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The Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights meet in Game 3 of a best-of-7 Western Conference 1st-round series Saturday. Puck drop from T-Mobile Arena is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET (TBS). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Stars vs. Golden Knights odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Playoff series: Golden Knights lead 2-0
The Stars suffered a 4-3 defeat at home in the series opener in a game which could have gone either way. However, Dallas suffered a 3-1 loss in Game 2, as its offense really struggled to get anything going. The Stars now face the unenviable task of trying to win at least 1 game in the next 2 at T-Mobile Arena to extend the series and force things back to Dallas.
The Golden Knights cashed as underdogs in the first 2 games — +126 in Monday’s opener and +150 Wednesday. With Game 3 at home, Vegas is favored this time around. The defending Stanley Cup champions are just 2-2 in the past 4 games as favorites. The Under has cashed in 3 of the past 4 games for VGK after a 5-0-1 Over run in the final couple of weeks of the regular season.
In addition to winning both playoff games vs. Dallas, Vegas swept all 3 regular-season meetings, although 2 of the wins required overtime or the shootout.
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Stars at Golden Knights odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 5:03 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Stars -115 (bet $115 to win $100) | Golden Knights -105 (bet $105 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Stars -1.5 (+220) | Golden Knights +1.5 (-275)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6 (O: +100 | U: -120)
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Stars at Golden Knights projected goalies
Jake Oettinger (35-14-4, 2.72 GAA, .905 SV%, 3 SO in regular season) vs. Logan Thompson (25-14-5, 2.70 GAA, .908 SV%, 1 SO in regular season)
Oettinger allowed 2 goals on 25 shots in Game 2, but that was not good enough to secure the home win for his team. He is 0-2-0 with a 3.10 GAA and .850 SV% in 2 starts in this series.
Last season, G Adin Hill was the man down the stretch, helping the young organization to its 1st Stanley Cup title. In these first 2 games vs. Dallas, Thompson allowed 4 goals on 50 shots, good for a 2-0-0 record, 2.00 GAA and .920 SV%.
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Stars at Golden Knights picks and predictions
Prediction
Stars 3, Golden Knights 2
Moneyline
The STARS (-115) are favored in Game 3, which might raise some eyebrows given the fact Dallas is in a 2-0 series hole and this game is in Vegas. The line is also a bit surprising since Vegas (-105) swept the 3-game regular-season series vs. the Stars.
However, Dallas didn’t win 52 games and come up 1 point short of winning the President’s Trophy by mistake. Th Stars are one of the premier teams in the NHL. Game 3 will show if they’re still a legitimate contender or if they fold their tent.
I’m banking on DALLAS (-115) showing some tremendous fortitude against all odds.
Puck line/Against the spread
The Golden Knights +1.5 (-275) will cost nearly 3 times your potential return on home ice. That’s way too much risk for a little bit of insurance. If you like Vegas, which is up 2-0 in the series, you should like it straight up.
AVOID.
Over/Under
UNDER 6 (-120) is the lean, but go with a half-unit play at the most.
The Under cashed in Game 2, and Dallas figures to be quite sawed off about the predicament it is in. We should see a lot of physical play, and strong defense with goaltending.
VGK has cashed the Under in 3 of its past 4 games. The Under also has a slight 12-9 edge in the past 21 games at home for the Golden Knights.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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