LAS VEGAS (AP) — Not only do the Oilers have a chance to bring the coveted Stanley Cup home to Canada, but it could also net a huge profit for two Colorado sports bar owners.
For Jeremy Malone and Judson Dimond, Edmonton’s win couldn’t have come at a better time after their store was burned down by an arsonist on Jan. 26, forcing them to close.
Two weeks ago, they placed a three-team parlay at BetMGM Sportsbook that would pay out $584,000 if the Oilers beat the Florida Panthers in the finals, which begin Saturday. Their $1,000 bets came true on the first two games of the series, when the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl and European soccer powerhouse Real Madrid claimed the Champions League title.
Malone was in Arizona with friends over the weekend when Real Madrid won and the Oilers beat the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference final.
“It was a great weekend,” Malone said.
Malone said he and Dimond have made a partial hedge bet on the Panthers in case the Oilers fail to live up to expectations, guaranteeing a profit either way.
“We made the (bigger) bet first,” Malone said. “At the end of the day, we’re gamblers. We’re still rooting for the Oilers.”
The timing is especially good after arsonists broke into and burned down The Sportsbook Bar & Grill in Greenwood Village, Colorado. Insurance is covering lost revenue, including rebuilding and paying employees, and any excess money will go toward making improvements to the sports bar.
“It was a very surreal call,” Malone said. “You get there and you see water coming out the front of the building because of the sprinklers. It will be rebuilt into a better building. It keeps getting delayed because of city issues and permitting issues. I feel bad for our employees, many of whom have been with us for five, six, seven years.”
One person was arrested and is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday.
A close series?
The Panthers are -130 favorites to win the Cup at BetMGM, meaning a $130 wager will return $100, with Edmonton close behind at +110.
BetMGM is backing the series to finish in six or seven games at +200.
“Florida is the team I’m counting on,” said Alex B. Smith, co-host of the podcast “The Ice Guys.” “Even before the season started, I was expecting Florida to go 9-1 going forward. I expect Florida to win five or six games.”
The key matchup will be the Oilers’ offense, led by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, versus the Panthers’ shutdown defense and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.
“Florida’s defense is solid right now,” Smith said. “When you combine that with the defensemen being good, Bobrovsky being good and being in good form, it’s going to be a tough battle for any offense. But Edmonton certainly has the chops. If there’s a team that can beat Florida, Edmonton should be able to fight back with their offensive talent.”
Support the Panthers
Smith isn’t the only one hoping to see Florida skate with the Cup at the end of the series. The oddsmakers at BetMGM are hoping for that, too.
The Oilers got off to a slow start and were favored to win the championship at 25-1, which resulted in manager Jay Woodcroft being fired on November 12th and replaced by manager Chris Knobloch.
“We have a much bigger responsibility when it comes to Edmonton, whereas Florida has been a much closer favorite to win the championship all season,” said Christian Cipollini, trading manager at BetMGM. “We don’t have a lot of local betting in general because we’re not in Florida, so most of the people who did make local bets did so at a much lower price.”
BetMGM is only based in Ontario north of the border, but there’s been a bit of Canadian flag activity: 76% of moneyline bets on Game 1 in Ontario are on the Oilers, compared with 52% across North America.
It’s the first time a Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup since the Montreal Canadiens in 1993.
Conn Smythe: McDavid is the favorite to win
It’s rare for an underdog to have a favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the playoff MVP, on a losing team, but McDavid leads the way at +200.
“But McDavid is in a class of his own when it comes to this,” Cipollini said. “He’s the face of the league. I know the NHL would love to give it to McDavid, but I can’t imagine a scenario where the Oilers win and McDavid doesn’t win it.”
Bobrovsky and Panthers teammate Aleksander Barkov follow at +400 each.
Experience matters
The Panthers also reached the finals last season, losing in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights.
“I think Florida just ran out of steam last year,” Smith said. “They were a team that had to play really hard with their third-string goalie the last two weeks of the regular season just to get into the playoffs. … Now I think they know how to take care of themselves.”
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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
