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. Game 3 is Friday at 7 p.m.
In the other Eastern semi, the top-seeded Washington Capitals fell to the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 after Jaccob Slavin’s OT goal, but Tom Wilson and crew struck back in Game 2. Wilson’s odds for the Conn Smythe Trophy remained steady at 100-1.Despite having the conference’s best record, the Capitals have the longest odds of the remaining teams to win the Eastern Conference.
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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. The magic continued in Game 2, when Leon Draisaitl buried the game-winner in OT. Connor McDavid is the current favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP, which would be his second in a row.
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 Stars sit right behind the Oilers in the odds to win the Western Conference, with Rantanen second in the Conn Smythe odds. Game 2 is Friday at 9:30 p.m.
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 conference, Stanley Cup
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..
Connor McDavid, Oilers: +500Mikko Rantanen, Stars: +500Leon Draisaitl, Oilers: +850Frederik Andersen, Hurricanes: 12-1Sebastian Aho, Hurricanes: 12-1William Nylander, Maple Leafs: 15-1Jake Oettinger, Stars: 18-1Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs: 20-1Jack Eichel, Golden Knights: 20-1Seth Jarvis, Hurricanes: 20-1Andrei Svechnikov, Hurricanes: 25-1Mitch Marner, Maple Leafs: 25-1Pyotr Kochetkov, Hurricanes: 25-1Aleksander Barkov, Panthers: 30-1Logan Stankoven, Hurricanes: 30-1Logan Thompson, Capitals: 30-1Mark Stone, Golden Knights: 30-1Connor Hellebuyck, Jets: 35-1Matthew Tkachuk, Panthers: 35-1Sergei Bobrovsky, Panthers: 35-1Tomas Hertl, Golden Knights: 35-1Wyatt Johnston, Stars: 35-1Alex Ovechkin, Capitals: 40-1Anthony Stolarz, Maple Leafs: 40-1Jaccob Slavin, Hurricanes: 40-1Joseph Woll, Maple Leafs: 40-1Kyle Connor, Jets: 40-1Mark Scheifele, Jets: 40-1Sam Reinhart, Panthers: 40-1Dylan Strome, Capitals: 60-1Evan Bouchard, Oilers: 60-1John Tavares, Maple Leafs: 75-1Matthew Knies, Maple Leafs: 75-1Roope Hintz, Stars: 75-1Shea Theodore, Golden Knights: 75-1Adin Hill, Golden Knights: 100-1
Tom Wilson, Capitals, 100-1
