Nashville Still Favored Over Ducks

Anaheim’s overtime victory against the Nashville Predators evened their series at 2-2, but the Ducks are still underdogs in the series. Even with Anaheim being at home in Game 5 and a possible Game 7, the Preds are slight favorites. Nashville is -117 to capture the Western Conference. The Ducks are -103 and have gotten the majority of the bets.

As we mentioned yesterday, an Anaheim win would shake up the futures odds on the Stanley Cup. That’s exactly what happened. The Predators moved from +140 to +250 and the Ducks dropped from +600 to +285.

But there is no change in the Eastern Conference odds. Ottawa is still +250 to win the Cup and the Penguins are +300. But if the Penguins win Friday night, they will become the likely favorites. The Penguins are favored in Friday’s Game 5 -120 and the Senators are even. Despite the low-scoring games we’ve seen in the series so far, the total is 5-over (-120). The under 5 is at even money.

Those betting on the Senators before Game 5 to win the series with Pittsburgh will lay -142. The take back on the Penguins is +122. As soon as Game 5 starts those will be pulled from the board, so bettors don’t have much time to act.

The Senators are one of the best Cinderella stories to happen in the NHL in some time. They would be a bigger surprise than some earlier No. 8 seeds winning the Stanley Cup as they underdogs in all three playoff series. They will be underdogs in the Finals should they get there.

Canadian residents have taken up the Senators’ cause. Even those fans from their traditional rivals, as many North of the Border have gotten tired of watching U.S. teams hoist the Stanley Cup. Ottawa also has some compelling stories, such as goalie Craig Anderson who missed parts of the season to be with his wife, who is battling cancer.