The Boston Bruins tied for the second-best record in the NHL during the regular season, but oddsmakers haven't pegged them as one of the top two favorites to win the 2019 Stanley Cup Final.
The B's are +1000 to win the Stanley Cup, which is tied with several teams for the third-best odds. The Tampa Bay Lightning are the Eastern Conference and Stanley Cup favorite at +250, while the San Jose Sharks are the Western Conference favorite at +800.
Check out the odds (from Caesars) of all 16 playoff teams in the tweet below:
Why aren't the Bruins a bit higher? Well, their road to the Cup Final is brutal.
Boston plays the Toronto Maple Leafs, one of the best teams in the league, in the first round. If the Bruins survive the Leafs in Round 1 for the second year in a row, they likely will have a second-round rematch with the Presidents' Trophy-winning Lightning. An upset over the Lightning could result in an Eastern Conference finals battle with the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals.
Boston Bruins
The Bruins probably would be favored over any team in the Stanley Cup Final, but getting to that point figures to be extremely difficult given the likely opponents in the East.
Boston's road to the Cup Final begins Thursday night at TD Garden with Game 1 versus the Leafs.
Click for Joe Haggerty's Stanley Cup playoff predictions>>>
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