Sunny and warm isn’t usually a recipe for an exciting NHL team, but the Florida Panthers have upended that equation. The team based in Miami has won two straight Stanley Cups, defeating the Edmonton Oilers each time and extending the Canadian team’s losing streak in the finals to 32 years.
But oddsmakers don’t think the Cats can do it again. After all, three-peats are rare. The kings of the three-peats are none other than the last Canadian team to win the Cup in 1993, the Montreal Canadians. The team won an unmatched five Cups in a row from 1956 to 1960. They followed that up with four in a row from 1976 to ’79. Another legendary team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, accomplished a three-peat twice in 1947-49 and again in 1962-64. The only other team to do it was the New York Islanders, the last one to do it, who won four Cups from 1980-83.
There have been 14 teams over the years that have won back-to-back titles but failed to score the third. So history is working against the Panthers. But which teams have the best chance to break the Panthers streak? Read on.
Colorado Avalanche (+400 at Caesars, +320 at BetMGM)
The Avalanche are having a great season. They are on pace to break the record of 135 points in a season set by the Bruins just two years ago. Captain Gabriel Landeskog is back after a brutal rehab to his knee that lasted three seasons. When the 2012 rookie of the year is on the ice, he’s joined by NHL’s top scorer, Nathan MacKinnon, and the top-scoring defenseman, Cale Makar, causing nightmares for opposing teams.
Carolina Hurricanes (+800 at both Caesars and BetMGM)
If you look at the stats, there’s no way the Carolina Hurricanes have a shot at the Cup. They have the league’s 29th-ranked power play and 21st-ranked penalty kill. Their best player, defenseman Jaccob Slavin, has been injured all season. Yet check out the standings, they are second in the Eastern Conference with 38 points, and a trade away from becoming real contenders.
Tampa Bay Lightning (+1000 at Caesars, +850 at BetMGM)
The only team better than the Hurricanes in the East is the Lightning, with 39 points. They stumbled out of the gate with a 1-3-2 record but have overcome key injuries, including star Victor Hedman. Their power play has been stuttering, and forward Brayden Point is struggling. Yet here they are, also maybe a trade away from being really dangerous.
Florida Panthers (+1000 Caesars, +900 BetMGM)
The Panthers roared back last year after acquiring former Boston Bruin Brad Marchand at the trade deadline. With injuries to key players Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, Marchand has been the focal point, both on and off the ice, guiding the team through this tough stretch. When Tkachuk returns in the second half of the season, look out.
Vegas Golden Knights (+1100 Caesars, +900 BetMGM)
The Knights haven’t played particularly well, but they only lost their first game in regulation a couple of weeks ago. And if they had fared better in their multiple overtime games, only gaining a point in 9 games, they’d be at the top of the Western Conference. But new goalie Carter Hart has taken the sting from mediocre backstop performances up until now.
Edmonton Oilers (+1000 at both Caesars and BetMGM)
The losing team in the last two Stanley Cups has had a disastrous start to the 2025-26 season. They’ve won 13 games, about only half of them in regulation. They have won games by multiple goals only once, discounting open netters. They’ve allowed the most goals in the league and have had several key players injured. But they still have Connor McDavid, so they still have a chance.
Other teams to watch, according to oddsmakers, are the Dallas Stars (+1000), who are keeping close to the mighty Avalanche, the surprising Anaheim Ducks (+5500 at Caesars, +3000 at BetMGM), who play an exciting brand of hockey, their neighbors the Los Angeles Kings (+2000 Caesars, +3000 BetMGM), with their great road record (10-2-4), and the Washington Capitals+1200 Caesars, +1800 BetMGM), riding a crazy roller coaster.
Rotowire recently used ChatGPT to predict the champion by playing 100 simulated seasons of the 2025 NHL, and who came out on top? We won’t tell you, but we can tell you it’s our favorite team.
But this is only one-quarter of the season. So put on your NHL expert hat and try to predict which team will make it to the Stanley Cup finals and win it all. You might find a diamond in the rough and a nice payday next June.
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