Favorite, underdog labels mean little to Kings

If you were on Twitter at any point during the later stages of the Western Conference Final, it seemed as though it was a foregone conclusion that whoever won that series would win the Stanley Cup. It’s not exactly a stretch to exude such confidence in the west’s best team. Western Conference teams were 246-150-52 against Eastern Conference teams in 2013-14.

The oddsmakers back up this train of thought. Courtesy of Puck Daddy and Bovada:

New York in four: 14/1
New York in five: 8/1
New York in six: 5/1
New York in seven: 11/2
Los Angeles in four: 8/1
Los Angeles in five: 4/1
Los Angeles in six: 4/1
Los Angeles in seven: 4/1

But, boy, if you ask a question to the Kings about whether they’re the favorites – or suggest in a question that they’re considered the favorites – you’re sure to draw an answer that fuzzies the line between ennui and mild annoyance.

Matt Greene:
It’s the Stanley Cup Finals. I don’t think any team is going to look at themselves as the underdogs. You’re down to two teams, and you want to win, and that’s all it really comes down to. It’s an exciting time of the year to be a part of it. I really don’t care about what the odds say or what you guys are saying about who’s favored and who’s not.

Trevor Lewis:
I mean, they’ve obviously done some good things to get here, too. We’ve got to just come out and play our game and not worry about that kind of stuff.

Anze Kopitar:
We’re just not looking at it that way. It doesn’t matter for us. Obviously they’re doing some really good things to be in this position. Both teams have done it, but now it’s about to take the next step and get it done.

Jeff Carter:
I don’t know if we’re the favorites. They’ve got a pretty good team over there, too. It’s a huge challenge for us here. We know what we’re up against, and we’re going to have to leave it all out there.

Mike Richards:
Everyone’s zero-zero. As players, we don’t have too much concern over who’s the underdog and who’s the favorite. It’s just about going out and playing. I think you guys have more to say about that. Just because one team’s an underdog, it doesn’t mean they’re going to play any better if they were the favorite. It is what it is. We’ll let you guys chatter about that.