After a 100-point season followed by a first-round playoff exit, Las Vegas doesn’t like the Pittsburgh Penguins quite as much as they used to.
The Penguins are a 10-1 choice to win the Eastern Conference in odds released by BetOnline.ag on Monday. They were a 6-1 pick to win the conference before the start of last season.
The fall down the tote board hasn’t been precipitous for the Penguins, who made a handful of offseason alterations to their roster including the trade of Phil Kessel. They remain tied with the Washington Capitals as the fifth choice in the conference.
Tampa Bay is the favorite at 4-1, followed by Boston and Toronto at 7-1. Fresh off the signing of goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, Florida is up to fourth at 9-1. The much-improved New York-area trio of the Rangers, Islanders and Devils has moved up to 12-1, just behind the Penguins and Capitals.
Columbus took the biggest hit, falling from 12-1 at the start of last season to 25-1 now.
