Stanley Cup Finals Betting: David Alter Previews Game 5
With Vegas Golden Knights holding a commanding 3-1 series lead in the Stanley Cup Final, do the Florida Panthers even have a chance given the laundry list of injuries? David Alter gives Bodog Sportsbook the lowdown.
The Stanley Cup will be in the building when the Vegas Golden Knights host the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday night. And while the Cup is ready to do its thing should the Golden Knights win, I guess the better question is which Florida Panthers will show up?
Matthew Tkachuk, Nick Cousins, Brandon Montour and Radko Gudas all missed Monday’s optional practice and all have been dealing with various injuries.
Head coach Paul Maurice was tight-lipped about the cause for the players missing the optional skate and reverted back to the point that optional skates are such that players don’t have to take part. Although true, most of those players have taken part in the session when healthy, especially after flying across the country the day before.
“You’ll get all that big information tomorrow night,” Maurice said about his missing players’ status on Monday.
Tkachuk hasn’t been the same since he took an awkward hit from Keegan Kolesar in Game 3. It’s not clear if that was the particular hit that has caused what appears to be a shoulder injury, but Tkachuk has been dodging questions about his health since the end of Game 4.
Even if Tkachuk can play in Game 5, how effective can he be? He sat on the end of the bench of the third period in obvious discomfort.
Tkachuk leads the Panthers with 11 goals and 13 assists in 20 playoff games and has been described as the team’s most clutch player with his ability to score game-winning goals during this postseason.
Another player who has scored game-winning goals, Nick Cousins, was on the ice during the second period for only 1:51, and in the third period just 2:01, missing the final 12:55 of the game.
Montour and Gudas are key defencemen for Florida and are expected to play on Tuesday. But with all of the injuries you have to wonder if the Panthers are just too beaten up to stay in the fight?
The Golden Knights, on the other hand, are cruising.
Jack Eichel seems like a lock to pick up the Conn Smythe if his team is able to take care of business on Tuesday. And there appears to be no concern for the forward’s health after he left Game 4 with a couple after taking a puck to the neck.
“It hurts to win,” Eichel said.
The star forward also survived an injury scare in Game 2.
What I Like
The Golden Knights are a huge -175 favourite to close the deal on Tuesday. I think the wise money here is to take the spread with Vegas -1.5 for +150 because the Panthers have been in the fight and kept these last two contests to one-goal affairs.
Plus, I like that Florida has shown an ability to spoil the Game 5 party like they did against the Boston Bruins in the first round.
Player Prop Special
Aleksander Barkov stepped up by getting onto the score sheet. Bodog has a prop where both he and Jack Eichel each had two points at +800 that is worth exploring.
Conn Smythe
Jack Eichel is an absolute steal at +1200 on Bodog’s hockey odds and you’d be dumb not to bet this right now. He’s been their top player and Marchessault, while excellent, hasn’t been as valuable through all 4 rounds. Remember. The voting is through all 4 rounds of the playoffs and you must bet Eichel now.