For the series, the Golden Knights are the favorites at -130 which likely is a slight edge due to their home-ice advantage. Here is what we are looking at for Game 1:
| TEAMS | SPREAD | MONEYLINE | TOTAL: 5.5 |
| Washington | +1.5 (-235) | +120 | Over (Even) |
| Vegas | -1.5 (+195) | -140 | Under (-120) |
Looking at the Moneyline, the Golden Knights are getting the edge in this contest mostly because they are playing at home where the 'Vegas Flu' has made winning rather difficult for opposing squads. Given that Braden Holtby is coming off back-to-back shutouts in the previous round, taking the Caps at +120 certainly wouldn't be the worst bet.
If you are a frequent hockey total bettor, you will notice that 5.5 has pretty much been the standard throughout the season, so no surprise there. What does stand out is the low return on either end – even money for the over and -120 for the under. Vegas was 22-18-1 covering the over at home during the regular season and the Caps were 25-15-1 doing the same on the
For the series, the Golden Knights are the favorites at -130 which likely is a slight edge due to their home-ice advantage. Here is what we are looking at for Game 1:
| TEAMS | SPREAD | MONEYLINE | TOTAL: 5.5 |
| Washington | +1.5 (-235) | +120 | Over (Even) |
| Vegas | -1.5 (+195) | -140 | Under (-120) |
Looking at the Moneyline, the Golden Knights are getting the edge in this contest mostly because they are playing at home where the 'Vegas Flu' has made winning rather difficult for opposing squads. Given that Braden Holtby is coming off back-to-back shutouts in the previous round, taking the Caps at +120 certainly wouldn't be the worst bet.
If you are a frequent hockey total bettor, you will notice that 5.5 has pretty much been the standard throughout the season, so no surprise there. What does stand out is the low return on either end – even money for the over and -120 for the under. Vegas was 22-18-1 covering the over at home during the regular season and the Caps were 25-15-1 doing the same on the road. For my money, the return on investment just doesn't warrant the risk here.
The spread is far more interesting and likely will be for the remainder of the postseason. Of the Golden Knights' 12 wins, only five have been by a margin of two or more goals. Meanwhile, the Capitals have either won or lost by one goal in 84 percent of their 19 playoff outings. Even if you are firmly in Washington's corner for it to cover, the -235 odds don't exactly jump off the page.
Puck Line
One of the most popular alternative bets in hockey is the Puck Line. Essentially it boils down to a spread bet in favor of the underdog.
For Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, if you are all in on the Caps getting the win, you can bet Washington -1.5 (+320) – a spread the team has covered in 67 percent of its playoff wins. The return is significantly greater than the moneyline or spread, which makes it such an attractive bet Monday. Alternatively, if you are expecting the Golden Knights to win in a blowout, which personally, I wouldn't bank on as they are built on goaltending with a 1.80 playoff goals against per game, you can also take Vegas -2.5 (+315).
Props
Who will record more points in the game?
While there are a multitude of options, I like Alex Tuch against Lars Eller, where you can get the Vegas rookie second-liner at +165. The downside, obviously, is the three-way nature with this bet as you also have tie (+150) as an option. The 22-year-old Tuch has the better assignment playing alongside Erik Haula and James Neal, but is averaging over a minute of ice time less per game than Eller (15:52 compared to 17:08). You could also consider going all in on Tuch as, with the odds on him to score a goal in the game at +190.
Jonathan Marchessault total shots on goal over 3.5
In the last four games, Marchessault has fired a combined 22 pucks on net and the potential is there for him to continue that high volume. The 27-year-old led the team in individual Corsi for per-60 minutes at 20.9, which accounts not only for recorded shots on goal but also misses and blocks. There is little reason to think Marchessault won't keep trying to pepper Holtby with rubber throughout this series.
Player to score the game winning goal
Sure, the odds on picking which one of the 40 dressed players gets the game-winning goal won't be particularly favorable on any given night. But, let's be honest, it's a fun bet to take a flier on.
There are 18 different players you can pick, with Alex Ovechkin the favorite (+800) and Colin Miller the biggest longshot (+2500). Of course, you could also take the rest of the field for +350; however, the field only accounted for 23 percent of all goals scored by both teams during the playoffs. If you really want to ride that Alex Tuch (+1600) train, you could take all three bets highlighted above at $100 apiece and potentially walk away up $1955.
