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Edgar Chaput
Florida Panthers vs. Vegas Golden Knights Game 2 Prediction, NHL Odds
Do not be fooled by Game 1’s final score of 5-2 in favour of the host Golden Knights. The contest was much closer than that, even though Vegas did enough to earn the victory. Both clubs are ready to go at it again on Monday night, with the Panthers desperate to even the series before the scenery shifts eastward.
Regarding Game 2, the NHL odds have the Golden Knights hit the jackpot again as -144 favourites on the moneyline and +191 on the puck line.
Panthers vs. Golden Knights Stanley Cup Betting Odds
It’s interesting to see Florida in this position. Not merely because it’s a reversal of their second and third-round series versus the Maple Leafs and Hurricanes, but because they’ve been here before. They were defeated way back in Game 1 of the first round against the Boston Bruins, who were the number one seed in the East. The Golden Knights are the number one seed in the West. We all know how that series against Boston turned out.
The series table has shifted somewhat, but pundits now know better than to forsake the Panthers too early in a series. Vegas has gone from -122 series favourites to -217, whereas Florida has dipped a bit from +108 to +189. Nothing too dramatic, just realistic given that Vegas has that important 1-0 lead.
As mentioned in today’s Odds and Bets column, Vegas has had a rough time leaving home after two games with a 2-0 series advantage. It’s only happened once in three opportunities – versus the Dallas Stars. Conversely, Florida has never returned home down 2-0 in this postseason. Their worst situation was a 1-1 tie against Boston.
Florida Panthers
It’s very difficult to fault the Panthers for losing on Saturday night. Arguing that they played poorly would be grotesquely unfair to the effort they put on the ice. Was it not for a brilliant save by Adin Hill in the middle frame, who knows how Game 1 would have panned out.
Look at the numbers. Florida had more shots on goal (35 to 34), out-hit their opponents (36 to 29), took an early lead through a clever wrap-around by Eric Staal (second), and fought until the bitter end. It was a 2-2 game several minutes into the third period. Even Sergei Bobrovsky, who gave up four goals, still made 31 saves, several of them reminiscent of the robbery he performed against teams in previous rounds. But penalties did them in. Seven is a lot in a Stanley Cup final game, and Vegas managed to cash in on two of those opportunities.
Anthony Duclair, a forgotten man on this team what with all the Bobrovsky and Tkachuk hype, scored the team’s second goal with seconds left in the middle period off a face-off win in Vegas’ zone.
Vegas Golden Knights
Game 1 is encouraging for the favoured Vegas Golden Knights. They reckoned with some of the best their opponent has to offer – and three previous challengers couldn’t deal with – and passed a big test.
Furthermore, they didn’t get tight despite falling down 1-0 early off a shorthanded goal. If anything, that Panthers goal woke the hosts up. They had been somewhat sluggish in the opening minutes but once they were down a goal, they looked like a different team. Jonathan Marchesseault’s (10th) brilliant playoff run continued with a power play marker at 17:18 of the first. After that, some lesser known faces got on the scoresheet. Shea Theodore (first) gave his side the lead with a slick wrist shot midway through the second period, and Zach Whitecloud (second) also scored on a wrister that Brobovsky probably didn’t see very cleanly. Mark Stone had an insurance marker later on.
To make the night just a bit more emphatic for Vegas, it was Adin Hill, not Bobrovsky, who made the save of the match in the middle frame with the edge of his stick as he was sliding away from goal. Stunning, highlight-reel-worthy stuff.
FLA
VEG