Morning Coffee: Maple Leafs, Oilers advance in Stanley Cup Playoffs

Good morning, Leafs Nation!!

I bet that espresso has a little extra kick this morning after the Toronto Maple Leafs finished off the rival Ottawa Senators in the Battle of Ontario last night.

In case you missed it, it was always Leafs in SIX.

I like my coffee black, but I’ll take a Morning Coffee double-double any time I can get it and that was the case with a pair of FanDuel Best Bet winners on Thursday.

The Maple Leafs punched their ticket to the second round with a win over the Senators in Game 6.

I locked in Toronto to win at -102 as a FanDuel Best Bet.

The Maple Leafs closed -108 at FanDuel – a testament to the team’s well-documented history of falling short in potential playoff series-clinching games in recent years.

That history led to us getting excellent value betting on Toronto to win Game 6 and to win the series at FanDuel.

The reputation of the blue and white will be tested again when they face the Florida Panthers in the second round. 

More on that in just a moment.

Meanwhile, over 5.5 in the late game was never even a sweat as the Edmonton Oilers beat the Los Angeles Kings 6-4 to advance to Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The over went a combined 5-1 in the series.

Next up, the Oilers get the Vegas Golden Knights in another series with the potential for fireworks.

Unlike Toronto, Edmonton opened as the favourite to win its second round series at FanDuel.

Meanwhile, Canada’s final hope to bring home the Stanley Cup is set for a crucial Game 6 tonight.

The Winnipeg Jets can clinch a spot in Round 2 with a win over the St. Louis Blues.

Unfortunately for the Jets, they won’t have their No. 1 centre available to play in St. Lous tonight.

This is Morning Coffee for Friday May 2nd, 2025.

Maple Leafs, Oilers Advance In Stanley Cup Playoffs

Leafs Nation has waited a long time for its victory latte.

The city of Toronto is still buzzing about last night’s win, enjoying their coffee before the focus shifts to Round 2.

It’s the Maple Leafs’ first Stanley Cup Playoffs series win since 2023 and their second over the last 20 seasons.

The birthday boy William Nylander stepped up in Game 6 with a goal and three points.

Auston Matthews anytime goal cashed at +150 – again, excellent value – as he tied Darryl Sittler, Syl Apps, and Bob Pulford for seventh in franchise history with 25 career playoff goals.

Meanwhile, Max Pacioretty was the unlikely hero with the game-winning goal in the third period.

It was Pacioretty’s first goal since December 20th.
With the Battle of Ontario in the books, the focus will soon shift to Toronto’s second round series against the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers.

Just in case you needed confirmation, the Maple Leafs will be a heavy underdog in that series.

FanDuel opened with Florida at -176 to advance.

That number gives the Panthers a 63.8 per cent implied series win probability.

Panthers -1.5 is +118.

Meanwhile, Toronto to win the series is +146.

A $10 bet would pay $14.60 if the Maple Leafs advance.

Florida is a -122 favourite for Game 1 in Toronto.

Meanwhile, it was a familiar song and dance in Edmonton last night. 

The Oilers secured their fourth straight comeback win in a 6-4 victory over the Kings.

Edmonton has knocked LA out of the playoffs in the first round in four consecutive seasons.

Next up, the Oilers will make the trip to Las Vegas for Game 1 of their second round series against the Golden Knights.

Edmonton is +105 to win the opener and is currently a pick’em to win the series.

Vegas is -126 to win Game 1; -110 to win the series.

First up, we’ll get at least two more games to wrap up the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Jets can advance with a win over the Blues tonight.

Then on Saturday night we get a Game 7 between the Colorado Avalanche and the Dallas Stars. 

Of course, the probability we get one more Game 7 got a little higher once it was confirmed that Mark Scheifele did not travel with the team to St. Louis.

The Game 5 winner of a best-of-seven that was tied 2-2 has gone on to advance 79 per cent of the time in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

However, the Blues are a slight favourite at -118 to win Game 6 on home ice tonight.

Winnipeg is still -430 to win the series after a perfect 3-0 start on home ice.

Still, Jets fans must be concerned about the status of their No. 1 centre if that series does go the distance.

As for a FanDuel Best Bet for tonight’s game, I’ll take the Blues to force a Game 7.

St. Louis outscored Winnipeg 12-3 in back-to-back wins on home ice in Games 3 and 4.

The Blues have been one of the toughest teams in the NHL since they turned the corner after the 4 Nations Face-Off, and the underlying metrics suggest this series should go seven games.

Give me St. Louis at -118 on the moneyline as a FanDuel Best Bet for tonight’s game.

Have a great weekend, everyone!