Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals is set for Monday night in Las Vegas, as the Washington Capitals visit the Vegas Golden Knights on NBC. Both teams will be looking to start this series fast and each team is well rested. The Capitals are coming off a tough series against Tampa Bay, while the Golden Knights had little trouble dispatching Winnipeg. Let’s look at Game 1 and Stanley Cup Playoff picks.
At 8 p.m. ET, tune into NBC for live television coverage of this NHL game on Monday, May 28, 2018 at T-Mobile Arena.
We'll have NHL odds at BookMaker.eu available for every game of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Game 1 Odds
Vegas Golden Knights -143, 5.5 under
Neither team has ever won the Stanley Cup, as the Capitals only other trip to the finals was in 1998. The city of Washington has not had a championship from any of their teams since the Redskins won the Super Bowl in 1992. “It’s an unusual matchup,” forward T.J. Oshie said to the media. “I think the last 10 years have been dominated by a couple teams here, but you’ve seen what they were able to do in the regular season and especially what they’ve been able to do in these playoffs. They’re going to be a tough test.”
The Capitals enter this series as the underdogs, but they actually have a lot of advantages over Vegas. Washington has the best player in Alexander Ovechkin, the best defenseman in John Carlson and the Capitals have more depth than Vegas. The Golden Knights do have Marc-Andre Fleury and they have home ice advantage.
Vegas has been excellent in the playoffs, winning 12 of their 15 games. The swept the Kings, took out the Sharks in six games and rolled over the Jets in five games. The Capitals have had a tough road, as they won in six games against Columbus, won in six against Pittsburgh and won in seven against Tampa Bay.
Key Players
Each team has a star player that leads them. The Capitals have Ovechkin who is second in the playoffs in goals with 12 and points with 22. He also is fourth in hits. The Golden Knights are led by Fleury who has been the best player in this year’s playoffs and who will win the Conn Smythe Trophy if the Knights win this series. He has a 1.68 goals against average and a .947 save percentage in the playoffs.
Key Stats
The Capitals are 15-3 in their last 18 road games. The Capitals are 4-1 in their last 5 games playing with three days or more of rest. The Capitals are 26-8 in their last 34 Monday games. The Golden Knights are 4-0 in their last 4 Monday games. The Golden Knights are 34-12 in their last 46 home games. The Golden Knights are 5-2 in their last 7 games playing with three days or more of rest.
Looking at the total, the Under is 4-1-1 in the Capitals last 6 road games. The Over is 4-1 in the Golden Knights last 5 home games.
The Capitals and Golden Knights met twice this season, with Vegas winning 3-0 at home and 4-3 in Washington.
Free NHL Picks
The value in this series and in Game 1 is on the Capitals. The Capitals have been excellent on the road recently, winning 15 of their last 18 games. Vegas has been very good at home, but Vegas has benefited from exceptional play from Fleury in goal and they have been lucky, as a lot of shots from opposing teams have hit the posts. It should also be noted that Vegas did not play well in Game 1 against Winnipeg after a long layoff, and Vegas has not played in over a week. I will take the plus price and go with the Capitals to win Game 1.
NHL Odds: Take the Capitals to Win Game 1
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