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Everyone wants to hit on that lottery ticket, or be the one at the end of the night saying "I told you so" when that +240 underdog cashes.
But there's an art to picking favorites as well, and being able to identify which ones to back. Here are the favorites that most rewarded bettors during the 2019-20 regular season.
Note: Profits listed for $100 bettor
1. Philadelphia Flyers, +$1,136
When it comes to profitable favorites, the Flyers were in a league of their own this season. No team sported a better record or return on investment than Philadelphia, who were an astounding 23-8 (74.2%) when favored. The Flyers were an even more impressive 17-4 (81%) when laying at least -130. They were consistently profitable as home favorites, posting a 19-5 (+$1,105) record in that spot, compared to just 4-3 (+$31) on the road. They closed out the season on an 8-0 run as favorites.
2. Minnesota Wild, +$494
A surprising inclusion on this list, the Wild returned the second-highest profit as favorites this season. That being said, they were barely in the plus column entering the final week of February. However, Minnesota closed out the season on a 5-1 run as favorites to thrust it into second on this list, finishing the year with a 21-12 record when laying juice.
3. Boston Bruins, +$452
The Bruins were favored 61 times through 70 games this season and were the owners of the league's second-best win percentage as favorites, posting a 41-20 record. Still, with an average line of -182, betting $100 on the Bruins every time they were favored would have only netted a profit of $452. That's a long walk for a short drink of water.
4. Los Angeles Kings, +$220
It's probably safe to assume no one expected the Kings on this list. Los Angeles was favored 11 times this season and won seven of them, but that was enough for a small profit thanks to an average line of just -128. The Kings were 4-0 when laying at least -130.
5. Pittsburgh Penguins, +$200
It speaks to the volatility that comes with backing favorites consistently that the Penguins are so high on this list despite yielding the $100 bettor just $200 in profits over 49 games as a favorite, finishing with a 31-18 record. Road deficiencies prevented the Penguins from being higher on this list. They were just 8-7 (-$261) when favored away from home, compared to 23-11 (+$461) at PPG Paints Arena.
The St. Louis Blues (+$168), Chicago Blackhawks (+$130), Florida Panthers (+$114), and Winnipeg Jets (+$42) were the only other teams that returned a profit as favorites this season.
Alex Moretto is a sports betting writer for theScore. A journalism graduate from Guelph-Humber University, he has worked in sports media for over a decade. He will bet on anything from the Super Bowl to amateur soccer, is too impatient for futures, and will never trust a kicker. Find him on Twitter @alexjmoretto.
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