Knights golden for bettors in NHL postseason
Bettors hit the Golden Knights’ trifecta Sunday night, when Vegas vanquished the Vancouver Canucks 5-3 to cover the money line, puck line (-1½) and over the total of 6 goals.
“If they win, cover the puck line and the game goes over, that’s usually a pretty good game for the other side of the counter,” Sunset Station sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said. “Personally, I’m a huge Knights fan. I love them. But from a business standpoint, I think I can speak for the whole industry that pretty much nightly when they play, we’re rooting against them. Especially on the puck line.”
The Knights are 10-2 in the bubble, 6-6 on the puck line and have a 7-5 over-under record. They’ve covered the puck line in a game that went over three times during that span, including their first two round-robin games (5-3 over Dallas, 6-4 over St. Louis).
“That combination is deadly,” William Hill sportsbook director Nick Bogdanovich said. “It doesn’t help when it’s the last game of the night and any live parlay is going to it. We’re better off when they play early in the day.”
Bogdanovich said his book has taken four to five times more money on Knights’ playoff games than other ones.
“An absolute ton,” he said.
Bettors who wagered to win $100 on Vegas on the money line in every game in the bubble would be up $580. The Knights lead Vancouver 3-1 in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series and can close out the Canucks in Game 5 on Tuesday in Edmonton, Alberta.
The Knights are -230 favorites on the money line, +110 on the puck line and the total is 6 (Over Even).
“The action has been great on the Knights’ games,” Esposito said. “Even with some scaled-back seating and social distancing, we still draw a really good crowd.
“It creates a totally different vibe and atmosphere in the book, which is a win-win for us and for the fans. Overall, with their popularity, we have a larger handle on hockey across the board.”
The Knights are the +180 favorites to win the Stanley Cup. The Tampa Bay Lightning are the 2-1 second choice, followed by the New York Islanders (+450) and Dallas Stars (6-1).
“Knights action is always great,” Westgate sportsbook director John Murray said. “We have big liability on them winning the Cup, although nothing like it was in 2018.”
Las Vegas books would have lost almost $7 million if the Knights had won the Stanley Cup in their inaugural 2017-18 season, when their preseason odds were as high as 500-1 at the Westgate. But the books avoided a multimillion-dollar payout when the Washington Capitals beat Vegas in five games to win their first Stanley Cup.
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.
