The Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights had a very exciting start to this Western Conference Finals.
These two teams stuck to the theme of these conference finals thus far, as regulation wasn’t enough time to find a winner, but it was the Golden Knights that eventually come out on top in the extra frame.
Even though the Stars were not victorious, Dallas lost its first two Game 1s of this postseason run in overtime and went on to win those series.
The story of Game 2 is going to be Jake Oettinger, who's been absolutely incredible in games following a loss this season, so one can assume that he'll have another strong bounceback performance today.
Find out my best bet in our NHL betting picks for Stars vs. Kraken on May 21.
Stars vs Golden Knights Game 2 odds
Stars vs Golden Knights Game 2 predictions
The Dallas Stars have been able to bounce back in Game 2s thus far this postseason and a lot of that success is due to the play of Jake Oettinger. Going back to the regular season, Jake Oettinger is 22-1-3 after a loss and 5-0-0 in this postseason.
The Stars have typically been able to get the best of the Vegas Golden Knights, taking four out of the five meetings between the two teams.
Both of these teams are relatively even at 5-on-5, with the Stars skating to a 3.28 xGF/60 and the Golden Knights at 3.14, but Dallas has had the advantage during the playoffs in the special teams department.
Neither team was able to convert on their man advantage in Game 1, but there weren’t many opportunities. There were only three penalties called in the game's entirety, so it will be interesting to see how Game 2 is called.
The Stars' power play is clicking at 30.2% in these playoffs, so they should be able to get it going at some point in this series, especially since the Golden Knights' penalty kill has been their biggest crutch, skating to a 62.2% success rate which is essentially horrendous.
Adin Hill has been excellent for the Knights this postseason, boasting a .930 SV% with a 2.34 GAA, and he deserves a ton of credit. That being said, it's very difficult to argue what Oettinger has been able to do in games following a loss this season. Game 1 was also the first time that he lost to Vegas in his career.
A great sign for Dallas in Game 1 is that they got scoring from their top guys. Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, and Jamie Benn found the back of the net, so hopefully, those guys can keep the momentum going into Game 2.
I love Dallas in this spot and I expect them to have a strong bounceback game once again.
My best bet: Stars moneyline (+105 at BetMGM)
Stars vs Golden Knights Game 2 same-game parlay
Stars to win
Stars team total Over 2.5
Golden Knights team total Under 2.5
If the Stars are going to come out victorious in Game 2, it's going to be on the back of Jake Oettinger. I expect Dallas to tighten up defensively, limiting the scoring chances for Vegas and holding them to Under 2.5 goals, while also filling the back of the net and hopefully finding success on the power play.
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Stars vs Golden Knights Game 2 moneyline and Over/Under analysis
The 5.5-goal total in this series is very interesting because both of these teams can certainly score goals, but they also have very strong defensive metrics. That's especially true for Dallas, which is allowing the fewest high-danger chances at 5-on-5 this postseason.
The Golden Knights have also had their fair share of success on defense, but they've had to make adjustments considering the fact they were up against Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in the previous round.
Vegas did a very solid job at remaining disciplined in Game 1, only taking two penalties in the entire game, both of which they successfully killed.
Despite the Over hitting in Game 1, the trend between these two teams has certainly been the Under. In the last 12 meetings, the Under has gone 9-2-1, with Dallas winning four of the last five meetings.
Oettinger has been the storyline for this Dallas team in games following a loss. I trust him to put on a show in Game 2, keeping this game low-scoring and leading his team to a win. I’m siding with Dallas and the Under.
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Stars vs Golden Knights betting trend to know
Jake Oettinger is 22-1-3 in games following a loss this season. Find more NHL betting trends for Stars vs. Golden Knights.
Stars vs Golden Knights Game 2 game info
| Location: | T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV |
| Date: | Sunday, May 21, 2023 |
| Puck drop: | 3:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | ABC |
