Panthers Weren’t Only Ones Rejoicing After Bruins Eliminated From Cup Contention
Boston was far and away the biggest liability for sportsbooks
The Florida Panthers earned a stunning upset against the record-holding Boston Bruins in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, but Matthew Tkachuck and company weren't the only ones rejoicing after the Game 7 overtime verdict Sunday night.
The fact Maple Leafs fans were chanting "We Want Florida!" after Toronto's first-round win over the Tampa Bay Lightning clearly puts them on that list. But so too are the sportsbooks, which benefited greatly from Boston's first-round exit.
The Bruins were responsible for the most tickets and most money to win the Stanley Cup, making the Black and Gold the biggest liability for oddsmakers. And the difference between those who were backing the Bruins and those backing other teams was glaring, well, at least on BetMGM.
The Bruins represented 42.7% of the handle and 28.1% of the Stanley Cup futures, as shared by BetMGM on Monday morning. The New York Rangers were second to the Bruins in handle (14.4%) while the Colorado Avalanche were second to Boston in tickets (12.1%). Boston essentially tripled the second-most handle and more than doubled the second-most bets. BetMGM, specifically, also benefited by the Avalanche falling to the Seattle Kraken in Sunday's Western Conference Game 7.
Additionally, the Presidents' Trophy-winning Bruins were responsible for an overwhelming amount of money and tickets to win the Eastern Conference. As of April 24, the Black and Gold represented 67.5% of the money and 50.2% of the tickets to win the Eastern Conference, per BetMGM.
For the first time in months, the Bruins now are no longer are the favorite to win the Stanley Cup. As of Monday morning, FanDuel Sportsbook has the Maple Leafs (+370) as the favorite to hoist Lord Stanley with the Edmonton Oilers (4-1), Dallas Stars (+550), Vegas Golden Knights (6-1), Carolina Hurricanes (7-1) and Panthers (10-1) rounding out the top of the betting board.
