an empty-net goal.

Perhaps, this is the year that Toronto rewards the faith of Leafs Nation and upsets the Panthers in Round 2.

For the sake of my family and friends, I’d love to see it.

It’s been an anxious few days in the group chat, to say the least.

Remember, Rudy, I believed in the Maple Leafs when nobody else did.

Still, I’ll lock in Florida moneyline as my FanDuel Best Bet for Game 1 tonight.

And I’ll stick with the Panthers to win the series and to repeat as Stanley Cup champions.

Have a great day, everyone!