The Rangers’ Stanley Cup chances took a massive blow after a wild 3-2 overtime loss to the Panthers in Game 4 on Tuesday night.
The Blueshirts are now a slight +115 underdog at BetMGM Sportsbook to win the Eastern Conference over the Panthers, who are -135 to take the series.
With a 2-1 lead before Game 4, the Rangers had been a -175 favorite to win the series and the second-favorite behind the Stars to win the Stanley Cup.
The Rangers will now need to pull off the upset as the series shifts back to Madison Square Garden on Thursday night.
The betting line for Game 5 is about as tight as it can get.
The Panthers are ever-so-slight road favorites at -115 on the moneyline over the Rangers at -105.
The Rangers came into the series as underdogs and four games into the series, it appears oddsmakers still haven’t gotten on board with the Blueshirts.
“We, as oddsmakers, make odds based on facts and stats, not on hope,” DraftKings Director of Trading Johnny Avello told The Post before Game 1. “That doesn’t mean the Rangers can’t win The Cup, but when we look at the two teams, the Panthers are the better team on paper, slightly.
“We respect the Rangers, but all the stats that the algorithm tells us are what we have viewed all year. We have a whole team that works just on hockey, and we base it on probability with all the information we have.”
On the other side of the bracket, the Stars are a heavy -300 favorite to advance to the finals with a 2-1 lead heading into Wednesday’s Game 4.
Betting on the NHL?
Dallas is also the clear favorite to win the Stanley Cup at +160.
The betting public is still loving the Rangers in these playoffs.
They have received 13.5 percent of bets and 18.9 percent of the handle at BetMGM Sportsbook — both figures are the most among any team.