Teams like the Florida Panthers, Colorado Avalanche, New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, Edmonton Oilers, and Boston Bruins are all top favorites to win the Stanley Cup this season.
Many teams are flying under the radar regarding winning the Stanley Cup. These five teams are dark horses to win the 2023–2024 Stanley Cup.
Five Dark Horses Who Could Win the Stanley Cup
1. Dallas Stars
In the Western Conference, the talk around who is going to win the Cup has been surrounding teams like the Colorado Avalanche, last year’s winners, the Vegas Golden Knights, the Edmonton Oilers, and the surprising Vancouver Canucks. The Dallas Stars are moving in silence.
The Dallas Stars have been having a season that is not being talked about, as teams like the Avalanche and Jets are overshadowing their success. This is a team that now has playoff experience, going all the way to the Western Conference Final and losing to Vegas in six games.
With the forward star power, depth, defensemen, and strong starting goalie in Jake Oettinger, how could you not have the Dallas Stars as a team that could hoist the Stanley Cup?2. Los Angeles Kings
The LA Kings are another dark horse to win the Stanley Cup. They started very strong at the beginning of the season, going 15-0-1 on the road in their first 16 games.
Since then, they have had a rough go, going on an 8-game losing streak in January, but have picked up the pace, passing the Vegas Golden Knights in the standings to take the third spot in the Pacific Division.
As it stands, they would be playing the Edmonton Oilers for a third consecutive year in the first round of the playoffs. They say the third time is a charm, and I feel this is true in the case of LA getting the best of the Oilers.
LA has a deep enough team, with Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty leading the charge on offense and defense, while Cam Talbot is finding his game again. If the Kings go on a run, look out.
3. Tampa Bay Lightning
After a tough loss last season, breaking the Toronto Maple Leafs first-round curse, the Tampa Bay Lightning had a long off-season to think about what went wrong against the Leafs.
When the news broke that Andrei Vasilevsky would be out for 2 months to start this season, many NHL fans did not think the Lightning would be the same as in past years. But boy, have they proven people wrong?
Fast forward to March, and Nikita Kucherov is second in scoring in the entire league, putting up 118 points in 68 games. Kucherov is in competition with Nathan Mackinnon for the Hart Trophy, as it is a tight race.
The team has been on a roll since recently winning 4 in a row against playoff teams such as the Flyers, Rangers, Panthers, and Golden Knights. Tampa seems to be running away with the first Wild Card spot in the East.
With the way Kucherov is playing, the depth in the lineup, Hedman playing significant minutes, new addition Anthony Duclair fitting like a glove in this lineup, and a well-rested Vasilevsky going into the playoffs, I wouldn’t be surprised if Tampa made a splash in this year’s playoffs.
4. Nashville PredatorsIf you had told me at the beginning of the season that the Nashville Predators would go on a massive winning streak in March and run away with the first Wild Card spot in the West, I would’ve laughed in your face.What the Nashville Predators have done is unpredictable. Many people had doubts before the season started that the Predators would make the playoffs, but Andrew Burnette has shoved that doubt out the window. This is a good team that is looking to do some damage in the playoffs. A month ago, there were rumors circulating that Predators goalie Juuse Saros would be traded, as Nashville seemed to be selling at the deadline. After being blown out 9-2 at home by rivals the Dallas Stars, the Predators went on to go 13-0-2 in their last 15 games, putting themselves right back in the playoff picture.The adversity this team went through all season, losing that divisional game to Dallas and going on this massive run, has been immaculate to watch. Whoever gets to play the Predators in round 1 does not think this will be an easy series.
5. #2 Wild Card Spot in the EastBefore anyone says anything, yes, we still do not know who it is going to be, but whoever gets the second Wild Card spot in the East could be a dark horse.
Last season, the Boston Bruins broke the record for the most wins in an NHL season, finishing with a record of 65-12-8. Everyone and their mother predicted the Bruins would win the Stanley Cup.
The Wild Card race last season was as intense as this one, with the Florida Panthers and Pittsburgh Penguins going down to the final two games of the regular season to see who would get in.
The Bruins end up matching Florida in round 1, with the Panthers being the dominant underdogs to win this series. Boston goes up 3-1 in that series and has the chance to end this series in overtime, but Matthew Tkachuk sends it to game six, and it was all Panthers from there. They comeback and win this series in overtime in Game 7 in Boston, beating all the odds thrown against them. The Panthers would end up going on a magical run to the finals, where they then lost to Vegas.
As it stands, the Boston Bruins are looking to repeat last year and win the Presidents Trophy, which means they would be playing the second Wild Card team for the second year in a row. Who says history can’t repeat itself?
Whether it’s the Washington Capitals, Detroit Red Wings, or New York Islanders, with what we have seen in recent years, especially last year with Flordia, you’re going to tell me that a team like these I mentioned cannot go on a run and win the cup?
The NHL playoffs are right around the corner. Who do you think could win the Stanley Cup? Tweet me your picks, @anthonycarb0ne, on X.
