Golden Knights the biggest Stanley Cup semifinal favorite in over 30 years.

Canadiens getting no respect.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 2 years ago
Golden Knights the biggest Stanley Cup semifinal favorite in over 30 years.
Daniel Lea/CSM/Zuma

The Montreal Canadiens came into the Stanley Cup Playoffs as the biggest underdog in the entire North Division. There was no question in anyone's mind that the Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, and Winnipeg Jets were all ranked ahead of the Canadiens but in spite of that the Canadiens have overcome the odds and are now one of just four teams remaining in the playoffs.

You would think that by now the Canadiens would have earned some respect from the oddsmakers for repeatedly defying the odds, but if anything the opposite now appears to be the case. This week the Las Vegas Review Journal published a report in which they revealed that the Canadiens are massive underdogs coming into their semifinal series against the Las Vegas Golden Knights. How much of an underdog you might ask? Well according to one oddsmaker the Golden Knights will enter this series as a -450 favorite to advance to the Stanley Cup Final, good enough to make them the largest favorite in a semifinal in over 30 years.

"I can’t remember a price like this in the semifinals. Usually, you don’t see weak teams get to the final four. On paper, it looks like a complete mismatch," said Ed Salmons, vice president of risk at Westgate the company that listed the Golden Knights as such a heavy favorite. "It’s hockey. If one team struggles to score and a goalie plays out of his mind, that always gives you a chance. But it would be shocking to me if the Knights didn’t win this series."

Only 3 teams in recent history (dating back to 1988) have been a -450 favorite or greater and if history is any indication that is very bad news for the Canadiens. In all 3 of those scenarios the favorite went on to win the series rather convincingly, so convincingly in fact that all 3 underdogs in those series manage to win a total of just 3 games combined over those 3 series.

As I said however the Canadiens have defied the odds thus far in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and they will look to do so once again when they kick off their series against Vegas on Monday.

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