By Daniel Behringer for LVSportsBiz.com
They’re on again.
The Vegas Golden Knights, that is.
Two days after having their eight-game winning streak snapped in a 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, the Golden Knights entertained the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.
Oddsmakers made the Golden Knights an overwhelming -300 favorite for the game. Playing up to their role as prohibitive favorites before a hometown crowd of 18,290, William Karlsson scored his 100th career goal and goalie Robin Lehner turned away 27 shots as the Knights won, 3-0.
“They traded for me here for a reason, and I’m just doing my best,” Lehner told The Associated Press after the game.
The win pushed the Golden Knights to 13-3-2 under coach Peter DeBoer, who took the reins on Jan. 15 after Gerard Gallant was fired. Since then, they have become perhaps the hottest team in the Western Conference.
Bettors have benefited, routinely doing a lively conga line to the window to cash tickets, and Tuesday’s game was no exception. Savvier bettors played the puck line at around -120, and some sharps (and more than a few squares) typically make both bets.
Rebels stumble
We’ve been fearing the day the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels might stumble.
That day finally came on Thursday.
The local hoops team was riding a five-game winning streak and facing the same Boise State Broncos they had beaten easily, 76-66, on Feb. 26.
This time it was the Mountain West conference tournament, and they were -1 and the total was 142.5.
But this time they were missing 6-foot-1 Elijah Mitrou-Long, a key factor down UNLV’s stretch run. He sustained a knee bruise in the Leap Day game against San Jose State.
The Runnin’ Rebels trailed 29-24 at halftime, and the second half wasn’t any prettier. The final score was 67-61. The total easily came in under.
“We caught an unfortunate break with one of our key players who wasn’t able to play today,” coach T.J. Otzelberger told a local newspapers. “It’s certainly not an excuse because all year long we’ve had injuries and adversity, and we’ve bounced back from whatever situation presented itself.”
UNLV finishes its season at 17-15.
“As far as our team and where we’re at moving forward, I’m excited to get started on next season,” Otzelberger said.
Bettors, maybe not so much.
Then off again
After a highly successful homestead, the Golden Knights traveled roughly 1,300 miles to Winnipeg to play the Jets at Bell MTS Place.
Oddsmakers hung a -135 price on the surging Knights, and the total was 5.5. But it was the Jets who rose to the occasion, defeating the Las Vegas team, 4-0.
Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck made 29 saves in the game but got help from three Golden Knights shots that bounced off posts.
‘That’s a desperate team over there,” DeBoer noted. “You look at the standings, they need every single point. I don’t know if we feel maybe we don’t, which would be a mistake on our part.
“You’ve got one team that started like they’re fighting for their playoff life, and we didn’t,” he added. “The game was over in the first period.”
Much to the dismay of bettors clutching Golden Knights tickets.
Fight night
Saturday was fight night in Las Vegas with UFC 248 the main event. In the middleweight championship, Israel Adesanya defeated Yoel Romero by unanimous decision.
Adesanya was -275 early in the week but rose to as high as -305 before fight time.
Playing “chalk” was generally profitable for bettors. Vegas Insider noted that favorites cashed in eight of the 11 fights.
Back on the Knights
The weekend concluded on Sunday with the Golden Knights at the Calgary Flames on the second stop of their five-game road swing.
The Golden Knights were slim favorites at -115 with the total at 6, but jumped out to a 3-0 lead much to the delight of fans at a local race and sportsbook.
The cheering turned to uneasiness when the Flames tied the score at 3. But the hometown team responded with two quick goals to put the game away, 5-3. Goalie Lehner made 19 saves to improve to 3-0-0 with his new team.
While the Golden Knights drew enthusiastic cheers, there were also plenty of hoots and hollers for the Los Angeles Lakers in the book on Sunday. The Lakers were 2.5-point underdogs and won outright, beating the Clippers, 112-103.
What’s next
— The Golden Knights’ next stop is at the Edmonton Oilers later Monday. The VGK are around even money for the game. The total is 6.
— The Las Vegas Aviators’ first game and home opener is a month away on April 9 vs. the Albuquerque Isotopes. Expect the home team to be a solid favorite. (It’s also $2 beer night.)
— The XFL Championship is slated for April 26 at TDECU Stadium in Houston. The Dallas Renegades are currently 5/1 to win it all. If you like ‘dogs, the Seattle Dragons are 25/1.