On Sports Betting: Vegas Golden Knights Streak Ends, But They Recover Quickly
By Dan Behringer for LVSportsBiz.com
All streaks come to an end. Eventually.
For the Vegas Golden Knights, their four-game winning streak to start the season ended late Friday at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, when the Phoenix Coyotes beat the Golden Knights, 5-2.
It was arguably a prime spot for bettors to play the underdog Coyotes at about +150 and considerably higher on the reverse puck line. Over 5.5 goals also paid.
Of course, the VGK had a chance to rebound on Sunday. And rebound they did, edging the Coyotes, 1-0, on a goal from William Karlsson in the waning seconds. The line on the Golden Knights ticked up from -175 to -180 on Sunday before the puck drop.
“That’s the best 60-minute effort of the year,” Vegas coach Peter DeBoer told reporters. “That’s the first time that I felt for the entire game we played to our identity, with foundation and good structure.”
The Golden Knights return to T-Mobile Arena and will host the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday and Thursday. The VGK are around -140 and the total is 6 for the game on Tuesday.
Elsewhere:
— There were partisan and boisterous cheers at the race and sports book at Red Rock Resort on Sunday. But it wasn’t for the Vegas Golden Knights, who had a 1 p.m. start. Fans and bettors were cheering big plays in the NFL Conference Championship games. In the early game, Tampa Bay, +3 or +3.5, beat the Green Bay Packers outright, 31-26. The late game saw the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs, -3, defeat the Buffalo Bills, 38-24. Both totals went over.
After the usual jockeying, the line for the Super Bowl on Feb. 7 is generally Chiefs -3 with the total at 56.5.
— Dustin Poirier upset heavily favored Conor McGregor late Saturday night in the main event of UFC 257 on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. His win in their lightweight bout came by TKO in Round 2 and left a bloodied McGregor on the canvas for several moments. Poirier paid a hefty +265. McGregor had been around a -320 favorite. Under 2.5 rounds, at about -165, also paid bettors.
Not everyone was surprised by the upset. The Gulf News reported that Poirier’s wife, Jolie, who was ringside, screamed to the crowd at the Etihad Arena: “I told you!”
Underdogs fared well during the day, going 6-5, according to Vegas Insider.
In fact, Michael Chandler upset Dan Hooker in a welterweight bout by TKO in the first round. Chandler paid +145, and under 2.5 rounds was +105.
— If you faded UNR in college hoops on Friday, you had an easy winner as Wyoming, +3.5, beat the Wolf Pack outright, 71-64. You had another chance Sunday although this time the number went up to Wyoming +4.5. The Cowboys won outright again, 93-88.
But split decisions occur, too, from the scheduling quirk that sees teams face each other for two straight games. New Mexico, -8, easily dispatched San Jose State, 67-51, on Thursday. But two days later, the lowly Spartans had moved to +9.5. They beat the Lobos outright, 83-71.
— The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels (5-6) return to action late Monday. They are +5.5 or +6 as they host Utah State (12-4). The total is around 137. One handicapping statistic of note, according to CBS Sports: Utah State ranks 27th in rebounds; UNLV ranks 346th.
