It’s time to forget about what happened in the NHL regular season, as that now all means nothing. There is no time for teams to celebrate making the playoffs or winning a division. It’s now time to get down to the serious business of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Regular season records really do go out the windows, as we have all too often seen lesser seeds rise to the occasion and make a deep run into the postseason, very often on the back of a goalie who gets hot at just the right time.
Last season, the biggest surprise of the year was seeing the Vegas Golden Knights make it to the playoffs in their inaugural season. Marc Andre Fleury got hot between the pipes and took the Knights all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the Washington Capitals. This time around, Vegas will be starting on the road against a San Jose Sharks team they beat in Round 2 last season. The Sharks are favored by 1 ½ in Game 1 of the series, with the O/U set at 6.
Golden Knights vs Sharks 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs Odds & Game 1 Preview
🎥 McNabb: Our game is playing fast through all three zones. When we do that we’re very successful. pic.twitter.com/qbyybtly5t
— x-Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) 9 de abril de 2019
- When: Wednesday, April 10 at 10:30 PM EST
- Where: SAP Center, San Jose
- TV: NBCSN
- Live Stream: NHL.tv
- 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs Odds: San Jose Sharks -130 (Total 6)
How to Bet Stars vs Predators 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs Spread & Game 1 Pick
Why bet on the Vegas Golden Knights?
The Vegas Golden Knight didn’t quite have the regular season that they had last year, finishing 3rd in the Pacific Division, 8 points back of their first-round opponents, the San Jose Sharks. They also did not close things out very well, going just 3-5-2 through their final 10 games. If there is a positive to be drawn from all of that, it’s that the pressure is perhaps off a little.
All eyes were on them during their magical run last season, with very few believing they can do it in back to back years. We can probably expect a longer series here, as these two split their 4-game regular season series. Vegas will be hoping for the same outcome as last season, where they beat the Sharks 4-2 in the second round. The Golden Knights were 13-28 ATS on the road this season.
Team Stats
Offense- Goals: 3.04
- Shots: 34.32
- PP/PK Percentage: 17.24
Defense
- Goals: 2.80
- Shots: 29.26
- PP/PK Percentage: 19.13
Why bet on the San Jose Sharks?
Much like the Golden Knight, San Jose somewhat backed into the postseason, going 3-6-1 in their final 10 games. If there is a positive to be drawn from that run, it’s that they did manage to close things out with back to back wins, so perhaps there were some signs of them having turned a corner.
If the Sharks are to move on against a very tough round opponent, they are going to need to take care of business on home ice, where they were 25-11-5 in the regular season. They were 1-1 versus the Golden Knights on home ice this season, but only won 1 of their 3 games at home against them in the playoffs last year. That is a trend that needs to not repeat if the Sharks want to move on.
Team Stats
Offense- Goals: 3.52
- Shots: 33.02
- PP/PK Percentage: 23.75
Defense
- Goals: 3.18
- Shots: 28.32
- PP/PK Percentage: 19.23
Golden Knights vs Sharks 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs Betting Trends
- Vegas is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games on the road
- Vegas is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games on the road
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Vegas’s last 5 games on the road
- San Jose is 1-8 ATS in its last 9 games at home
- San Jose is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games at home
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Jose’s last 6 games at home
Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction for Golden Knights vs Sharks
This is a match-up that has delivered a lot of goals this season, and while things tend to tighten up in the playoffs, I think the OVER might be a good bet here. I think the Sharks take Game 1, but I am expecting a close one.
Score: Vegas Golden Knights 3 – San Jose Sharks 4
