The Colorado Avalanche pulled out a controversial overtime victory in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final and head home with a chance to close things out.
The Avs are huge favorites to win the series when it comes to Stanley Cup odds, and are -185 for Friday’s Game 5, according to NHL betting lines.
Nazem Kadri scored the game-winning goal in his return to the lineup during the extra frame, giving the Avs an opportunity to win their first Stanley Cup since 2001. It’s hard to count out the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning, but they appear to be nearly running on empty.
The Avalanche opened the postseason with better odds to win the Stanley Cup than the Lightning at +600, but the Lightning weren’t too far off at +750.
The Stanley Cup Final opened with the Avalanche favored at -190, while the Lightning were listed at +155. This line was a reasonable opening, with the Avalanche steamrolling the Western Conference in just 14 games. In comparison, the Lightning were taken to six and seven games by the New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs.
There were question marks for the Lightning against the Maple Leafs in Round 1, but they answered the bell, but it’s also fair to question whether or not they’ve exceeded their limit. All good things end and this historic run will likely be no different for the Lightning.
After Game 1, the Avalanche owned odds of -275 to win the series, and with the Lightning on the brink of elimination following Game 4, the Avs are -1400 favorites. On the other side, the Lightning were at +225 after Game 1 and now sit at +800 after Game 4.
Regarding the correct series score, the Avalanche opened at +400 to win in five games, and that price is now -165. The Lightning’s only hope to win this series would be in seven games, which opened at +650 and is now +800.
Not a lot has changed in the ticket market, with the Avalanche owning 25.7% of tickets to win the Stanley Cup, while the Lightning have 14.5%.
The money has been somewhat close together, even with the Avalanche still holding the advantage with 32.9% of the handle, compared to 23.2% for the Lightning.
Stanley Cup Odds & Insights
| Team | Opening Odds | 1st Round | 2nd Round | Semis | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avalanche | +600 | +325 | +200 | +120 | -1400 |
| Lightning | +750 | +1100 | +650 | +230 | +800 |
NHL Parlay Picks at BetMGM
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