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The Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars meet in Game 7 of their Western Conference 1st-round series Sunday. Puck drop from American Airlines Center is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET (TBS). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Golden Knights vs. Stars odds, and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Playoff series: Tied 3-3
The Stars had the chance to polish off the Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Friday, but with their backs to the wall, the defending Stanley Cup champs won 2-0 to force a decisive Game 7.
In Friday’s game, there was no score until Noah Hanifin struck for an unassisted goal at 9:54 of the 3rd period. Mark Stone scored an empty-net goal to put a bow on the scoring, as Adin Hill made 23 saves to record the shutout and keep Vegas’ season alive and well.
This is the 4th Game 7 for the Stars just since 2019, and the Stars have won 2 of the past 3 decisive games. Last season, Wyatt Johnston was the hero in a 2-1 Game 7 win over the Seattle Kraken in the 2nd round in Dallas.
This is the 4th Game 7 in franchise history for the Golden Knights. They won 6-2 against the Minnesota Wild in the most recent Game 7 in the opening round of the 2021 playoffs , and also won 3-0 against the Vancouver Canucks in the 2020 COVID bubble. The Golden Knights lost to the San Jose Sharks in 2019 in their only previous road Game 7.
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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 Saturday at 11:31 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Golden Knights +125 (bet $100 to win $125) | Stars -150 (bet $150 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Golden Knights +1.5 (-210) | Stars -1.5 (+170)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: +105 | U: -125)
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Golden Knights at Stars projected goalies
Adin Hill (19-12-2, 2.71 GAA, .909 SV%, 2 SO – regular season) vs. Jake Oettinger (35-14-4, 2.72 GAA, .905 SV%, 3 SO – regular season)
Hill, the hero in last season’s Stanley Cup championship run, has started the past 2 games. He allowed 3 goals on 25 shots in a narrow 3-2 loss in Dallas in Game 5, while kicked aside all 23 of the shots he faced in Game 6 for the shutout.
Oettinger has been fabulous in this series, going 3-3-0 with a 2.10 GAA and .921 SV% in 6 games. He has allowed 2 or fewer goals in each of the past 5 outings since getting touched up for 4 goals on just 15 shots in the Game 1 loss against the Golden Knights back on April 22.
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Golden Knights at Stars picks and predictions
Prediction
Stars 2, Golden Knights 1
Moneyline
The STARS (-150) are moderate favorites on home ice, but really, in a decisive Game 7, the home-ice advantage is negated somewhat. Anything can happen.
However, Dallas has been to a Game 7 as recently as last season, and this core knows how to get the job done. We have 2 goaltenders playing very well on both sides, so no matter which way you decide to bet, it’s going to be a sweat shop which comes right down to the wire.
Puck line/Against the spread
The defending champion Golden Knights +1.5 (-210) will cost you more than 2 times your initial return. That’s quite costly if you need a little bit of insurance in this Game 7. If you like Vegas, just bet it straight up.
AVOID.
Over/Under
UNDER 5.5 (-125) is easily the best play on the board.
We’ve seen some high-scoring opening periods in this series, but the Under is 4-1 in the past 5 in the series, and Game 4 also nearly went low until a late empty-net goal by Roope Hintz which flipped the total to an Over in the dying moments.
The Under is 3-1 in the past 4 Game 7 matchups for the Stars, while the Over-Under has split in the past 2 Game 7s for the Golden Knights since 2020.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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