(Getty) Las Vegas looks to continue their home dominance in the playoffs.
After a wild game one that featured ten goals and four lead changes, Vegas and Washington reconvene Wednesday night for the second game of the Stanley Cup final. Game 2 odds are not too different from the opener, but the series price has adjusted for the Vegas’ victory.
Stanley Cup Game 2 Odds
The Las Vegas Golden Knights are once again favored, priced at -144 on the moneyline. The Capitals, trailing in a series for the fourth time this postseason, are +136 according to OddsShark.com
The numbers are far more different with the -1.5 goal spread. That’s where Vegas is +190 and Washington is -210 getting 1.5 goals, suggesting oddsmakers believe this will be another close game.
At some sites, you can still bet on the series result. With Vegas up one game, Bodog has them priced at -220 to win the series. Alternatively, the Capitals are +180 to come back and win the series.
Stanley Cup Game 2 Pick
At the start of the third period of Game 1, Vegas and Washington were tied at three. The Capitals scored the first goal of the third period, but it was the result of Marc-Andre Fleury accidentally kicking the puck into his own net. Washington didn’t actually put the puck in the net at all in the third period, surrendering three goals to Vegas’ fourth line en route to a 6-4 defeat.
It’s not the first time Fleury has surrendered four goals in the postseason. But it’s worth nothing that each time it’s happened during this run (three times) he’s responded with a great start (.932 save percentage).
Bounceback aside, this is a must-win for the Capitals. Since the Stanley Cup final went to seven games, teams that have started the series 2-0 have won the cup over 90 percent of the time. It’s even happened in the last four Cups. In the only times the visitor has come back to win the series, it’s lasted seven games.
In fact, if you wanted to throw a series bet on the Capitals right now, you might as well go full prop degenerate and bet them to win in seven. That’s where we’re headed if and only if the Capitals can stop this momentum.
How can they do that? It could start with production from their stars. While the Knights are collecting goals from their fourth line, Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov combined for just one assist each in Game 1.
On top of great production on the ice, Vegas benefits from world-class production off the ice. The crowd inside T-Mobile Arena continues to be insane, and it’s the reason Vegas is now 7-1 in the postseason at home. Their only home loss came to Nashville in double overtime.
If there was any “feeling out” to be done in Game 1, it happened on the fly. Caps goalie Braden Holtby, who shut out Tampa Bay in the last two games of the conference finals, gave up too many rebounds in the opener. But stats aside for Holtby, this is how Vegas likes to play. Vegas wants to go up and down, and that can create scoring chances at both ends of the ice. During their playoff run, seven of their last nine games have gone over the standard 5.5 goal scoring total set by oddsmakers.
Tough call here other than the over, which I’ll be locking in for every game in Vegas this series. This is a must-win for the Capitals, which feels dumb saying because it’s the Stanley Cup and every game is a must-win.
Given the pace inside the arena and the heat outside, it’s no surprise the ice quality will become an issue in this series. With a bouncing puck and evenly-matched teams, I’m going to keep taking Vegas at home until they prove me wrong.
Prediction: Vegas wins 3-2