Check out a prediction and top betting pick for Game 2 between the Anaheim Ducks and Vegas Golden Knights in round two of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.
In the first clash between the Ducks and Golden Knights in the Western Conference Semifinal, NHL fans were treated to a surprisingly low-scoring matchup. Vegas eventually took a 3-1 win over Anaheim in Game 1, but there wasn’t a goal scored until the second period and one of the winners’ potted shots came on an empty net. With some positives to glean from that game for both sides, they head into Wednesday’s Game 2 as the Stanley Cup Playoff action continues at 9:30 p.m.
Here’s a Ducks vs. Golden Knights Game 2 prediction and pick for tonight’s NHL Playoffs action on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Game 1 of this series played out in somewhat predictable fashion. The Ducks continued to dominate shots on goal with 34 pucks put on the net to just 22 for their opponent, which makes sense given their high-volume attack. While they didn’t hit on any of their four power-play opportunities, one can argue the loss was due more to excellent play from Golden Knights netminder Carter Hart with 33 saves rather than Vegas’ own play. What’s particularly interesting is that Anaheim also outhit the other side 37 to 26, which comes as a surprise given the reputation of the opposition.
Could the Ducks have won this if Lukas Dostal had played a better game? Certainly, especially as they limited Vegas to only six high-danger chances in 5v5 play, though giving up five on two power-play opportunities was a weak point. The netminder simply let his blue line down by allowing both of the goals to come at even strength on those chances. Still, Anaheim generated 12 high-danger chances of their own in 5v5 situations and netted a goal from them as well. Again, there are positives to glean here, especially since Hart has been up-and-down all season and throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs as well.
That’ll likely be the key tonight. The Ducks have put a ton of shots on goal throughout the entire campaign and haven’t slowed down on the rush in the postseason either. The strategy to win is simply pressuring Hart until he cracks — he likely will at some point given his .891 SV% and 2.71 GAA in the regular season — and hope that Dostal can hold up his end of the bargain. With Vegas’ defense a much better unit and that offense similarly formidable, volume is going to be the name of the game if Anaheim is to overwhelm a far more experienced opponent.
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Golden Knights as -166 home favorites on the Moneyline tonight, while the Ducks come in with +140 odds on the road. The game total sits at 6.5 combined goals.
Betting splits show 61% of straight bets on Vegas to win, 64% of wagers on Anaheim to cover the +1.5 puck line, and 55% on the total’s over.
We cashed a 60 minute line pick on the Golden Knights in Game 1, and while I’m tempted to take them again tonight, I actually don’t think I will. I feel pretty strongly that the Ducks’ offense will begin to get comfortable in this one, especially after getting higher-quality shots and generally just taking way more attempts in the opener. Like I wrote earlier, Hart isn’t going to log 30+ saves every time out because he’s just not that caliber of goalie. Now, Dostal’s performance may prove problematic as well since he’s at an .878 SV% this postseason, but Anaheim did well to keep possession and limit chances for Vegas in Game 1. If the underdogs can pull that off again to an extent, some more of their own shots should slip through. With that said though, I’m actually targeting under 6.5 on the total since I anticipate something like a 4-2 final in either direction tonight on three goals and an empty-netter for the eventual winner. I’d much rather do that than pick a victor since this should be a fairly close one.
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