The Dallas Stars can push the top-seeded Vegas Golden Knights to the brink of elimination on Saturday night as they hit the ice in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final as +140 underdogs on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Dallas got past Vegas with a 3-2 overtime victory in Game 3 on Thursday night and now sports a 2-1 series lead going into Saturday night’s matchup at Rogers Place.
The Stars rebounded after dropping a 3-0 decision in Game 2. Dallas scored first and never trailed in Thursday’s contest despite being outshot by a wide 40-23 margin, including an 18-4 disadvantage in the third period. Now sporting their second series lead, the Stars have finally inched ahead of Vegas on the NHL playoff series prices as razor-thin -115 favourites.
However, the Stars still have plenty of work to do in their bid to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 20 years. The team now holds the edge over Vegas despite scoring just four total goals so far in the series.
Overall, the Stars have averaged just two goals per game over their past five games after scoring four or more in seven of their previous 10 outings. That has sparked a stark reversal in totals betting, with the UNDER prevailing in four of Dallas’ past five contests at sports betting sites, including each of the first three games of this series.
While the Stars have benefited from the stellar play of Anton Khudobin, they will eventually have to provide their veteran netminder with far more goal support if they are to complete the upset. Dallas has now allowed 37 or more shots on goal in seven of its past 13 contests, but managed to eke out the win in six of those games.
Frustrated by their continued inability to generate consistent offence, the Golden Knights look to Game 4 as -160 betting favourites. Losers in four of their past six outings, the Golden Knights scored just nine total goals during that stretch despite averaging over 37 shots on goal per game.
While that has powered a steady 6-0 run for the UNDER, it has raised questions about the play of some of Vegas’ top guns, with the first line of Max Pacioretty, Mark Stone, and Chandler Stephenson producing no goals and just three total assists so far in the series.
But despite their current scoring slump the Golden Knights maintain solid -105 odds on the series prices, and remain a strong +225 wager to eventually win this series in seven games.
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