The betting public is loving the Rangers’ chances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Rangers are attracting more money to win the title than any other playoff team at ESPN Bet as of Friday, garnering 12 percent of the handle at the sportsbook.
Bettors are even more bullish on their prospects against the Capitals in the first round, which kicks off at 3 p.m. Eastern on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
More than half of bets (53 percent) at ESPN Bet on ‘Correct Series Outcome’ are on the Rangers to win 4-0, and another 30 percent are on Rangers 4-1.
The Rangers are the second-biggest favorite of the NHL’s eight first-round playoff matchups, sitting at -410 at FanDuel Sportsbook to win the series over the Capitals.
“No surprise that the Rangers have been a hot ticket since the get-go. Them being in New York and being the most popular team plays a part,” Caesars spokesperson Karry Shreve told ESPN. “Wherever the Rangers are positioned, whether they’re going to be down in the series or up in the series, we always expect to get a lot of Ranger money.”
It’s been a long road for the Rangers in becoming the eye of the betting public.
The Blueshirts opened at +1600 to win the Cup but have steadily climbed the odds board until they became the full-blown contender they are today.
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They dropped to +1400 to win the Cup in November, and eventually as low as +750 in December, before settling in at +800 as the playoffs get started.
ESPN Bet has the Rangers and Stars tied with the fourth-best odds to win it all, trailing the Hurricanes (+550), Panthers (+650) and Oilers (+700).
