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The Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars meet in Game 2 of a best-of-7 Western Conference, 1st-round series Wednesday. The Golden Knights lead the series 1-0. Puck drop from American Airlines Center is set for 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Golden Knights vs. Stars odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
The Knights took Game 1 on the road 4-3, and they cashed 2 of our 3 bets in the process. C Jack Eichel had 2 assists but did not have a shot on goal, oddly enough. RW Mark Stone, who made a curious return to health before Game 1 of the playoffs, scored 83 seconds into the game, and the Knights were up 3-2 at the end of 1. They didn’t look back.
The Stars lost all of their Game 1s last season, including 2 at home, and they continued that trend with a slow start Monday. G Jake Oettinger made just 11 saves on 15 shots. LW Jamie Benn scored a goal and had 7 shots, and RW Jason Robertson found the back of the net.
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Golden Knights at Stars odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:20 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Golden Knights +140 (bet $100 to win $140) | Stars -165 (bet $165 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Golden Knights +1.5 (-185) | Stars -1.5 (+150)
- Over/Under (O/U): 6 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Golden Knights at Stars projected goalies
Logan Thompson (25-14-5, 2.70 GAA, .908 SV%, 1 SO) vs. Jake Oettinger (35-14-4, 2.72 GAA, .905 SV%, 3 SO)
Thompson was solid in Game 1, stopping 26 of 29 shots fired his way. He was 3-2-0 with a 3.22 GAA and .887 SV% in 5 April starts. He beat the Stars in his only start against them during the regular season, stopping 19 of 20 shots he faced.
Oettinger no bueno, but the Knights scored 2 of their 4 goals on the power play. Still, he stopped just 11 of 15 shots. He was 0-1-1 with a 3.21 GAA and .885 SV% against Vegas during the regular season. He went 2-4 with an .877 SV% in 6 games against the eventual Stanley Cup champs in last year’s playoffs. So there is enough of a sample size here to be concerned.
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Golden Knights at Stars picks and predictions
Prediction
Stars 3, Golden Knights 2
Moneyline
Oettinger had a string last year where he was unstoppable after a loss. I look for him to steady up in this one and the Stars to even the series. VGK has won 5 consecutive meetings and the last 4 in Dallas. The train stops here, but Oettinger has to keep it low-scoring. I don’t like the price tag on Dallas at -165.
JASON ROBERTSON OVER 2.5 SHOTS (-140) is the way to go here. He had 3 SOG in Game 1 and has 3+ in 3 straight and 4 of 5.
Puck line/Against the spread
The only side I would consider here is the Stars -1.5, but I don’t have the confidence to back them.
PASS.
Over/Under
This total would be 3-5-2 O/U in the last 10 meetings. The Stars have 8 goals in the last 4 games, and Oettinger will have to keep this one under wraps for them to have a chance. Otherwise, they could be going home early.
LEAN UNDER 6 (-115).
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