How to watch and what to expect in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs

The chase for the Stanley Cup is down to eight teams left in the NHL playoffs, all among the best the league has to offer.

The eight remaining in the second round were among the top nine in the regular-season standings. A new winner is also guaranteed after defending champion Vegas was eliminated by Western Conference top-seeded Dallas in the tightest opening-round series.

Florida, which reached the final last year, and Edmonton, led by three-time and reigning MVP Connor McDavid and German star Leon Draisaitl, are the co-favorites on BetMGM Sportsbook to hoist the Cup, followed by Carolina, Dallas and the New York Rangers.

After the team favored to win each first round series did, this remains one of the most wide open postseasons in recent hockey history. Everyone left standing has a chance to win it all, with plenty of new blood: Colorado (2022) is the only one with a title over the past 12 seasons.

In the East: the New York Rangers vs. the Carolina Hurricanes and the Florida Panthers vs. the Boston Bruins. New York swept Washington; Carolina beat the Islanders in five; Florida beat Tampa Bay in five and Boston nearly blew a 3-1 lead before eliminating Toronto in seven.

In the West: the Dallas Stars vs. the Colorado Avalanche and the Vancouver Canucks vs. the Edmonton Oilers. Dallas beat Vegas in seven; Colorad rebounded from a crazy Game 1 to beat Winnipeg in five; Vancouver beat Nashville in six and Edmonton beat Los Angeles in five, the third consecutive season the Kings have been knocked out in the first round by the Oilers.

Every game of the Stanley Cup playoffs is televised nationally in the U.S. and Canada and available on streaming platforms. The NHL schedule is here and a streaming guide is here. Games are carried in the U.S. on an ABC, ESPN, TNT or TBS and in Canada on CBC or Sportsnet in English and TVA Sports in French.

McDavid, widely considered the best hockey player in the world, leads all players with 12 points through the first round, followed closely by Draisaitl with 10, including two game-winning goals. McDavid is coming off becoming just the fifth player in NHL history to record 100 assists in a season.

Rangers center Vincent Trocheck has arguably been one of the most dominant players early, and he and his teammates look like legitimate Cup contenders thanks in large part to goaltender Igor Shesterkin, who stopped 94 of the 101 shots he faced against the Capitals. Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon, the front-runner to succeed McDavid as the Hart Trophy winner, has also found peak playoff form already with nine points through five games.

While McDavid, Draisaitl and MacKinnon are in their primes, there are plenty of old guys to root for who haven't yet won the Cup, from Dallas' Joe Pavelski to Carolina's Brent Burns and Colorado's Zach Parise.

The betting favorites (in order) to win the Stanley Cup are Florida and Edmonton at 9-2, and Carolina, Dallas and New York at 11-2, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.

After the playoffs began April 20 and the second round started Sunday, the final is set to start in early June. If it goes the distance, Game 7 could go as late as June 24.

Scoring creativity hasn't stopped now that the playoffs are here, with a handful of goals being scored off the masks of goaltenders. It's an art form shooters are continuing to refine to put the puck in the net at the most difficult time of year to do so.

While Alex Ovechkin was held without a point in a series for the first time in his nearly two-decade career in North America, many fellow Russians are starring this postseason, from the Rangers' Shesterkin and Artemi Panarin to Carolina's Andrei Svechnikov and Colorado's Valeri Nichushkin.

The Hurricanes have won a round for a sixth consecutive season under coach Rod Brind'Amour, their 2006 Cup-winning captain who has created a winning culture. He's also a potential free agent this summer, and with several vacancies around the league, his contract status has become quite the talking point.

Dallas, the top seed in the West, vanquished the Golden Knights with a mix of veterans and young players clicking at the right time. The Stars face a second-round challenge from the Avalanche, the highest-scoring team in the playoffs at more than 5.5 goals a game.

Buildings are full to the brim all over the continent from Boston to South Florida to Denver and Vancouver after a new record for attendance and fans filling arenas to 97% of capacity this season. It's another result of the NHL's booming business.

Fans who like fights on the ice have watched the brawls dwindle in recent years and they are a rarity in the postseason. Like tradition? Rest easy: The NHL has no plans to change its 16-team playoff format.

This story has been corrected to show McDavid is the fifth player to record 100 assists in a season. Not the fifth to record 100 points in a season.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

New York Rangers fans cheer the team on following a goal during the first period in Game 1 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes, Sunday, May 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Florida Panthers defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson (91) left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) and center Aleksander Barkov, right, celebrate after Barkov scored during the third period of Game 5 of the first-round of an NHL Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

A New York Rangers fan salutes during the playing of the national anthem before Game 1 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes, Sunday, May 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

Edmonton Oilers left wing Zach Hyman, center, celebrates his goal with center Connor McDavid, left, and center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins during the third period in Game 3 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Kings Friday, April 26, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Vancouver Canucks center Elias Lindholm (23) scores a goal past Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros (74) in overtime during Game 4 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. The Canucks won 4-3. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill, top, leaves his crease to make a save on a breakaway by Dallas Stars center Sam Steel (18) during the third period in Game 7 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, Sunday, May 5, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade)

New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin (10) and Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brady Skjei (76) fight for the puck during the third period in Game 1 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series, Sunday, May 5, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — The Edmonton Oilers weren't ready to have their season end. Now, they're going to the limit in their second-round series against the Vancouver Canucks.

Evan Bouchard and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each had a goal and two assists, Connor McDavid added three assists and the Oilers beat the Canucks 5-1 on Saturday night to avoid elimination and force a deciding Game 7.

“The boys were ready from the start, we obviously knew what was at stake tonight,” Edmonton forward Dylan Holloway said. “There was probably a bit of nerves, but once we kind of got settled in we played our game and rolled all four lines and got going there and never looked back.”

Dylan Holloway, Zach Hyman and Evander Kane also scored for the Oilers, and Stuart Skinner stopped 14 shots.

“We played faster, we played cleaner, we were better with the puck, better coming through the neutral zone," McDavid said. "We did a great job of getting on top of them on the forecheck and keeping pucks alive.

“Nothing to be satisfied or excited about, we just bought ourselves another day and I would expect the same level of urgency and desperation from our group. I would expect Vancouver to play a better game as well and I would expect it to be a highly-competitive, great Game 7.”

Nils Hoglander scored for Vancouver, which is trying to make it to the Western Conference final for the first time since 2011. Arturs Silovs finished with 22 saves.

“We knew obviously this was going to be a difficult test to win tonight,” Canucks forward Brock Boeser said. “Obviously, they got a couple of goals that obviously sucked and took the wind out of us. I think the belief is in this room.”

Game 7 is Monday night in Vancouver, with the winner advancing to face Dallas in the Western Conference final.

Edmonton started the scoring at 8:18 of the first period as Leon Draisaitl fed it up to Holloway and he danced through the defense before tucking it between Silovs' legs for his third of the playoffs.

“What an unbelievable effort,” Hyman said. “For a guy who came up really for the playoffs to do that, he’s had big moments here, but it’s a huge goal to settle the team down to get us up.”

Draisaitl has picked up at least one point in all 11 playoff games this season.

Less than two minutes later, the Canucks evened it up as Elias Pettersson sent a pass from behind the net out front to Hoglander, who snuck his first of the playoffs past Skinner just past the midpoint of the period.

The Oilers looked to have scored with 1 second remaining in the first on a point shot from Bouchard, but the goal was called off due to McDavid making incidental contact with Silovs.

Edmonton went ahead for good at 7:14 of the second as McDavid spotted Hyman in the slot and his shot deflected and bounced up and over Silovs and into the Vancouver net for his 10th of the playoffs. McDavid came into the game having only recorded one assist in his previous three games combined.

McDavid picked up another assist with 8:40 to play in the second as Bouchard scored his fifth goal and 17th point of the postseason on a long shot from the point. The Oilers' captain became just the 10th player in NHL history to record 20 playoff points in three consecutive seasons with his second assist.

The Oilers made it 4-1 just 3:25 into the third period as McDavid picked up his third assist, sending a backhand pass to a hard-charging Nugent-Hopkins, who scored his third of the playoffs.

Edmonton put the game away with just under 7 minutes left as the draw came back to Kane and he unleashed a wicked wrister for his fourth of the postseason.

Boeser is confident the Canucks can rebound for Game 7.

“I don’t know if it’s necessarily what you dream of as a kid, but it’s definitely an opportunity for our group,” he said. “Obviously, we can play better and we all know that. ... We’ll regroup and look at what we can do better and it’s just going to come down to who wants it more next game.”

Skinner returned in goal for the Oilers after Calvin Pickard started the last two games.

Draisaitl became just the fourth player in NHL history to record 60 assists in 60 playoffs games and the third in league history to get to 100 points — behind Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.

AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL

Vancouver Canucks goalie Arturs Silovs (31) makes a save on Edmonton Oilers' Derek Ryan (10) during the second period of Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series, Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Edmonton Oilers' Stuart Skinner (74) and Evan Bouchard (2) celebrate the team's win over the Vancouver Canucks in Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series, Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Edmonton Oilers' Mattias Ekholm, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman and Evan Bouchard, from left, celebrate a goal against the Vancouver Canucks during the third period of Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series, Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Vancouver Canucks goalie Arturs Silovs (31) looks away as Edmonton Oilers celebrate a goal during the third period of Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series, Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Vancouver Canucks' Elias Pettersson (40) is stopped by Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner (74) as Cody Ceci (5) defends during the third period of Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series, Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Edmonton Oilers celebrate the win over the Vancouver Canucks in Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series, Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers rough it up during the third period of Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series, Saturday, May 18, 2024, in Edmonton, Alberta. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)