Monday Morning Gambler: In The Dead Of Winter, VGK Are Hot
Two wins over the Los Angeles Kings, then a win over the Anaheim Ducks last Tuesday.
But at a high price. They were -250 vs. the Kings and -230 vs. the Ducks. Still, if you’re cashing a ticket at the window, does it really matter?
Two days later, the Ducks struck back with a 1-0 win, the VGK’s first regulation loss of the season. It was also the first time this season the Vegas team was held scoreless. Maybe it was the showy new gold chrome helmets? Regardless, it was a nice payday for Ducks bettors about +180.
But the Golden Knights got back in the win column with a 3-1 victory of the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. This time they rewarded bettors who paid abut -185 for their tickets and around +135 for those willing to gamble on the puck line.
Which brought them to Sunday and a game vs. the Colorado Avalanche. At around even money or -105, the VGK responded with a 1-0 blanking of the Avalanche. Goalie Marc Andre-Fleury made 30 saves in the win.
“It was a playoff-type feel to that game. 1-0 game. Goaltending, great at both ends. It was a good hockey game,” Knights coach Peter DeBoer told reporters after the game.
Knights bettors cashing tickets at the window would conclusively agree.
That left the Knights with five wins in the last six games and 10-2-1 on the season. They next face the Avalanche again on Tuesday. They are -114 with the total at 5.5 for that game. They will play the Colorado team again twice, once on Saturday at Lake Tahoe and once next Monday.
Elsewhere:
— The UNLV Runnin’ Rebels were less than hot over the last week. They lost twice to the Boise State Broncos. However, they made a game of it in the rematch and led during the second half before the Broncos rallied. While they ended on the short end of a 61-59 score, they covered +9.5.
“We want to get to the line, get to the paint. We talked in the final full timeout about running physical offense. Unfortunately, we had a couple possessions where that didn’t happen,” Rebels coach T.J. Otzelberger said after the game.
Unfortunately indeed, particularly for UNLV money line bettors at around +375.
UNLV (8-11) now faces Utah State (14-5) on Tuesday.
— Heavily favored Kamaru Usman defeated Gilbert Burns by TKO in Round 3 of their welterweight championship bout at UFC 258 at the Apex facility in Las Vegas on Saturday. Usman went off around -270. It was an excellent day to play “chalk.” Favorites went 9-1, according to Vegas Insider.
Curtis Blaydes (14-2-0) meets Derrick Lewis (24-7-0) this Saturday in the heavyweight main event of UFC Fight Night. Blaydes is -420 and Lewis +310 at FanDuel.
— Michael McDowell eluded a fiery, multiple-vehicle last lap crash early Monday to win the rain-delayed Daytona 500. McDowell had only three top five finishes in 357 career starts.
“Just gotta thank God, just so many years grinding it out,” he told Fox Sports.
McDowell paid a bankroll-building +6600.
— Only 45 days or so until the Major League Baseball opener. All 30 clubs will be in action on April 1. Among the matchups are the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers at the Colorado Rockies at 1:10 p.m. PT. We’ll go out on a limb and say the Dodgers and ace Clayton Kershaw will be heavy favorites.
