After the Colorado Avalanche went 2-0 in Denver to begin their second-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights, the series will shift to the strip for games three and four.
A blowout win in Game 1 for Colorado was followed by a strong, resurgent performance from Vegas in Game 2, however, it was unable to level the series. Can Vegas get a home win and avoid the dreaded 3-0 series deficit?
Here are our best free NHL betting picks and predictions for Avalanche vs. Golden Knights on June 4.
Avalanche vs Golden Knights game info
• Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV
• Date: Friday, June 4, 2021
• Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
• TV: NBCSN, TVAS
Avalanche vs Golden Knights odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
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NHL Sharp Money and Line Movement Report
By Patrick EversonThe Game 3 moneyline jumped the fence twice at BetMGM Nevada, with Vegas opening -120 and the price moving to Colorado -120 before going to Vegas -115. "It's all Golden Knights. We flipped the second time about an hour ago," BetMGM Nevada's Scott Shelton said at 7:30 p.m. ET. "We've taken a few five-figure bets on the Knights, including $35,000 at -115, so that bettor got the worst of it. Tickets are roughly 6/1 and money almost 20/1 in favor of the Knights." The total is stable at 5.5, seeing only a couple of minor price adjustments. "Ticket count is 2/1 on the Over, but the money is really close," Shelton said.
Check out the full line movement for this gameAvalanche vs Golden Knights series odds
Avalanche: -702
Golden Knights: +443
Avalanche vs Golden Knights betting preview
Injuries
Avalanche: Nazem Kadri F (Out), Logan O'Connor F (Out).
Golden Knights: Ryan Reaves F (Out), Mattis Janmark F (Questionable), Tomas Nosek F (Questionable), Brayden McNabb D (Out).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Under is 7-3 in the last 10 meetings between the Golden Knights and Avalanche. Find more NHL betting trends for Avalanche vs. Golden Knights.
Moneyline pick
If Game 1 was a shocker, with Colorado hammering Vegas 7-1, then Game 2 was regular service resuming between the league's two top regular season teams, with the Knights outplaying the Avs in a disappointing 3-2 loss. As a number of Avs noted after the game, it was a win stolen by netminder Philipp Grubauer, who delivered an excellent performance.
Vegas led Colorado in expected goals (all situations) in Game 2, edging the home team 2.98-2.69. The Knights had a few great chances to win it in regulation but were stopped on three different occasions during a late-game power play, with Grubauer coming up clutch.
While there's no reason to believe Grubauer's level of performance will drop, as he has been one of the best and most consistent goalies in the NHL all season long, Vegas must be encouraged by its play in Game 2.
Not only did the Golden Knights put Game 1 fully behind them, but they also did something that hasn't been done yet in the postseason: they held Colorado's top line of Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog, and Nathan MacKinnon in check.
Though MacKinnon did find Rantanen for the winner, those were the only two points the trio combined for on the night, after they averaged 6.4 points per night through Colorado's first five playoff games. For the first time since the regular season ended, it was a defensive pairing, in this case, Alex Pietrangelo and Alec Martinez, who won the battle against Colorado's first line. (Yet, and this is a testament to their absurd talent, the Avs still won the war.)
Though they came up short in Game 2, the Knights played with the pride of a veteran team well aware of the danger of going down 2-0, and the need to rebound after a poor Game 1. A 3-0 series deficit is a death sentence, and a strong Knights team can avoid that fate on their home ice.
PREDICTION: Vegas (-105)
Over/Under pick
Ahead of Game 2, we expressed the likelihood of a tighter and lower-scoring game, with Marc-Andre Fleury taking over in the crease for Robin Lehner, opposite another Vezina Trophy candidate in Philipp Grubauer.
While Grubauer was again spectacular in a game-stealing performance for Colorado, stopping 39 of 41 Vegas shots with an expected goals against of 2.979, Fleury was so-so. The legendary postseason performer stopped just 22 shots, allowing three goals on an expected goals against mark of 2.686. The Flower's rust was evident, with all three goals marked as low-danger chances for Colorado by MoneyPuck.
Peter DeBoer's decision to rest Fleury in Game 1 in favor of Robin Lehner, following a seven-game opening-round series vs. the Wild, seemingly backfired twice. First, with Lehner allowing seven goals in a Game 1 slaughtering, then with Fleury being less-than-sharp in Game 2.
However, we cannot imagine it'll take Fleury another game to get back into the groove, and the Avs should expect to get the three-time Stanley Cup champion's best. Luckily for Colorado, it can also count on Grubauer to put in another reliable performance, as he has all season long.
We got the Under in Game 2 despite Fleury's lackluster showing, and we will again in Game 3 with two superb goalies between the pipes.
PREDICTION: Under 5.5 (-113)
Avalanche vs Golden Knights betting card
- Vegas (-105)
- Under 5.5 (-113)
Picks made on 6/3/2021 at 6:45 p.m. ET
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