Ryan Hodges
Show Bio
The Golden Knights won Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final by a score of 5-2. Saturday’s game was not quite as lopsided as the final score indicated, though. Vegas played great, but the Panthers scored the first goal of the game on the road and it was tied after 2 periods. The Panthers also had 35 shots on goal to the Golden Knights’ 34. Vegas is now just 3 wins away from hoisting the Stanley Cup, but this has the makings of a long series and Game 2 sets up to bring plenty more entertainment.
If you are looking to have some action in Monday night’s Game 2, check out the player props below. You can also read our Game 2 predictions and NHL Same Game Parlay for tonight’s game.
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William Karlsson over 0.5 points (-120)
William Karlsson had consecutive 81-game seasons in 2015-2016 and 2016-2017, so he was by no means a newbie to the NHL prior to joining the Vegas Golden Knights. But 2017-2018 was for all intents and purposes his coming out party. Karlsson had 50 points in 185 career games before heading to Vegas. In his inaugural season with the team, he scored 43 goals and had 78 points in 82 games on his way to the Western Conference title. Karlsson has the pedigree of an NHL playoff player and has validated it this year. He co-leads the team with 10 goals in 18 games this postseason, so things have gone pretty well for Karlsson since he was taken by Vegas in the 2017 expansion draft.
In 6 career playoff appearances, he has played more than a full season’s worth of games with 89. In those playoff games, he has 29 goals, 34 assists and a +32 rating. That is the kind of production teams need from their reliable players in the postseason. Karlsson is playing well and has a track record of showing up in big games. The same can be said for his linemate Reilly Smith, who has 77 points in 102 career playoff games. Smith has 4 points in Vegas’ last 4 games including a goal in Game 1. Karlsson is a good player with strong teammates both at 5-on-5 and on the power play, so he should get opportunities to produce.
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Brandon Montour over 0.5 points (-145)
Brandon Montour came out of the gates flying in this postseason with 6 goals and 9 points in the first 8 games of the playoffs. Montour was a huge reason why the Panthers beat a historically good Bruins team in the first round. He continues to be a stalwart on the Panthers’ defense, although his production has slowed since early in the second round. Despite a loss by 3 goals on Saturday, Montour ended up +1 with 3 shots on goal in 25:59 minutes of ice time. He plays big minutes and has a good partner in Marc Staal, so he is consistently on the ice with very good teammates both at 5-on-5 and on the power play . Being down 1-0 in the series, Florida should make a big push on Monday night to avoid going down 2-0. and I expect Montour to be part of it.
Game 1 was the Panthers’ first road loss in 9 games dating back to Game 1 against the Bruins, but they bounced back from that loss with a 6-3 win in Boston. This Florida team then rattled off 7 more road wins and had won 8 straight entering Saturday’s loss to Vegas. Does that automatically mean they will bounce back? Of course not. But they are no strangers to having to win a big game on the road. It is fair to say that Boston, Toronto and Carolina have some of the rowdiest, best home-ice advantages in the NHL and Vegas is no different. The Panthers will come out buzzing and when they do, Montour should be one of their key players.
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