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By Dan Behringer, LVSportsBiz.com Sports Betting Writer
The Vegas Golden Knights were streaking.
They had won four straight with the Philadelphia Flyers their latest victim in a 5-3 win on Tuesday.
“Found ways to win,” coach Bruce Cassidy said after the game. “We’re not perfect. Most teams aren’t. … If we can get out of some of these lulls, it’ll be a little easier on us, but at the end of the day, the object is to win the game, and we did.”
Then the Calgary Flames showed up Thursday at T-Mobile Arena. They were slight favorites at -111. But they easily put the VGK, 7-2, as the home team went 0-4 on the power play.
“We weren’t crisp this morning in practice (working on the power play),” Cassidy told reporters after the game. “… We have to do better in that area and take more pride in it.”
With that winning streak up in, well, flames, they next host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday. No betting line yet, but the VGK will surely be solid favorites.
Will this be the start of a new streak? Or will the Golden Knight scuffle again on the power play? We’ll find out a little bit more on Sunday afternoon.
The puck drop is at 1 p.m.
— Baskets drawing crowds: The expected SRO crowds and lines to the betting windows materialized for Thursday’s opening day of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. The three No. 1 seeds in action, Alabama, Kansas, and Houston all won, unsurprisingly, but only Kansas covered the spread.
“I know Bill Self is going to kill me when I get back to the hotel,” interim head coach Norm Roberts told reporters after the Jayhawks struggled on the glass and on defense in the first half.
Still, a cover, particularly from a No. 1 seed, should not go unappreciated.
The fourth No. 1 seed, Purdue, is in action Friday and is -23.5 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson.
Easily the biggest upset on opening day was No. 15-seeded Princeton, +14.5, toppling No. 2-seed Arizona, 58-55. We’ll go out on a tenuous limb and predict more upsets through the weekend and the frequent sound of brackets being blown up.
— Dueling futures odds: Futures odds for the Las Vegas Raiders to win the Super Bowl in 2024 vary depending on where you look. On the Station Casinos app, the Raiders are +2200. But at BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook, you can still find +4000, according to Covers.com. FanDuel is offering +4400, according to the website.
The futures numbers appear to have been generally calm despite the Raiders signing quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to a three-year, $67 million deal with $45 million guaranteed.
Parenthetically, futures odds for the New Orleans Saints, where former Raiders QB Derek Carr has landed, are at +4000 and +3000, respectively, at BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook.
One thing the dueling sites agree on — the Kansas City Chiefs are favorites. Station has them at +500, Bet MGM at +550 and Caesars at +600.
The Super Bowl will be on Feb. 11 at what will surely be a thoroughly energized Allegiant Stadium.
— Bases and bets: There’s still plenty of time before Major League Baseball opens on March 30. But sides on exhibition games are posted every day to tempt bettors.
The Kansas City Royals are atop the Cactus League with a 15-5 record and a +51 run differential. They have won seven of their last 10. The Los Angeles Angels are right behind at 12-5 with a +28 run differential. They have won eight of their last nine.
Over in the Grapefruit League, the Boston Red Sox lead with a 10-5 record. The streaking Sox have posted a +33 run differential but are 4-5 over the last 10 games. (There are no extra innings in exhibition games so some end in ties.)
— Betting boxing: An early betting line is out there for the super middle fight between David Benavides and Caleb Plant on March 25 at the MGM Grand.
At Box.Live, Benavidez is -280 with Plant at +230.
BoxingJunkie reported that Benavidez and Plant rank Nos. 1 and 2 by the WBC. Plant is ranked in the Top 3 of all four major sanctioning bodies. Benavidez, a former two-time champion, is 26-0, 23 KOs. Plant is 22-1, 13 KOs.
The website called it “one of the best-possible super middleweight fights.”