Montreal Canadiens Advance To Stanley Cup Finals: Here's How Much A Bet On The Underdogs Would've Paid Out

For the first time in 28 years, the Montreal Canadiens are heading to the Stanley Cup Finals. After defeating the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 in game six Thursday night, Montreal has a shot to be the first Canadien team to win Lord Stanley’s Cup since the 1993 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.

What To Know: Artturi Lehkonen netted the game-winner for Montreal 1:39 into overtime. Nick Suzuki took the puck into Vegas’ zone and set up Lehkonen with a pass to the left, which he elevated over Lehner’s short side to end the game.

The Canadiens entered the 2021 NHL playoffs as the lowest-seeded team. With just 59 points on the season, they came back from down three games to one in the opening round to upset the Toronto Maple Leafs. They then defeated the Winnipeg Jets to win the North Division before taking down the Golden Knights.

Now, the red-hot Canadiens await the winner of the New York Islanders-Tampa Bay Lightning series. Game seven between the Islanders and Lightning is tonight at 8 p.m. EST on NBCSN. Montreal has won 11 of their past 13 games during their playoff run, upending all expectations.

Betting On Montreal: Before the season started, the Canadiens were +2600 to win the Stanley Cup, according to DraftKings DKNG, meaning a $1,000 bet would net $26,000. Those were the 13th-best odds, meaning sportsbooks didn't feel the Canadiens were a strong threat to win. Their odds jumped all the way to +15000 to win the Stanley Cup after going down 3-1 against Toronto, meaning a $1,000 bet at that time would net out $150,000.

After beating Toronto, Montreal moved to +1600 and then jumped again to +1200 after defeating Winnipeg. Still, the underdog Canadiens had the worst odds of the remaining playoff teams at each juncture and were favored in just two of the 16 playoff games they played. However, Now, Montreal is +165 to win the 25th Stanley Cup in franchise history.

Back on May 30, the Canadiens had +3000 odds to even reach the Stanley Cup Finals, meaning a $1,000 bet paid out $30,000. That was just 25 days ago. One better wagered $5,000 and earned a payout of $150,000, according to the Action Network.

Now, the Canadiens look to continue their underdog playoff run and win the Stanley Cup as the lowest-ranked team entering the playoffs. If they do so, a lot of betters will win a significant amount of money.