The New York Rangers will likely punch a ticket to the playoffs this season, but betting odds-makers are bearish on the Blue Shirts’ chances of hoisting the Stanley Cup.
Sitting at a 40-19-5 record, the team is currently third in the Metropolitan Division, 3 points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins and 5 points behind the first-place Carolina Hurricanes. The team from Madison Square Garden is also fending off the surging Washington Capitals, who trail the Rangers by 5 points, and currently hold the second Wild Card spot.
The Blue Shirts have 18 games remaining on their schedule, and have hit a slight rough patch in recent games — dropping 4 out of their last 8 matchups, including a 7-goal route at the hands of the New Jersey Devils.
Much of the Rangers’ issue has been a lack of depth, with top-tier skaters like Chris Kreider accounting for over a quarter of the team’s goals with 42 on the season, and the team’s top-5 point-getters accounting for nearly 60% of the team’s 514 total points on the year.
Still, they’ve managed to ride their top-heavy roster to a likely position in the playoffs, which begin May 2.
That hasn’t stopped the odds makers from popular sportsbooks from throwing a dose of cold water on fans’ hopes of their first Stanley Cup title since 1994.
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FanDuel Sportsbook
FanDuel Sportsbook, a popular betting site in New York State (which officially legalized online sports gambling earlier this year), currently lists the Rangers as +2400 favorites to win the Cup — meaning gamblers would win $24 for every $1 they wager.
Those odds tied with the St. Louis Blues for just the 11th best odds. The website lists the Colorado Avalanche as favorites to hoist the trophy, with +400 odds.
Caesars Sportsbook
Another popular site for online betters is Caesars Sportsbook, who gives the Rangers slightly better odds to be the last remaining team standing at +2000, which means gamblers would win $20 for every $1 wagered.
Caesars has the Rangers as the 10th most likely franchise to win the Cup.
DraftKings Sportsbook
For those looking for a little more optimism, DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Rangers as +1800 odds, higher than both Fanduel and Caesars.
Bettors would win $18 for every $1 wager gambled.
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