All it took was one game to cause a rapid shift in the betting odds to win the Stanley Cup series between the Las Vegas Golden Knights and the Montreal Canadiens.
The Canadiens were set as +250 underdogs to win the series ahead of the pivotal Game 5 on Tuesday night, but after winning the game by a score of 4-1, Montreal has shifted all the way to being the -200 (bet $200 to win $100) favorite to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.
WHAT A BEAUTY! ?
— NHL on NBC Sports (@NHLonNBCSports) June 23, 2021
Perry ➡️ Caufield and the @CanadiensMTL are rolling. #GoHabsGo | #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/Uklzif8IA7
They’ve also skyrocketed up the odds list to win the Stanley Cup after the Game 5 win, from +650 to +350. Despite being favored to beat the Golden Knights now, the Canadiens are tied with them on the list of Stanley Cup odds. The Tampa Bay Lightning are now set as -125 favorites to win the Cup for the second straight year.
A big reason for the Canadiens success has been their stellar play in their defensive end. They’ve allowed significantly fewer high danger scoring chances compared to the other three remaining teams in the playoffs. They’ve allowed a total of 168 high danger scoring chances, which is 25 fewer than the next best team, the Tampa Bay Lightning at 168.
We’ve seen “teams of destiny” succeed in the NHL playoffs in the past, like the 2012 Los Angeles Kings who won the Cup despite being the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. The staple of their success that year was their defense and goaltending, spearheaded by eventual Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Quick.
If the Canadiens manage to close out their series against the Golden Knights, expect them to once again be underdogs, for the fourth straight series, when they face the winner of the Lightning and Islanders in the Stanley Cup Finals.