The Rangers and Flyers start the playoffs Thursday night at Madison Square Garden on even footing, both listed as 20-1 shots to win the Stanley Cup.
That puts both teams in the bottom half of the 16-team playoff bracket.
The Bruins, who captured the Cup in 2011 and won the Presidents’ Trophy with 117 points this season, are the favorites at 7-2 in odds released Monday morning by Bovada.lv.
The Blues are the second choice at 6-1, followed by the Penguins (7-1), defending champion Blackhawks (8-1), Ducks (9-1) and Sharks (9-1). The Kings, the 2012 champs, are next at 10-1, and the Avalanche are 14-1 before a pack of four teams – Rangers, Flyers, Canadiens and Red Wings – at 20-1.
Rounding out the field are the Lightning (25-1), Wild (40-1), Blue Jackets (50-1) and Stars (50-1).
Rangers fans will have to dig the deepest to attend home games in the first round. According to TiqIQ, the average price on the secondary market is $429.50 for the series and $337.66 for Game 1. Blueshirt supporters would get a much better deal buying games 3, 4 and 6 in Philadelphia, which are selling for an average of $182.45.
Chicago ($414.63), Montreal ($317.23) and Boston ($314.79) follow the Garden as the most expensive first-round sites.