The Dallas Stars meet the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 2 of their Western Conference finals playoff series Sunday. Puck drop at T-Mobile Arena is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET (ABC). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Stars vs. Golden Knights odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Dallas nearly took Game 1, but ultimately fell 4-3 in overtime. LW Jason Robertson put one in the net with under 2 minutes to go in the 1st, but the sides were tied at 1 entering the 3rd. Each team traded goals in the 3rd as LW Jamie Benn tied the game with under 2 minutes to go. The Stars couldn’t finish it off and have now dropped all 3 Game 1’s these playoffs in overtime.
VGK held serve after C Brett Howden, who had just 13 points in the regular season, grabbed the puck from behind the net and jammed it in the right side for the game-winner. C William Karlsson had 2 goals in the game to give him 7 in the playoffs. Vegas has yet to go up 2-0 at home in these playoffs.
Stars at Golden Knights odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub Lines last updated at 11:01 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Stars +105 (bet $100 to win $105) | Golden Knights -125 (bet $125 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Stars +1.5 (-250) | Golden Knights -1.5 (+200)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Stars at Golden Knights projected goalies
Jake Oettinger (37-11-11, 2.37 GAA, .919 SV%, 5 SO – regular season) vs Adin Hill (16-7-1, 2.50 GAA, .915 SV%, 0 SO – regular season)
Oettinger stopped 33 of 37 shots fired his way in Game 1. We have talked about it all postseason. He is 22-1-3 this season following a loss and has not lost consecutive games in these playoffs.. He went 3-0-0 with a 0.96 GAA and .967 SV% against Vegas in the regular season.
Hill was solid in Game 1 with 33 saves on 36 shots. He’s a bend-but-don’t-break goalie with at least 2 goals allowed in each of his 4 starts. He is 4-1 with a 2.34 GAA and .930 SV% in 4 starts and 6 games overall in the playoffs.
Stars at Golden Knights picks and predictions
Prediction
Stars 3, Golden Knights 2
Moneyline
Dallas won all 3 games in the regular season and has won 7 of 11 against Vegas. They’ve been close games, though, as 3 of the last 4 regular-season games went to a shootout, and Game 1 needed OT.
We enter Game 2 with identical odds on the moneyline, but this time I’m siding with the STARS (+105). Oettinger’s record after a loss is crazy, but there is a big enough sample size to back it. Dallas is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings, and the underdog has prevailed in 6 of 8.
Puck line/Against the spread
VGK couldn’t secure the puck-line victory in Game 1, and Dallas is priced out at -250. We’re going to PASS here as Dallas’ ML is at plus-money, and Vegas’ ML is at a solid -125 if you’re feeling them in Game 2.
Over/Under
The Over broke some trends and cashed in Game 1. The previous 4 games between the teams had 5 goals or fewer. The Under is 9-2-1 in the last 12 meetings and 4-1-1 in the last 6 in Vegas.
It’s just a LEAN, but Oettinger holds the cards in this game going UNDER 5.5 (-110).
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
Follow Ryan Dodson on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.