The Vegas Golden Knights are the team that Las Vegas bookmakers are most worried about entering the Stanley Cup playoffs, but despite an amazing inaugural season, the Golden Knights aren't the favorite.
That distinction belongs to the Nashville Predators, who led the NHL in regular-season points with an impressive 117. The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook opened them at 4-1 to hoist the trophy on Monday.
The Tampa Bay Lightning (5-1) and Pittsburgh Penguins (7-1) have the next-best odds, followed by the Boston Bruins and Winnipeg Jets at 8-1. The Penguins opened the season with the best odds (7-1) at Westgate.
The New Jersey Devils and Colorado Avalanche are the biggest long shots at 40-1.
But the team that Vegas sportsbooks are paying the most attention to is their hometown team.
Most sportsbooks are carrying liability on Stanley Cup wagers for the Knights that range from 300-to-1 to 500-to-1, and would suffer six- or seven-digit losses if Vegas hoists the Cup.
"I figured the tickets were just souvenirs," MGM vice president of race and sports Jay Rood told ESPN in January, citing the popular novelty of saving the evidence of a preposterous wager to share with friends. "It's probably the most liability of any team [of any sport] during my 10 years here."
The Westgate is also currently offering a Field vs. Golden Knights prop, which moved heavily on Monday morning to Field -2000 and Golden Knights +1000 to win the Cup.