It is win or go home for the Dallas Stars as they face the Las Vegas Golden Knights. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a game four Golden Knights-Stars prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Golden Knights dominated game three and now sit one win away from heading to their second Stanley Cup Finals. Just 1:11 into the first period Jonathan Marchessault scored off a Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev assist. Barbashev would score a goal just minutes later on the power play, and before the mid-way mark of the first period, the Golden Knights had a three-goal lead. Alex Pietrangelo scored his first of the playoffs in the second period, and that was the end of the scoring, as Adin Hill saved all 34 shots he faced. Now the Golden Knights have a chance to end this playoff series and advance to play for Lord Stanley's Cup.
For the Stars, game three was trash, literally. Players had to clear the ice as fans threw trash onto it. Jamie Benn was ejected from the game due to a vicious cross-check in the first period. The Stars also lost Evgenii Dadonov to an injury in the game and he may miss game four. The goaltending was horrific for the Stars, and now they have to figure things out quickly to just avoid being swept.
Here are the Golden Knights-Stars NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Playoffs Odds: Golden Knights-Stars Odds
Vegas Golden Knights: +1.5 (-255)
Dallas Stars: -1.5 (+205)
Over: 5.5 (-105)
Under: 5.5 (-115)
How To Watch Golden Knights vs. Stars
TV: ESPN
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 8:00 PM ET/ 5:00 PM PT
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Golden Knights Could Cover The Spread
For the Golden Knights to continue winnings it has to start with their goaltender Adin Hill. Hill has been fantastic since taking over for an injured Laurent Brossoit. In the playoffs, he has a .940 save percentage with a 1.96 goals-against average. He has also gotten better in each game of this series. In game one he had a save percentage of .917, then .929 in game two. He had his best moments in game three, saving all 34 shots he faced on the road to the shut-out victory.
It would be near impossible for Hill to have a better game than he did in game three, and the Golden Knights would like to see him faceless shots for sure. The Stars will be pressing in game four though, so he may be facing the same amount or more. The Golden Knights would also like to improve in a few other areas. First, they need to get more shots on the net. They did score four times, but they did so on just 16 shots. It is rare to shoot 25% in the NHL, so getting a few more on the cage will be paramount. They would also like a little better power play production. The Golden Knights went just one for six on the man advantage in game three.
Ivan Barbashev could be the man to help there. He is having a great playoff so far with five goals and eight assists. Barbashev has a goal and two assists in game three and had an assist in game two as well. He got his first power-play goal of the playoffs in game three, and if he can get another one in game four, the Golden Knights could be getting a nice break before heading to the finals.
Why The Stars Could Cover The Spread
It may be time for the Stars to make a change in goal for game four. Early reports from The Dallas Morning News are that Oettinger will start game four. Oettinger has not had a solid save percentage in the series in any game. He is sitting at .812 on the series for save percentage. Last time out he was pulled after letting in three goals on five shots in the first eight minutes of the game. If Oettinger cannot rebound, this series will be over in game four. In the playoffs, he has only won one game with a save percentage below .885. In this series, he has only played one game in which his save percentage is above .885. He must be well over that mark in game four for the Stars to have a chance.
Roope Hintz also needs to be a factor in game four. He was a factor in game one with a goal and two assists, but games two and three saw no points for Hintz. He has 22 points in the playoffs with ten goals and 12 assists for the Stars. When he has scored a goal the Stars are 5-2, with both losses coming in overtime. Hintz is also crucial to the power play success of the Stars. He has two goals and six assists on the power play in the playoffs. He has to get the offense moving and take advantage of every power play opportunity when they come.
If Jamie Benn is not suspended for game four, he needs to step up as well. He was bad in game two, with a minus-two rating and just one shot on goal. He hurt his team even more in game three. His five-minute major resulted in a goal for the Golden Knights, and then with him gone, his production and shots were gone as well. He must be better in game four if he is available. If not, the Stars need someone to step up, unlike game three.
Final Golden Knights-Stars Prediction & Pick
The series had been very close heading into game three, but then Hill and the Golden Knights took control. With how bad the goaltending has been for the Stars, it is easy to see a sweep coming. Even if there is not a sweep, it will be a close victory for the Stars. The Stars will most likely be missing at least one major scoring option, if not more. They have crumbled in this series, and game four will be more of the same.
Final Golden Knights-Stars Prediction & Pick: Vegas +1.5 (-255)
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