Stanley Cup Odds: Avalanche Massive Favorites In Potential Final Matchups
It's impossible to ignore the Colorado respect
The Colorado Avalanche will be favored no matter who they face in the Stanley Cup Final.
After sweeping away the Edmonton Oilers late Monday night, Colorado punched its ticket to the championship round for the first time in 21 years. The Avalanche will face either the New York Rangers or Tampa Bay Lightning (NYR leads that series 2-1) and Circa Sports in Las Vegas is already taking bets.
Head hockey oddsmaker Jeff Davis didn't waste any time posting potential Stanley Cup series prices.
Colorado is a sizable -195 favorite ($195 wins $100) against Tampa Bay and substantially more expensive against New York at -315 ($315 wins $100). Those odds imply a 66% chance of victory against the defending champion Lightning and a staggering 76% chance to eliminate the upstart Rangers.
"The Avalanche are even more dangerous than I thought," one Las Vegas bookmaker told NESN. "Their speed is preposterous. Colorado has four guys that look like they're shot out of a cannon when they burst up the ice. Combine the Avs' passing and playmaking and that's an attack that's almost impossible to contain for 60 minutes. It's going to take a goaltending miracle to keep the Stanley Cup away from them."
Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar have the tools to be bona fide superstars in the league for years to come, Devon Toews is a Norris Trophy-caliber defenseman while Gabriel Landeskog, Valeri Nichushkin and Mikko Rantanen are all solid forwards in their own right.
Colorado has outscored its opponents 65-40 this postseason and after pumping 22 goals on Edmonton in four games, it's impossible to ignore the Avs' ability when they reach their potential. Their fast-packed attack mimics the Energizer Bunny on steroids -- they keep going and going and going.
And Circa's betting math tells you it's extremely likely the Stanley Cup will soon reside in the Colorado mountains.
