The Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights will open up the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday night, and the consensus is that this best-of-7 series is up for grabs.
Carolina is 12-1 through the first three rounds of the postseason, but they’re only a -150 favorite to lift Lord Stanley. Vegas, which is coming off a sweep of the top-seeded Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Finals, is +125.
The odds for Game 1 are a little wider, with the Canes sitting as a -160 favorite to strike first blood at home in Raleighwood.
Hurricanes vs. Golden Knights Game 1 odds, pick
The Hurricanes haven’t put a foot wrong in the playoffs, but skeptics will point to not only the quality of the teams they’ve faced thus far, but also the style of play that their vanquished opponents tried to execute.
Rod Brind’Amour’s teams are built to create and capitalize on chaos. The Hurricanes deploy an unrelenting man-to-man defensive system all over the ice, and they never pass up a chance to fire a puck on goal. Carolina’s philosophy is that there is no such thing as a bad shot, as even a low-percentage one can lead to a rebound or a bounce that it can pounce on.
The way to beat Carolina’s all-action system is to be patient and hit them on the counter.
Vegas is perfectly poised to do that.
The Golden Knights have been one of the league’s best defensive teams all season, and their head coach, John Tortorella, sets his team up to pack the middle of the ice, which leads to blocked shots and opportunities going the other way.
That’s where Vegas’ elite forwards come into play.
Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, and Mark Stone are elite two-way players who rarely get themselves in trouble in their own zone, and they excel at turning defense into offense. They should provide the perfect antidote to Carolina’s buzzsaw attack.
Vegas is also well poised to take away another of Carolina’s biggest strengths, which is its physicality.
The Hurricanes were able to pummel the Montreal Canadiens into submission in the Eastern Conference Finals, but the Golden Knights are a big, physical team with a mobile defense that can move the puck quickly to avoid getting punished.
Betting on the NHL?
The Knights have all the right strengths to counter Carolina’s weaknesses, and that makes Vegas a live underdog in Game 1 and the series.
One other angle to consider for Tuesday night is to back this game to get off to a sluggish start. Game 1 is often about feeling out your opponent, so don’t be shocked if we see chances at a premium in the early going as both sides try to protect their goaltenders in order to get them in rhythm.
You can get +320 on the first period to end nil-nil.
The Plays: Golden Knights moneyline (+130) | 1P Under 0.5 goals (+320, bet365)
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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.