The Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights will face-off in the Western Conference Final for the second time in four years. In 2020, the Stars got the better of the Golden Knights, winning in five games to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.
Game 1 of the 2023 edition of this matchup will go down on Friday night in Las Vegas.
Let’s dive into the odds for the series opener and then I’ll give you my best bet.
Stars vs. Golden Knights odds, puck line, and total
Stars vs. Golden Knights prediction and pick
The Dallas Stars were my pick to win the Western Conference ahead of the playoffs, so I’m sticking with that prediction and as a result, I’ll back them as road underdogs in Game 1.
If you look at the advanced analytics, the Stars have been the best team in the postseason, despite needing six games to win their opening series and seven games to win in Round 2.
Heading into the Western Conference Final, the Stars have an expected goal differential of +0.78 per 60 minutes of play.
Meanwhile, the Golden knights have an expected goal differential of -0.11 per 60 minutes of play.
The Stars goaltender, Jake Oettinger, has played subpar by his standards in the postseason which ended up resulting in getting pulled after allowing four early goals against the Seattle Kraken in Game 6.
He bounced back in a big way in Game 7, allowing just one goal en route to a 2-1 Stars victory. Oettinger may have finally found his stride and if he has, the Golden Knights are in trouble.
Give me Dallas as an underdog in Game 1.
–
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
