Game Two of the Stanley Cup Final has a boatload of excitement in store as Vegas Golden Knights take to the ice at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh Carolina Hurricanes for a leg up on the trophy.
The Golden Knights came out of the gates firing in a close 5-4 Game 1 victory with goals from five different scorers.
VGK takes the series advantage as they head to their second consecutive away matchup before playing in Las Vegas.
Vegas surprisingly made light work of Colorado Avalanche in the Conference Finals after sweeping them 4-0, only allowing seven goals in total before letting in four to the Hurricanes.
The team now rides a seven-game winning streak, looking to make it eight Thursday night and move closer to a second Stanley Cup triumph.
The Canes need to show their prowess sooner rather than later. While they only slipped by one goal to VGK in the final period of Game 1, they should have much higher expectations at home, especially after losing just two of eight home games against the Canadiens, Senators, and Flyers this postseason.
Even with 27 shots on goal and the Canes' Nikolaj Ehlers playing exceptionally well with two goals, Carolina just couldn't find a way to outshine the mighty confident Golden Knights, which is a must for this next game.
Golden Knights vs. Hurricanes betting picks and predictions
Vegas Golden Knights +1.5 (-190)
Out of 17 playoff games, VGK has covered the +1.5 spread 15 times, doing so in all but one away game, against the Mammoth back on April 24.
Covering the -1.5 spread for the Canes may be tough against Vegas and, while the team did manage to cover -1.5 pucklines in two of their last three games, they only did it successfully in four of the last 10 postseason games overall.
VGK confidently ended the Canes' four-game winning streak while entering a seven-game streak of their own.
They also rank second highest in goals-for per game at 3.71 this postseason after averaging around four goals per game in their last five, so go with the VGK +1.5 spread for this one.
Under 6.0 (+100)
It's a tough tell that depends on how well both sides' offensive lines play, but three of Vegas' last five games saw a scoreline with at least six goals. They've also seen six or more goals in 11 of their 17 total postseason games.
The Canes' last two straight ended with seven goals or more, with three of their last six games of the month seeing at least seven goals or more on the scoreline.
Even though Carolina lost Game 1, they are still averaging a higher goals-for count per game than the Golden Knights.
With both teams scoring plentifully in their recent matchups (Canes with 14 in their last three, VGK with 12 in their last three), this game sets up for the over 6.0 to hit.
Mitch Marner to assist one goal any time (-135)
The NHL postseason points leader Mitch Marner stands atop the skating charts with a whopping 22 points from 15 assists and seven goals in his 17 playoff games so far.
Surprisingly, the skilled Golden Knights right winger hasn’t found the back of the net since May 14 against the Ducks.
Still, though, the 29-year-old is a natural-born playmaker with 56 regular-season assists, setting up his teammates with chances left and right.
He's got four assists in his last five games, with one already against the Canes, so bank on him assisting his colleagues again on Thursday evening.
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Golden Knights vs. Hurricanes odds
Hurricanes | -160 |
Golden Knights | +135 |
Puck Line | CAR Hurricanes -1.5 |
Total | O/U 6.0 |
Golden Knights vs. Hurricanes player props
Anytime goalscorer
Andrei Svechnikov (CAR Hurricanes) | +195 |
Seth Jarvis (CAR Hurricanes) | +210 |
Jack Eichel (VGS Golden Knights) | +225 |
Pavel Dorofeyev (VGS Golden Knights) | +225 |
Mitchell Marner (VGS Golden Knights) | +230 |
Logan Stankoven (CAR Hurricanes) | +230 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
