Sergei Bobrovsky leads the way

This isn’t the first time the Florida Panthers have been counted out.

Not only did the Cardiac Cats pull off a stunner by coming back from a 3-1 series deficit against the record-setting Boston Bruins in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs, but also Florida needed to go on an 18-10-2 run over its last 30 games of the regular season just to get the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Vegas Golden Knights may be up 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Final and the aggregate scoreline of 12-4 may be ugly, but this series is far from over. Don’t start planning the parade on the Las Vegas Strip just yet.

But just because the Panthers are still a threat to come back in this series doesn’t mean they’re a good bet at +400 to win the Stanley Cup.

That number feels a bit meager considering the task at hand for the Cats, but there is a better way to bet into another Panthers comeback.

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Sergei Bobrovsky to win Conn Smythe Award (12/1, BetMGM)

It wasn’t more than five days ago that Sergei Bobrovsky was the betting favorite to win the Conn Smythe Award as the MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The 34-year-old Russian put up eye-popping numbers for the Panthers in the first three rounds of the tournament and almost single-handedly tilted the scales in Florida’s favor against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes.

It felt like a foregone conclusion that if the Panthers won the Stanley Cup, Bobrovsky would be named Most Valuable Player.

Heck, there was even talk that the Russian netminder could become the first player since Jean-Sebastien Giguere to win the Conn Smythe despite losing in the Stanley Cup Final.

But a slow start to the finals has cooled off the hype on Bobrovsky and his team’s 0-2 deficit has forced oddsmakers to adjust his number to +1200, well behind the new favorite, Jonathan Marchessault, at -105.

As ugly as his first two games have been in the Stanley Cup Final, it’s not out of the question that Bobrovsky will snap back into form as the series goes on.

It’s worth remembering that Florida had two weeks off between Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals and Game 1 of the Stanley Cup, so Bobrovsky losing his rhythm isn’t all that shocking.

If Bobrovsky is able to rediscover his game — the two-time Vezina Trophy winner won 11 of 13 games and posted a .935 save percentage to go along with a +19.7 Goals Saved Above Expected (GSAx) through the first three rounds — it would go a long way toward helping Florida find its way back into this series.

Betting on the NHL?

Bobrovsky’s form and Florida’s chances to flip the script in this series are basically joined at the hip.

It’s hard to envision a scenario in which the Panthers can win four of the next five without Bobrovsky snapping back into form.

If you think Florida is worth a bet to come back in this series at +400, you may as well take a shot on Bobrovsky to win the Conn Smythe at triple the odds instead.