I had a solid night on Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday night, going 3-1 on the NHL to win 2.3 units. Let’s win again tonight in a huge Game 4 in Vegas!
Game 4: Golden Knights vs. Hurricanes (8:00)
Every game of this Stanley Cup Final so far has been completely insane hockey and what a series this has been. What an incredible first three games to watch, as the Golden Knights lead the series 2-1 after winning 5-4 in double overtime at home. We had a fantastic, really entertaining Game 1 of the Cup Finals on Tuesday night, with the Golden Knights winning 5-4 on the road. Hell of a start for the Stanley Cup. The Hurricanes started off hot, very early, with Nikolaj Ehlers scoring just 25 seconds into the game on the Canes’ first shot of the game. He followed it up to go up 2-0 at home, 12:08 into the first. After that Vegas got it going, with one of the original misfits, Shea Theodore answering back to make it 2-1 just 1:20 later. The Knights started the second period hot, with Ivan Barbashev tying it up and making it a new game just 30 seconds into the second. 4:35 into the second, Mitch Marner set up the other original misfit, Wild Bill Karlsson on a beautiful no look pass to give the Golden Knights their first lead of the game. Jordan Staal tied up the game again, scoring for Carolina with 7:18 left in the second. 1:21 into the third period, Vegas took the lead back on a Brett Howden goal, then with 8:41 left in regulation, Shayne Gostisbehere tied it up once again, making it a 4-4 game. It felt like the game was destined for overtime, but with 3:24 left in regulation, Colton Sissons got it out in front on an insane behind the back pass to set up Tomas Hertl for the game winner for Vegas to win 5-4 on the road in Game 1. That game became the first time in NHL history that a road team down by multiple goals at any point in Game 1 of the Cup Finals to come back and win the game. Huge game for the Golden Knights to win, as 75.6% of teams that win Game 1 of the Finals go on to lift Lord Stanley, with an even higher percentage when it’s the road team that wins Game 1. Carolina was definitely the better team through Game 2, but Carter Hart was quite good for the Golden Knights and some timely goals for Vegas made it a crazy game again. Early in the game, about halfway through the first period, the Knights lost their best defenseman, with Brayden McNabb taking a slap shot from Nikolaj Ehlers right to the visor and immediately went to the locker room and was out the remained of the game. Vegas scored the first of the game on the road, with a nice goal for Brett Howden, getting out in front of the Canes defense on a breakaway to open the scoring to make it 1-0 Knights, 13:33 into the game. Howden got his second in a row, going around Slavin as a terrible power play had just expired for Carolina. In the third period, the Canes looked like the better team pressing. With 9:40 left in regulation, Logan Stankoven broke Carter Hart’s shutout, throwing it at the net as he came from behind the goal line to make it 3-1. 2:26 later, with Mark Jankowski flying down the slot and scoring in transition on an incredible drop pass as he got hit to the ice by former Golden Knight, William Carrier. The Golden Knights thought they scored with Freddie Andersen not freezing the puck and the cigarette machine, Ivan Barbashev pushing it into the net, but it was called no goal on the ice right away. I thought it was bullshit since Freddie didn’t freeze the puck, and Torts challenged it, but it was considered no goal, which the NHL said after the game was because of the ref calling it no goal thinking that Barbashev’s stick stopped Andersen’s ability to freeze the puck. Garbage. With 4:35 left in regulation, 25 seconds after Barbashev went to the box on an inopportune over the glass penalty, Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal gave Carolina their first lead of the game, tipping in a shot from up top by Shayne Gostisbehere. The other captain had to answer back though, and eight seconds after a VGK power play expired, Mark Stone, with the net empty and just 1:21 left in regulation, knocked in a rebound in front from a shot by Mitch Marner to tie it up at 3 and send it to overtime. In OT, with Tomas Hertl in the box for tripping, Seth Jarvis won it 3:56 into overtime to win it for Carolina and take a tied series to Vegas for Game 3 tonight. Better team won that one, and the Knights really missed McNabb, playing most of the game with just five defenseman. The Canes really did needed to win that game though and couldn’t go down 2-0 going on the road to the fortress for Game 3. Brayden McNabb returned to the lineup with a cage for Game 3, proving what a warrior he is. The Golden Knights scored twice in the first period, with goals from Jack Eichel and Mark Stone both getting taken off the board for goaltender interference and offsides, which I will admit were both the right call. Then Vegas came alive in the second half of the second period. Tomas Hertl started the scoring for real, scoring on the power play with a beautiful assist from Jack Eichel and Marner getting the secondary assist, cashing my prop on that quickly. Then it was Marner time. Just 16 seconds later, Mitch Marner made it 2-0. 3:50 later, he scored again to make it 3-0 and then really made it look like the game was over when 3:20 later, he completed his natural hat trick, his second of the playoffs (becoming just the third player in NHL history to score two natural hat tricks in one year in the playoffs) and the fastest hat trick in Stanley Cup Final history (6:10) to make it 4-0 Golden Knights. He now is easily the favorite to win the Conn Smythe, leading the playoffs in points, setting a Golden Knights franchise record (28 in 19 games) and assists (18). He became the first player in NHL history to record four points in a single period in the Stanley Cup Final and did it all in just 6:26. After the second period ended, Freddy Andersen got pulled, giving Brandon Bussi his first appearance of the playoffs in goal. Then the third period the whole game flipped. With three goals in 39 seconds from Jordan Martinook, Taylor Hall, and Jordan Staal, the Canes came back from the dead and made it a game again. With 1:42 to go in regulation, Andrei Svechnikov tied up the game, sending it to overtime for the second game of this series in a row, tied up at 4-4. Crazy comeback, especially on the road in a Cup Final game after the Marner magic in the second period. One overtime period couldn’t solve the game, and 5:38 into double overtime, original misfit Shea Theodore threw it on net, it went off the back wall and the puck bounced off Jordan Martinook’s stick and off Bussi and into the net for an insane OT game winner, giving the Knights a 2-1 series lead. Such a crazy game. I like Vegas to win again tonight at home and I’ll take them for a unit. I’ll also jump back on the over for 1.5 units. I’m right back on my same player props too. I’ll parlay Mitch Marner and Jack Eichel to each get a point for a unit, and I’ll individually take Marner over 1.5 points and Mark Stone over 0.5 point for half a unit each. Go Knights!!!
Futures
5u Vegas Golden Knights – Stanley Cup Champions (+120)
.5u Jack Eichel – Conn Smythe Winner (+2000)
Bets
1u Golden Knights ML (-105)
1.5u Hurricanes/Golden Knights over 5.5 (-130)
1u parlay: Jack Eichel/Mitch Marner 1+ point each (-165)
.5u Mitch Marner over 1.5 points (+170)
.5u Mark Stone over 0.5 point (-140)
Regular Season Record: 935-1041-2 (-106.22 units)
Playoffs Round 1 Record: 68-75 (-7.44 units)
Playoffs Round 2 Record: 37-33 (+10.16 units)
Playoffs Round 3 Record: 6-10 (-5.26 units)
Stanley Cup Finals Record: 6-2 (+3.32 units)
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A Town's Zone 