The Dallas Stars and the Vegas Golden Knights hook up for Game 1 of the Western Conference Final Sunday at 8 p.m. ET at Rogers Place in Edmonton. Below, we analyze the Stars-Golden Knights NHL betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
Stars vs. Golden Knights: Projected starting goalies
Anton Khudobin vs. Robin Lehner
Khudobin had a few rough patches in Game 7 against the Colorado Avalanche in Round 2, but he turned aside 40 of the 44 shots he faced in the overtime victory to help his team advance. He has done most of the heavy lifting in the postseason with regular starter Ben Bishop deemed unfit to play for most of the games since the restart. Khudobin posted a subpar .899 save percentage in the series against Colorado, but it was good enough.
There were some murmurs Lehner might be replaced by Marc-Andre Fleury, especially with a back-to-back situation in Game 7 and Lehner entering with consecutive losses. He acquitted himself well, making head coach Peter DeBoer look smart. Lehner turned back all 14 shots he faced against Vancouver in Game 7, posting his third shutout of the series. Any worries Lehner might be headed to the bench with a baseball cap in favor of the future Hall of Famer can now be put to rest.
Get some action on this game or any other matchup with an NHL bet at BetMGM in NJ, IN, CO and WV. Bet now!
Stars vs. Golden Knights: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 9:10 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Golden Knights 4, Stars 2
Moneyline (ML)
The GOLDEN KNIGHTS (-167) have a hot tendy in Lehner, as he posted three shutouts in the four victories against the Canucks in Round 2.
The Stars (+140) proved they have plenty of offense, but remember, they faced the third-string goaltender of the Avalanche for the final three games of their series, winning just once, and barely scraping by in the series.
New to sports betting? A winning $10 bet on the Golden Knights returns a profit of $6, while a winning $10 play on the Stars fetches a return of $14.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
PASS. I think the Golden Knights (-1.5, +155) will be able to win by two goals, so it’s worth maybe a light play, but if they get the cover here, it will likely be due to an empty-net goal late in the game. If you like to sweat it out in the waning moments, be my guest.
Me, I’ll PASS.
Over/Under (O/U)
The projected Over/Under of 6 is exactly where I feel this game will land. The Stars showed they have plenty of offensive firepower, and the Golden Knights are very deep, running four quality lines of offense. You could buy a half-goal one way or the other, but why risk it?
Be patient and save up for a more sure thing later in the series when the defense tightens up significantly. AVOID.
Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com. Please gamble responsibly.
Follow @JoeWilliamsVI on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1369]