Key Takeaways
The coveted 2018 Stanley Cup belongs to the Washington Capitals, after a gripping last game Thursday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It was the first time in the Caps 44-year franchise history to take home the Cup, and it wrapped up a historic and ever-surprising NHL hockey season that had more ups and downs than Wall Street.
The Washington Capitals Alexander Ovechkin lifts the Stanley Cup for the first time in his Hall of Fame Career. (Source: WXFL)Vegas Golden Knights fans and their betting backers had their hearts and their bankrolls broken, as their improbable and incredible championship run fell painfully short at the end.
The Washington Capitals win was fueled by a furious third-period comeback over an expansion Knights team that wasn t ever supposed to be there. The Caps closed out the series in five games with a thrilling 4-3 win to give them the team its first Stanley Cup in the 44-year history of the franchise.
The Knights were left wondering what could have been after blowing a late-game lead. Up 3-2 with 10 minutes left, they were poised to stay alive and send the series back to Washington, DC for a Game 6. But two uncharacteristic giveaways in their own end led to two quick Capital goals, ending a run that nobody saw coming.
The bright side? Vegas is as good of a bet as any team to lift the Stanley Cup next year. But that was little consolation to Knights fans, who rallied behind the team that gave Las Vegas a much-needed boost after the horrors of the Oct.1 2017 mass shooting in front of Mandalay Bay that left 58 dead and more than 500 wounded.
From Underdog to FavoriteDepending on which sports book you looked at, the Vegas Golden Knights were paying anywhere from 250/1 to 500/1 to win the Cup heading into their first NHL season. But by the time the puck dropped on the Stanley Cup Finals, , with The Westgate installing them as a huge 5/8 favorite over the Capitals.
The Knights may not have finished the job, but by coming so close, they accomplished more in one year than it takes some franchises decades to achieve.
Vegas definitely won t be catching anyone by surprise next year. The Westgate Superbook has already released the odds to win the 2019 Stanley Cup, and the Knights are underdogs no more.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are the early betting favorites to win it all next season, but the Knights are among a group of teams with the second-best odds.
In a bit of a dis, they re even favored over the 2018 Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals:
Tampa Bay Lightning 8/1Vegas Golden Knights 10/1Nashville Predators 10/1Pittsburgh Penguins 10/1Winnipeg Jets 10/1Boston Bruins 10/1Toronto Maple Leafs 10/1Washington Capitals 14/1Stop Loss for BookmakersVegas bookmakers many of whom admitted they were rooting for the hometown team, even if it meant heavy losses are breathing a sigh of relief today.
With the Capitals victory, sports books avoided having to pay out on the 500-to-1 long-shot tickets that were printed out when nobody was giving the Knights a chance. Fans of the team pressed the betting during the Knights two-month playoff run, and by most estimates, Vegas books stood to lose between $5 million and $10 million if the Knights had won the Stanley Cup.
One bookmaker at the MGM claimed that the Knights were the for the books that he d ever seen.
It s a bullet dodged for the books, and a dream dashed for the Knights and their fans. But there s always next year.
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