NHL Playoffs - Game 1
Washington -1½ +350 over VEGAS

BEST LINES:  Pinnacle -1½ +325 BET365 -1½ +350 SportsInteraction N/A 5DIMES -1½ +325

Game 1 - posted at 10:45 AM EST.

8:10 PM EST. Of course we could play the Caps +130 but the alternate puck line pays such a big price for a bet that has such a good chance of cashing that we’re going to continue to play these bets. Very rarely these entire playoffs has a game been decided by one goal that didn’t go into OT. The team trailing will pull the goaltender with 2½ to 3 minutes remaining and that’s a big window for the open netter. If trailing team doesn’t tie it, the team leading has hit that empty netter just about every single time.

A comparison could be made between last night’s Celtics/Cavaliers game and this opener. The Celtics were a very talented team with emerging stars playing against a veteran team with the biggest star in the game. Alex Ovechkin may not be the biggest star in the game but he’s up there and he’s just as hungry as Lebron, and he, too, is playing with some seasoned vets. As it turns out, the moment was too big too soon for the Celtics, as their young stars could not make a shot for 48 full minutes and for the first game of these Cup Finals, the moment may be too big for the Knights also and here’s why:

Like the Super Bowl, the NHL Cup Finals has a “media day” and that was yesterday when scores of media from around the globe converged around T-Mobile arena to get quotes from all the players, coaches and management. It was a feeding frenzy of sorts and while Vegas has been somewhat in the media spotlight, aside from Marc Andre Fleury, James Neal and David Perron the rest of the guys have not experienced anything like this before, ever. We have seen scores of Super Bowl teams in the past get caught up in the moment and fall flat on their faces during the game. Add in that the Knights have had eight (!) full days off and combine all that time thinking with media day yesterday and the Knights may be very slow out of the gate. Finally, this will be the first time during these playoffs that the Golden Knights will not have a morning skate because of the 5:00 PM local start time. All of this may not matter one single bit, as the Golden Knights have answered the call all season long. However, it could also have a big impact and like we suggested in our SERIES write-up, no team has even tried to make the Knights or Marc Andre Fleury uncomfortable in any playoff game or series yet. That very likely all changes here. Just like the Celtics last night, the moment might be just a little too big for the Knights in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. Drop the puck.

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Our Pick

Washington -1½ +350 (Risking 2 units - To Win: 7.00)

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Chicago +167 over Ottawa