Stars Seek Rebound
The Vegas Golden Knights hope to build off an overtime victory when they meet the Dallas Stars for Game 2 of the Western Conference Ffinals, which could be quite enticing if you are online gambling.
Brett Howden scored 1:35 into the extra period to give the Golden Knights a 4-3 victory on Friday, giving Vegas seven players with at least three goals in the postseason. Howden had six goals in 54 games during the regular season.
“Everyone has a different formula,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters. “Can’t always be the stars or the guys that you would expect. That’s what’s been good about our team. Different people step up in key moments.”
Jamie Benn tied the game for Dallas with 1:59 left in the third period, but the Stars dropped the series opener for the third time in the playoffs.
Vegas is currently the favorite at +165 in odds to win the Stanley Cup, while the Stars are +450.
Robertson Breaks Out
Jason Robertson, who led the Stars with 46 goals in the regular season, snapped an eight-game drought with a first-period tally.
The left wing hopes to build off that and add more to an offense that has been led by Roope Hintz in the postseason. Hintz had a goal and two assists in the series opener and has a league-leading 22 points in postseason.
Hintz is +1000 to win the Conn Smythe Trophy in NHL live betting, tied for sixth overall. Vegas’ Jack Eichel (+550) and Mark Stone (+900) have lower odds and Matthew Tkachuk of Florida is the current favorite (+450).
Jake Oettinger, who is 4-0 all time in the regular season versus Vegas, stopped 33-of-37 shots in the series opener and owns a .902 save percentage in the playoffs
The over is 7-1-1 according to NHL Lines in the Stars’ last nine games, but Dallas is just 1-for-8 on the power play the past four contests after going 12-for-35 to start the postseason.
Comeback Kids
The Golden Knights have made it a habit rallying for victories in the postseason and improved to 5-2 on home ice — 5-1 in the last six — with Friday’s triumph.
William Karlsson scored to pull the @GoldenKnights even in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final. Will Vegas earn its seventh comeback win of the 2023 #StanleyCup Playoffs tonight? #NHLStats: https://t.co/DPmgWaNpgz pic.twitter.com/aZjQNdLwRF
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 20, 2023
The seven comeback wins equals Vegas’ 2021 playoff run and seven players have a game-winning goal in the 2023 postseason, led by Chandler Stephenson and Jonathan Marchessault with two each.
Adin Hill has also stepped up in net, posting a .930 save percentage in six games since replacing injured Laurent Brossoit.
William Karlsson scored twice in Friday’s victory for Vegas and leads the team with seven goals in the postseason.
The Golden Knights are -210 to win the series and Dallas is +175 in the latest NHL odds.
Stars vs Golden Knights Game Injuries
Stars vs Golden Knights Head-to-Head
Dallas had won four in a row against Vegas before the overtime loss Friday, but three of those victories came in shootouts.
Nine of the last 10 meetings have been one-goal contests, which bodes well for the underdog if you are betting online.
Benn had three points and was a +4 in three games against Vegas during the regular season before notching the tying tally with the goalie pulled Friday.
Stars vs Golden Knights Game Information
- Game: Stars (0-1) vs Golden Knights (1-0)
- Day/Time: Sunday, May 21, 3 p.m. ET
- Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV
- Stars vs Golden Knights Live stream: NHL.TV
Stars vs Golden Knights Betting Lines
Stars vs Golden Knights Picks and Prediction
Dallas fought back after losing Game 1 in its first two series of the postseason to win the second by a combined score of 11-5, but both were at home.
This might be a bit tougher against a gritty Vegas team that finished the regular season with the most points in the West. The Golden Knights won Game 1 without a point from Eichel (team-high 14 points in the playoffs), but the center had four shots and was 8-3 in faceoffs.
Still, the expectation is that the Stars will step up with Robertson feeling better after breaking a slump and Hintz getting off to a good start in the series. Veteran Joe Pavelski also had two assists in the first game for Dallas.
Take the underdog, who is 6-2 in the last eight meetings, and for some extra goals to be scored even though the under is 9-2-1 in the past 12 meetings.
The Stars are listed at +105 in our Las Vegas hockey odds. This means that if you wager $100 on Dallas, you have a chance to win 105. The Golden Knights are -125, offering a chance to win 80 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives the Stars a 48.78% chance to win, with Vegas at 55.56%.
Stars vs Golden Knights Trends
Stars vs Golden Knights Edge
Stars vs Golden Knights Results
Stars vs Golden Knights Game Summary
