Getty Braden Holtby can slam the door on Vegas in Game 5.
For the first time in their 44-year history, the Washington Capitals are playing for a chance at the Stanley Cup. Lord Stanley will be in the house Thursday night, as the Caps look to close out the series on the road after a convincing 6-2 win on Monday. With home-field advantage and the added hype that comes with a Panic! At The Disco pregame concert, the Golden Knights are a slight favorite in Game 5.
Stanley Cup Game 5 Odds
The Las Vegas Golden Knights are priced at -140 to take Game 5, with the Capitals valued at +137 according to OddsShark.com. Things are much reversed on the spread, where the Knights are +205 laying 1.5 goals while the Caps are +220 getting the goals.
The total has sat firmly at 5.5 throughout the series, and tonight is the same. According to SportsInsights.com, 72 percent of all bets are on the over. The over is 2-2 in the series, cashing in Game 1 and Game 4.
Game 5 Best Bets
Vegas needs two things if they want any shot at this series: a hot start, which will in turn keep the crowd engaged, and a world-class performance from Marc-Andre Fleury. Anything else, and the Capitals will be raising the Cup tonight.
That’s why I’m really feeling taking Vegas in the first period. Vegas is +165 laying .5 goals in the opening period according to 5Dimes. It’s not a sure bet, but if you believe Vegas will come out strong in this one it’s worth investing a unit.
If you want to dig deep into props, I’m also leaning towards Vegas First to Score 3 Goals at +125. Again, Vegas needs a winning performance from Fleury to have a chance tonight, and I’m expecting a score of 3-1 or 3-2 score in favor of Vegas.
This series could get complicated. Vegas is most comfortable playing the underdog, and Washington is shakiest when the stakes are highest. This is their first 3-1 lead at any point in this year’s postseason, and any amount of success from Vegas is sure to inspire just the slightest bit of doubt.
If there were odds on blocked shots, I’d lay the house on Washington. They’ve dominated the stat in this series 68-25, and it’s one of the reasons Vegas has only five goals in three games after scoring six in Game 1.
This has been a tough series, mostly because we think we know this Capitals team because we’ve seen them in the playoffs so many times. We also have been told that they’re not THAT Caps team, that they’re different, and that their focus is on finishing the job this year. They certainly looked like that in Game 4, closing the door quickly and rendering about 40 minutes of the game meaningless. But Vegas played really well in Game 4, and in some non-scoring aspects deserved to win that game. As dumb as that sounds, if the breaks go the other way Thursday night, the Capitals might have to wait at least one more game.
Best Bets: Vegas ML, Under, Vegas 1P -.5