Stanley Cup Odds: Avalanche Remain Western Conference Favorites Despite Game 1 Loss

The first game of the Western Conference Final is in the books. The Vegas Golden Knights upset the Stanley Cup favorites, the Colorado Avalanche, to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

Let's take a look at how the Stanley Cup odds have moved after last night's result.

Stanley Cup Odds

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Hurricanes +145
Avalanche +210
Golden Knights +350
Canadiens +600

Despite losing the first game at home, the Avalanche are still favored over the Golden Knights to win the Stanley Cup. Before the series began, the Avalanche were sitting at +130, and the Golden Knights were at +600. Now, the two teams sit at +210 and +350, respectively. The Avs are also -122 favorites to win the Western Conference Final, an implied probability of 54.95% despite facing a 0-1 deficit.

The Avalanche may have lost the game, but Colorado fans should hold off on pushing the panic button. The Avs had the advantage in expected goals last night, 4.44-4.21. If they can bury a few more shots in the upcoming games and get some better goaltending, they'll be in a great spot to re-take the series lead before turning back to Colorado for Game 5.

The two biggest benefactors of last night's game are the Hurricanes and the Canadiens. Both teams saw their odds to win the Stanley Cup improve. The Hurricanes leapfrogged the Avalanche, now sitting as the +145 favorites, while Montreal improved its chances from +700 to +600. The two Eastern Conference teams improving their odds are based on the increased possibility of facing an easier opponent in the Stanley Cup Final.

The Eastern Conference Final will begin tonight in Carolina. The Hurricanes are set as -275 favorites in that series, an implied probability of 73.33% of advancing to the Stanley Cup Final.

We also saw a shift in the Conn Smythe odds after last night's game. Nathan MacKinnon's odds fell to +240, while Mitchell Marner, adding another assist to his tally in Game 1, improved his odds to +750. The Hurricanes' goaltender, Frederik Andersen, remained steady at +400 and will get the start in between the pipes for the Hurricanes in Game 1 tonight.

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