Golden Knights now co-favorites to win the 2018 Stanley Cup

Las Vegas Review-Journal

7 years ago

Golden Knights left wing Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (41) high-fives right wing Alex Tuch (89) after defeating the Los Angeles Kings 1-0 in Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday, April 17, 2018. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar (11) controls the puck as Golden Knights left wing Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (41) and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) defend during the first period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday, April 17, 2018. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Golden Knights fans celebrate a goal by defenseman Brayden McNabb, not pictured, during the second period of Game 4 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday, April 17, 2018. Chase Stevens Las Vegas Review-Journal @csstevensphoto

Once a 500-1 long shot to win the Stanley Cup, the Golden Knights are now the 4-1 co-favorites with the Nashville Predators to claim the NHL championship.

The Knights entered the playoffs as the 10-1 sixth choice to win the Cup. Their odds were adjusted to 5-1 at the Westgate sports book Tuesday before Game 4 of their first-round playoff series against Los Angeles.

The Knights were moved to 4-1 after finishing a four-game sweep of the Kings.

“This time of year, teams might have a higher power rating, but they might have higher odds just because of the position the Knights are in as the first team to proceed out of the first round,” Westgate sports book manager Jeff Sherman said. “Technically, other teams with a higher power rating still have work to do to get to the next stage.”

The Predators are the No. 1 overall seed from the Western Conference and have a 3-1 series lead over the Colorado Avalanche in their Western Conference quarterfinal series. Nashville won 3-2 on Wednesday night in Colorado.

The Knights entered the playoffs as the 9-2 third choice to win the West behind the Predators and Winnipeg Jets, but are now the 9-5 co-favorite with Nashville.

The San Jose Sharks, the Knights’ second-round opponent, clinched their series on Wednesday with a sweep of the Anaheim Ducks, winning 2-1 in Game 4.

Sherman projects the Knights to be in the range of a minus 140 series favorite over San Jose in the conference semifinals.

“We thought it would be similar to how the Kings series played out,” Sherman said. “The Knights swept them 4-0 but they won each game by one goal. It was still a tight series. The Sharks are playing great. It should be a tough test.

“If they got past that, Winnipeg or Nashville will probably be awaiting them. Two teams that have a higher power rating than the Knights do right now.”

The Knights went 3-0-1 against San Jose in the regular season, splitting a pair of overtime games. The Sharks outscored the Ducks 14-3 in the first three games of the series, whipping Anaheim 8-1 in Game 3.

The Westgate won on the Knights in Games 1 and 3, when so-called sharp bettors backed the Kings. But the book lost on Game 4 as the public backed the Knights in a big way.

Before the series, the Knights were available at 10-1 odds to sweep Los Angeles.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.