Sharks vs. Golden Knights: Game 1 Prediction, NHL Playoff Odds
Needless to say, this is the first-ever playoff matchup between the franchises with Vegas in its first season. Even the most optimistic Golden Knights fan couldn’t possibly have imagined their team would be playing hockey into May. San Jose has been essentially an annual playoff participant for the past 20 years, missing the postseason just twice. The franchise has yet to win a Stanley Cup, however. It lost in the 2016 Finals in six to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Sharks vs Golden Knights Stanley Cup Playoffs Betting Analysis
On the Sports Interaction NHL futures odds, Vegas is the +250 second-favourite to win the West (behind Nashville) and San Jose the +375 long shot. On this series line, the Golden Knights are -139 and Sharks +100. The favoured exact series result is Vegas in seven games at +401. There’s also a betting option for most points in the series between the team’s two stars, San Jose’s Joe Pavelski (-105) and Vegas’ William Karlsson (+120). A draw is +450.
Vegas won the regular-season series 3-1. Three of the games were decided by one goal and two went to overtime. Jonathan Marchessault led the Golden Knights with six points (2G, 4A) in the series. Karlsson had five (4G, 1A). Marc-Andre Fleury played in two of the four and won both with a 2.50 goals-against average.
San Jose Sharks
Not a shocker that the Sharks ousted the Anaheim Ducks in the first round, but a sweep was a surprise for what appeared to be such an evenly-matched series. The last time the Sharks swept a series was in 2013. Martin Jones was fabulous in net, stopping 128 of 132 shots for a save percentage of .970 with one shutout. San Jose wasn’t a great offensive team during the season but scored 16 goals, albeit eight coming in a Game 3 rout. That was the most goals scored in a game in postseason franchise history.
Pavelski (1G, 4A) and Logan Couture (2G, 3A) led the Sharks with five points in the series. Centre Joe Thornton has been out since Jan. 23 due to a knee injury and will not play in Game 1. He has been practicing, though, and thus could play at some point in this series.
Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas also surprisingly swept in the first round, taking out the Los Angeles Kings in four low-scoring, one-goal games. The Knights became the first expansion team in league history to sweep its first playoff series.
Incidentally, this is first time since 1986 that two teams coming off first-round sweeps meet in the second round. Back then, the first round was best-of-5. Fleury had a miniscule 0.65 GAA against the Kings and a .977 save percentage. Reilly Smith led the team with three points, all assists, while Karlsson had two (1G, 1A).
