The Toronto Maple Leafs took a huge step towards their first Eastern Conference Finals since 2002 by taking a 2-0 lead over the defending-champion Florida Panthers. The teams were tied at three apiece in Game 2 when Mitch Marner scored the tie-breaking goal, and the Leafs never looked back. The series shifts to Sunrise, Florida as the Panthers look to claw their way back,
In the other Eastern semi, the top-seeded Washington Capitals fell to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 after Jaccob Slavin’s OT goal. Despite having the conference’s best record, the Capitals have the longest odds of the remaining teams to win the Eastern Conference. Game 2 is Thursday night at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
The Edmonton Oilers scored three third-period goals to win their fifth straight game after trailing early, taking Game 1 from the Vegas Golden Knights. Connor McDavid is the current favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP, which would be his second in a row. Game 2 is Thursday night at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN.
The Dallas Stars took a 1-0 lead over the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Winnipeg Jets on the strength of Mikko Rantanen‘s second hat trick in as many games. The Game 1 win propels the Stars into pole position in the odds for Stanley Cup favorite, as well as Rantanen for the Conn Smythe Trophy.
Below, you can see all of the top favorites for Conn Smythe, as well as the odds for every team to win their current series, advance to, and to win the Stanley Cup.
All odds accurate as of publish time. For more, go to ESPN BET. 
Odds to win Conn Smythe Trophy
The Conn Smythe is awarded to the player deemed to have been the most valuable to his team throughout the playoffs. Players listed with 100-1 odds or better. More odds available at ESPN BET..
Mikko Rantanen, Stars: +350
Connor McDavid, Oilers: +750
Frederik Andersen, Hurricanes: 12-1
Leon Draisaitl, Oilers: 12-1
Sebastian Aho, Hurricanes: 12-1
William Nylander, Maple Leafs: 15-1
Jake Oettinger, Stars: 18-1
Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs: 20-1
Jack Eichel, Golden Knights: 20-1
Seth Jarvis, Hurricanes: 20-1
Andrei Svechnikov, Hurricanes: 25-1
Mitch Marner, Maple Leafs: 25-1
Pyotr Kochetkov, Hurricanes: 25-1
Aleksander Barkov, Panthers: 30-1
Logan Stankoven, Hurricanes: 30-1
Logan Thompson, Capitals: 30-1
Mark Stone, Golden Knights: 30-1
Connor Hellebuyck, Jets: 35-1
Matthew Tkachuk, Panthers: 35-1
Sergei Bobrovsky, Panthers: 35-1
Tomas Hertl, Golden Knights: 35-1
Wyatt Johnston, Stars: 35-1
Alex Ovechkin, Capitals: 40-1
Anthony Stolarz, Maple Leafs: 40-1
Jaccob Slavin, Hurricanes: 40-1
Joseph Woll, Maple Leafs: 40-1
Kyle Connor, Jets: 40-1
Mark Scheifele, Jets: 40-1
Sam Reinhart, Panthers: 40-1
Dylan Strome, Capitals: 60-1
Evan Bouchard, Oilers: 60-1
John Tavares, Maple Leafs: 75-1
Matthew Knies, Maple Leafs: 75-1
Roope Hintz, Stars: 75-1
Shea Theodore, Golden Knights: 75-1
