Posted at 2:30 PM EST. Odds subject to change.

Pinnacle  +127 BET365  +120 Sportsinteraction   +115 888Sport  +120

Vegas +127 over Dallas

9:37 PM EST. OT included. The Golden Knights locked down a Wild Card spot after a season full of ups and downs. The defending Stanley Cup champions were one of the hottest teams out of the gate, winning 11 of their first 12 games, while picking up a point in the only game they lost in all of October. The Golden Knights would then labor through injuries and a dry spell, winning just two games between February 12 and March 7. The two biggest names the Golden Knights were missing down the stretch were captain Mark Stone and defenseman Alex Pietrangelo; however, both were back at practice in advance of Game 1 and both will play tonight.

The Golden Knights returned 20 players from their Stanley Cup-winning team last season, and they also added some quality assets at the trade deadline in forwards Thomas Hertl and Anthony Mantha, as well as defenseman Noah Hanifin. Mix in the reinforcements in Stone and Pietrangelo, and all of a sudden the Golden Knights look like one of the more dangerous clubs we’ve seen in the Wild Card era. Man for man, there is an argument to be made that Vegas is better than Dallas.

The prevailing storyline here is that the Stars, after being knocked out by the Knights in the playoffs last season and losing all three games to Vegas during the regular season, are out for “revenge” here. This gives us a great opportunity to remind anyone who's been here before and those who may be new, that the “revenge” angle is one of the most overused, overhyped, and overrated angles touted by the talking heads. When you hear it, do not buy in, but rather take note and use it to your advantage, as those pundits have an influence in the market, and the market eats up the “revenge” angle like it’s candy.

The Stars are the top seed in the West, and yet they were rewarded with a brutal draw here, as the Golden Knights are just one of those teams that appear to have their number. Furthermore, as the #1 seed in the conference, all the pressure is on Dallas to not only make a deep playoff run but win the Stanley Cup. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights are playing with house money with little to lose and a cup already in the bag. As an underdog, the Knights are absolutely worthy of a play.

Sherwood

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