Best bets for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final

The Vegas Golden Knights jumped to an early lead in the Stanley Cup Final with a 6-4 win over the Washington Capitals. The series continues on Wednesday night in Las Vegas.

Here are some of the best bets for Game 2 from Greg Wyshynski and Ben Arledge.

Note: All odds via Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook as of May 30.

Vegas Golden Knights vs. Washington Capitals

Wednesday, May 30, 8 p.m. ET in Las Vegas

Wyshynski: Let's start with the flood of goals from Game 1, as I'm sure that's where the Capitals started in breaking down tape. Washington was over plus-5.5 goals in the first two games of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Tampa Bay Lightning series. I don't see this series tightening up until it moves to D.C. As for the head-to-head matchup, the best bet on the board might be Vegas on the money line (-155), because that empty-netter in Game 1 has shaken my faith about the Capitals +1.5.

Best bet: Knights -155

Arledge: Yes, the Golden Knights are now 7-1 at home in the playoffs, and the only loss came in a double-overtime game. However, the Capitals are also 8-3 on the road, and those wins came in tough places to win, including Tampa Bay's loud Amalie Arena.

The Caps have averaged 3.5 goals per game throughout the playoffs and found the net four times in the opener. It's no secret that this is a wildly important game for Washington, even though the Capitals bounced back from a 0-2 deficit against the Blue Jackets in Round 1 and then faced elimination twice against the Lightning. Adversity isn't new for D.C. I expect Alex Ovechkin and his top line to make plenty of noise on the score sheet in this one and move the Caps back to even on the series.

I don't think we will see 10 goals again on Wednesday, but I do like the over hitting again. In playoff games with an over/under set at 5.5 or lower, the two teams have combined to go over 12 times and push once in 22 games. We ought to see Marc-Andre Fleury and Braden Holtby bounce back from Game 1 a bit, but I think the offenses might still find the net enough to go over 5.5 goals.

If you're looking for a more cautious way to bet Game 2, albeit at a heftier price, taking the Capitals +1.5 is worth a look.

Prediction: Capitals 4, Golden Knights 3
Best bets: Capitals +140 and over 5.5 total goals scored

Props

First goal from Alex Ovechkin (7-1)

Arledge: Ovi wasn't too involved in the first game of the series, but the goalscorer has 12 tallies in the playoffs and will be looking to take control of the game early to avoid leaving Las Vegas down a pair of contests. He's scored the first goal twice in the playoffs thus far, with both coming in the opening 1:30 of play and both coming in Washington wins. Westgate is also offering a "Will Ovechkin score?" prop at +170 if you want to sacrifice value for a better shot at cashing.

Evgeny Kuznetsov scores (+205)

Arledge: He's gone three games in a row without potting one after scoring in four straight. If Washington wants to avoid increasing the deficit, it'll need its goalscorers, and Kuznetsov is due to find the back of the net. He has 11 goals in the playoffs.