Monday Morning Gambler: Vegas Golden Knights Regain Momentum, Reward Bettors
By Dan Behringer for LVSportsBiz.com
The Vegas Golden Knights were right there on the bright, electronic board and the betting sheets: A tempting +165 vs. the Colorado Avalanche.
Of course, the price reflected reality. The Golden Knights were banged up and missing key players. They were in last place of the Pacific Division. So if you were betting on the Golden Knights on Tuesday, you were certainly taking some chances.
But the risk was rewarded. The Golden Knights upset the Avalanche, 3-1. The result was a sweet payday for those willing to gamble on the Golden Knights and an even more generous cash-out for those willing to make a bet on the reverse puck line.
So having seen that result, would you have been emboldened to take a shot on the boys with the golden helmets the next day? They were at the Dallas Stars and this time the price was +140.
It looked like Golden Knights were going down to defeat in that game — until Jonathan Marchessault’s goal with about a minute left in regulation tied the game at 2. Minutes into overtime, the Knights scored again on a goal by Evgenii Dadonov to walk away with a 3-2 victory and their second win in two days. And another payday for those who put their money down on the Las Vegas team.
Which brought Las Vegas team back to the cozy confines of No Vaccine-Required T-Mobile Arena on Friday to host the Anaheim Ducks. But no tempting price this time. No real value on the home team. In fact, the Golden Knights were prohibitive favorites in the -240 range with the puck line at around +105.
And after coughing up a 4-1 lead, the Golden Knights prevailed in a shootout, 5-4. Dadonov again scored the winning goal. And if you laid the heavy chalk, you were cashing another ticket.
VGK coach Pete DeBoer after the game: “It was like five games in one.” Probably seemed that way too to those who were sweating the outcome and had their hard-earned dinero on the line.
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The suddenly resurgent Knights, now 4-4, are next at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday. The Golden Boys are +135 with a total of 6 for the game.
Elsewhere:
— Friday night bites: The UNLV Rebels are still O-for Arroyo after a 51-20 loss to Nevada in the annual battle for the Fremont Cannon on Friday night. This year, however, while winless, they are a respectable 4-3-1 ATS. But the game on Friday was a loss in the betting column when the Wolf Pack covered -20.5. The total went over 58.
Coach Marcus Arroyo, who took over the team for the abbreviated 2020 season and went 0-6 in his inaugural campaign, after the game: “We’ve got to play with more consistency to beat a team like that. … We’ve got to find a way to get it done. That’s the only way you can beat a team like that.”
The Rebels next play at New Mexico on Saturday. The Lobos are -1 with the total at 45. The Lobos are 1-7 ATS for the season. A simulation from CBS SportsLine predicts this score for the game: UNLV 23, New Mexico 19.
— Big dog barks at UFC 267: Underdog Glover Teixeira upset Jan Blachowicz in the light heavyweight championship of UFC 267 on Saturday in Abu Dhabi. Teixeira, who was +240, won by submission in Round 2. Under 2.5 rounds at +105 also paid bettors.
The upset was the only one of the night. Favorites were 13-1, according to Vegas Insider, and over-under went 9-5.
Odds are already up for UFC 268, where welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman is slated to battle Colby Covington in a five-round main event Saturday for the title. Usman is around -275 for the fight and Covington is +225.
— Houston, we have a World Series: How much would you have bet on the Houston Astros, down 4-0 in the first inning of Game 5, to force another game back at Minute Maid Park? The Astros did just that, rallying Sunday night for a 9-5 win to force a Game 6. The adjusted series price now has the Braves at around -240, and the Astros at +200. But the Astros are -120 for Tuesday’s Game 6, and the Braves +110. The total is 9.
— Hot stuff: If you’ve been riding the Miami Heat in the young NBA season, you’ve been cashing tickets. The Heat are 5-1 ATS with an average ATS point differential of 13.8 points, according to TeamRankings. The Chicago Bulls, Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards are also 5-1 ATS, according to the website. At the opposite end, the slow-starting Phoenix Suns are 1-4 ATS.
— Laugher of the week: The Minnesota Golden Gophers made it look easy Saturday in their 41-14 romp over the Northwestern Wildcats. Minnesota was -7.5 so the victory gave them a cover by 19.5 points. Nope, you never had to worry about the “hook.”
UNLV News today
