The Colorado Avalanche look for a 2-0 lead in their West Division Stanley Cup playoff series against the visiting Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday. Which way to lean at BMR’s top-rated sportsbooks?
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Colorado Avalanche, Game 2
Wednesday, June 2, 2021 – 10:00 PM ET – at Ball Arena
There’s a Stanley Cup doubleheader on the NBC Sports Network on Wednesday: Game 1 of the Canadiens at Jets and Game 2 of the Golden Knights at Avalanche. Those series are connected and here’s why: There are no conferences in the NHL this season. Thus, the teams will be reseeded in the final four by regular-season points. Colorado and Vegas tied for the most with 82 points, but the Avalanche won the tiebreaker and thus the Presidents’ Trophy.
The winner of this series would host the winner of the Canadiens-Jets series in the final four because the Habs and Jets have the two fewest point totals of the remaining playoff teams. The other semifinal would be Carolina/Tampa Bay vs. Boston/New York Islanders. Colorado is the +125 favorite on the Bovada NHL odds to win the Cup with Vegas at +1000. That the Cup winner comes from the West Division is a -105 favorite. With the Avs up 1-0 in this series, they are -500 on the series line at BMR’s top-rated books and the Knights +395.
Goaltender Change For Knights
I was not surprised that Vegas lost Game 1 of this series in Denver on Sunday because the Golden Knights were coming off a grueling seven-game war against Minnesota and with little rest, while the Avalanche breezed through their first-round series vs. St. Louis and were well-rested.
That said, Vegas losing 7-1 was certainly a shock. After Marc-Andre Fleury started every game of the first round in net, Coach Peter DeBoer somewhat surprisingly turned to Robin Lehner in Game 1. Nothing against Lehner, who is a very good goaltender, but Fleury is a former Stanley Cup champion who was named a Vezina Trophy finalist this year. Rather amazingly, it’s the first time the future Hall of Famer has ever been a finalist for the Vezina Trophy.
Clearly, DeBoer wanted Fleury to rest up because he kept Lehner in there to allow all seven goals in the opener. No question that it will be Fleury for Game 2. The lone Vegas goal came with the team already down 5-0 and was from William Karlsson, his second of these playoffs. The Knights will be down at least one forward for Game 2 and that’s Ryan Reaves, who was suspended two games after a roughing/unsportsmanlike conduct incident against Colorado’s Ryan Graves in Game 1. Reaves had just five points in 37 regular-season games and none in these playoffs. He’s more of a physical guy.
Reaves roughed up Graves because Graves took a hard hit on Knights forward Mattias Janmark in the second period. Janmark had to leave and wasn’t able to return. He’s in question for Game 2. Janmark had 11 goals and 13 assists in 56 regular-season games with Chicago and Vegas – he was a trade deadline acquisition. Janmark had a hat trick in the Game 7 first-round win over Minnesota. The Golden Knights are 11-26 on the NHL odds in their last 37 games as road underdogs.
MacKinnon Is Conn Smythe Favorite
The current betting favorite at BMR’s top-rated books to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP is Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon at +160 – and he should be a clear-cut favorite. MacKinnon leads these playoffs with eight goals and is tied for first with 12 points (as of Tuesday). His plus-minus of plus-9 is also No. 2.
In Colorado’s 7-1 Game 1 rout, MacKinnon had two goals and an assist to be named the No. 1 star. He has scored in every game so far for the Avs and is the seventh player in NHL history with eight or more goals through five personal games in a postseason and first since Ray Ferraro over 28 years ago. It was MacKinnon’s seventh career multi-goal game in the playoffs, third most in Avalanche/Nordiques history. Joe Sakic (14) and Peter Forsberg (8) rank first and second, respectively.
Meanwhile, 22-year-old defenseman Cale Makar is making a case that he’s the best young blueliner in the sport as he had a goal and three assists in the opener. He became also became the fourth defenseman in franchise history with four or more points in a playoff game. Makar already has 28 career playoff points, and only five blueliners in history have recorded more postseason points through 30 contests. They are: Brian Leetch, Bobby Orr, Denis Potvin, Al MacInnis and Sergei Zubov. Pretty impressive group. Leetch and Orr lead with 36 each.
Philipp Grubauer also was named a Vezina finalist this week. He tied for the league lead with seven shutouts and ranked second in both wins (30) and goals-against average (1.95) in 40 appearances. Grubauer is 5-0-0 in these playoffs with a 1.60 GAA and .941 SV after taking Game 1. Colorado’s five-game playoff winning streak is second-best in franchise history.
The Avs will be without forward Nazem Kadri likely at least the rest of this series as Commissioner Gary Bettman upheld his eight-game suspension for a "high, forceful check" to the head of Blues defenseman Justin Faulk in the third period of Game 2 against St. Louis on May 19. Kadri has served three of the eight games. He had 11 goals and 21 assists in the regular season and one assist in two playoff games.
Colorado is 5-0 on the NHL picks in its past five after scoring five goals or more in their previous game. I do believe this game is much closer, so one could double up and pick the Avs on the moneyline and Knights on the puckline.
NHL Pick: Avalanche at -175 with BetOnline (visit BetOnline Review)
The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
