Stanley Cup Finals Betting: David Alter Previews Game 3
Can the Florida Panthers get back into the Stanley Cup reckoning? Or will the Vegas Golden Knights take a three game lead? David Alter gives Bodog his Stanley Cup game 3 preview.
The Vegas Knights chased Sergei Bobrovsky out of the net in a dominating 7-2 victory on Monday. They did it by getting to the net and taking the goalie’s eyes away. But, Bobrovsky did allow some particularly weak goals.
Panthers head coach Paul Maurice is sticking Bobrovsky in goal for Game 3 and you can’t really blame him. Florida wouldn’t be in the Cup Final had it not been for ‘Bob’.
But there are some things that we’ve learned in the couple of days off between games. If Florida defenceman Brandon Montour looked tired, it’s because he actually flew to Florida and back from Vegas to be in attendance for the birth of his first son, Kai.
Panthers defenceman Radko Gudas, who was hurt going into Game 2 and then had to leave the contest completely after a crushing hit from Vegas’ Ivan Barbashev, will be in the lineup for Game 3. The only question is how effective will he be? Florida dressed seven defensemen because Gudas was already in rough shape.
Can Florida Get Back in the Series?
I believe they can. By all accounts, it’s a wild scene right now in South Florida and emotions will be riding high when the Florida Panthers step onto home ice for the first time in a Stanley Cup Final since 1996. The Panthers are 0-6 all-time in Stanley Cup final matches and you can bet the Panthers do not want the threat of being swept again in the final round.
Can they win the series? That might be a bit of a stretch, but +375 in Bodog’s hockey odds is not terrible value.
What Vegas Needs to do
In addition to getting to the net, the Golden Knights did an excellent job of not getting caught up in Florida’s. Matthew Tkachuk took a pair of 10-minute misconducts as he tried to do Tkachuk-like things and Vegas shrugged it off. It may be tougher to do on the road, but Vegas also doesn’t have to put on a show for the crowd like they do at home.
If the Golden Knights keep their nose clean and Adin Hill continues to provide solid goaltending. That can help put the Panthers on the brink of Stanley Cup Final failure.
What I Like
The Panthers are a slight favourite on the moneyline for Game 3 (-120). The spread is also very attractive with Florida -1.5 listed at +210. I also like the Aleksander Barkov anytime goal scorer (+165).
New Conn Smythe Favourite
With 10 playoff goals in his last nine playoff games, former Florida Panthers forward Jonathan Marchessault has rocketed his way up the list to become the new favourite for the Conn Smythe Trophy odds at -110. Jack Eichel remains third at +400 and that’s the bet I would make right now given the wild swings in this series. If you think the Panthers can come back in it. Sergei Bobrovsky is now +1000 and those are great odds to get now if you think Florida comes back. Especially since Bobrovsky is confirmed for Game 3.
So there’s David’s game 3 preview. Do you agree with our man? Let us know on Twitter.