The Vegas Golden Knights meet the Dallas Stars in Game 4 of their Western Conference Final playoff series Thursday.
Vegas is on the brink of its 2nd Stanley Cup Final appearance in its 6-year existence. The Golden Knights took a 3-0 series lead with an impressive 4-0 victory in Dallas Tuesday. They jumped out to a 3-0 lead just over 7 minutes into the game and never looked back. G Adin Hill was phenomenal with a 34-save shutout.
Stars LW Jamie Benn received a 5-minute major for cross checking Golden Knights RW Mark Stone 1:53 into the game with Dallas already down 1-0. Vegas responded by scoring twice in the next 5½.
The Stars outshot the Golden Knights 34-16 but could not crack Hill. The Stars will have to play a tight game and keep their composure Thursday if they hope to extend the series.
Golden Knights at Stars odds
- Moneyline (ML): Golden Knights -105 (bet $105 to win $100) | Stars -115 (bet $115 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Golden Knights +1.5 (-275) | Stars -1.5 (+220)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Golden Knights at Stars projected goalies
Adin Hill (16-7-1, 2.50 GAA, .915 SV%, 0 SO – regular season) vs. Jake Oettinger (37-11-11, 2.37 GAA, .919 SV%, 5 SO – regular season)
Hill stopped all 34 shots in Game 3, and he has a ridiculous .949 SV% in the series. He is 6-1 with a 1.96 GAA and .940 SV% in these playoffs. He’s playing a little above himself right now, though, so some regression should be expected.
Oettinger was pulled 7:10 into Game 3 after Vegas’ 3rd goal — he finished with just 2 saves on 5 shots. He has now lost 3 games in a row and 4 of 5. The Stars go as he goes, and he has been going down the tubes. Oettinger is 8-8 with a 3.02 GAA and .895 SV% in the playoffs.
Golden Knights at Stars picks and predictions
Prediction
Stars 3, Golden Knights 2
Moneyline
I don’t see the Golden Knights sweeping this series. The first 2 games — in Vegas — went to overtime, and Game 3 really just got out of hand after Benn’s major penalty 2 minutes in.
Oettinger makes a stand Thursday and gets the Stars one here TAKE DALLAS115).
Puck line/Against the spread
No interest in either puck line here, but this will be a redemption game for Oettinger. Vegas will bring some pressure now that they know the Florida Panthers — who completed a sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final Wednesday — are waiting on the winner of this series in the Stanley Cup Final.
PASS on the puck line, but BET JAKE OETTINGER OVER 25.5 SAVES 125).
Over/Under
Not only has the Under cashed in the last 2 games. the Under is 7-2-1 in the last 10 between these teams, and 7-0 in the last 7 head-to-heads in Dallas. According to Covers.com, the Under is also 8-1-1 in VGK’s last 10 Conference Final games and 8-1-2 in the Stars’ last 11 Conference Final games.
It boils down to this: Game 4 needs to be an Under for Dallas to have a chance.
LEAN UNDER 5.5110).