The Los Angeles Kings are the new favorite to win the Stanley Cup, according to online sports book Bovada. Odds may vary depending which betting outlook you check, but at least one large site has shifted their odds in favor of the Kings taking home the ultimate prize.
For Kings fans this news might be bittersweet. While they might feel the team has finally received some overdue recognition for its accomplishments, the superstitious LA fans might be concerned that oddsmakers just sealed the team’s exit from the playoffs.
As a sports fan, it rarely feels good to have your team widely regarded as the favorite. There’s more pressure and more to lose when the general consensus claims your team is the best. It might just be mental, but the favorite almost always seems to fall prematurely at the hands of a hungrier underdog.
Hockey is no different. Ask Pittsburgh or St. Louis fans how it feels to be labeled as the Cup favorite.
The Penguins entered the playoffs as the “favorite” as assessed by various NHL experts and backed by the odds found on numerous betting sites. The title didn’t stick with the Penguins very long as the Philadelphia Flyers ousted Pittsburgh in six games in the first round.
The attention then shifted to St. Louis after the Blues made quick work of the San Jose Sharks in five games in their first round battle. Again, the label of “Cup favorite” left as quickly as it arrived upon Los Angeles sweeping the Blues out of the second round.
Two favorites, two exits short of the Stanley Cup.
Los Angeles has now been named the new favorite for the Cup according to the odds over at Bovada. The Kings are deserving of the title if you consider how easily they marched past the #1 seed Vancouver Canucks and the #2 seed St. Louis Blues on their way to face Phoenix in the Western Conference Finals. LA has used relentless pressure and a complete team effort to make even the best teams look feeble. There’s no question as to why LA is the new favorite. The only question is whether they will be able to live up to the expectations now that they’ve been recognized as the most threatening team.
