2018 Stanley Cup Finals: Washington at Vegas NHL Odds & Pick

The Vegas Golden Knights return home for Game Five of their Stanley Cup Final series against the Washington Capitals in an unfamiliar position. A team that started out by sweeping its first postseason series in franchise history now finds itself on the brink of elimination for the first time as an organization, as Washington responded to their 6-4 loss in the series opener with three consecutive wins, including a 6-2 rout in Game Four. In our NHL odds preview of Thursday night’s game, we’ll look at whether you should bet on Vegas staving off elimination or Washington hoisting the Cup for the first time as an organization.

2018 Stanley Cup Finals: Washington at Vegas NHL Odds & Pick

When: Thursday, June 7, 2018, 8:00pm ET Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas TV: NBC Radio: KFED 1500 AM Washington / KRLV 1340 AM Las Vegas Live Stream: NBCSports.com NHL Odds: Vegas -145 / Washington +120 / O/U 5.5

Why should you bet on the Capitals?

Washington has heated up in each of their postseason series this season. They dropped two games against Columbus before winning the next four; they looked shaky in the early games against Pittsburgh before taking a thrilling Game Seven in overtime; they won two against Tampa Bay, lost three, and then won the last two by a combined 7-0 margin. In these Finals, they dropped the opener in a game in which they looked frazzled on defense — but they haven’t lost since. This is a team that has suffered huge mental breakdowns in the postseason in recent years, but they finally seem to be moving beyond that. We may be seeing what happens when a team with some star power gets to play a no-name team for a seven-game series. The Kings, Sharks and Jets all lacked the offensive talent that Washington has, and so Vegas was able to swarm to series wins. However, Washington looks to be dictating the pace right now. They only sent 23 shots toward Marc-Andre Fleury’s net, but six of those went in, many of them on plays that left him so out of position that the shots were easy. Can the Capitals get the toughest win of all — the fourth win?

Why should you bet on the Golden Knights?

In the early going of Game Four, Vegas’ James Neal had the puck and a gaping net, as Washington goalie Braden Holtby was out of position. Neal clanged the puck off the post instead of burying the score, and Vegas quickly fell apart after that. There were several Vegas shots that hit posts instead of finding the net, and it is that sort of luck that can turn a series. However, it is also important to remember that Vegas put up six goals in the series opener, which was also at home, and they generated a lot of chances even in the losing effort. In Game Three, they only mustered 23 shots on goal, but in Game Four, they sent 30 shots Holtby’s way. They had more scoring chances than Washington, and if that continues, they will get their goals in Game Five. The defensive side of things for Vegas, though, is the real area of concern. Evgeny Kuznetsov had four assists on the night, as the Capitals got scoring from a number of different players — six Capitals each had a single goal on the night, which meant that the strategy of keying on Alex Ovechkin did not work. Vegas needs to find a way to limit the Washington scoring chances if they want a chance to send the series back to DC for Game Six.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

I picked Vegas to lose each of their three series in the Western Conference playoffs, and they are still standing inhere  the Cup Finals. Washington seems to have found a way to pick them apart for the first time — but I see Vegas rebounding at home in this fifth game. The T-Mobile Arena crowd and the sense of desperation will rouse the Knights to a 5-3 win.