NHL Game 4 Playoff Picks and Predictions – Dallas vs. Vegas

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

2 minute read

Game 4 - Dallas at Vegas

• Playoffs: Western Conference Finals
• Date: Saturday, September 12, 2020
• TV-Time: NBCSN, 8:00 p.m. ET
• Venue: Rogers Place
• Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

NHL Best Bet

Dallas ML +145

The Stars never trailed in Game 3, as their 3-2 OT win was enough to give them a 2-1 series lead, and just like Game 3 itself, I can see quite a few outcomes where the Stars never trail in this series again.

It was back at the end of my preview for Game 1 in this series that I talked about “the scoring tap” potentially being permanently closed for Vegas after their bout with Vancouver's Thatcher Demko in the latter half of that series, and entering this series I said that “I couldn't believe (the tap) was closed, at least not yet.”

Well three games into this series, and it's hard not to think that there isn't at least a major clog in the pipe leading to that tap for Vegas, as their offense has still been completely quite in this entire series.

The Knights have only scored in three of the 9+ periods played so far, and two of the five goals they have potted have come with the man advantage as well.

That just doesn't cut it for any team looking to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals, let alone a team that's still priced as a nightly -160 favorite to get to the Finals as soon as possible.

I do still believe Vegas will find their scoring again – at least one time in this series – but predicting when that will be and laying 50 cents or more on the dollar each time to do so doesn't particularly make a lot of sense.

Remember, the Stars are a defense-first team to begin with, and if I told you that every game in this series would finish with 5 or fewer goals as it has so far, chances are support for Dallas would be a little stronger. The price wouldn't be this high for one thing.

The Colorado series showed that Dallas can more than hold their own if a series does turn into regular 5-4 affairs all the way through.

So similar to how I viewed the Islanders last round against the Flyers, the Stars are better than Vegas at playing a defensive style of game, and in an offensive style contest, Dallas is probably somewhere close to a coin flip with the way they've been scoring in these playoffs. So why are the Stars – who are leading 2-1 in this series still getting disrespected like this in the line?

I learned my mistake last round when I said that “Dallas would run away” with that series, looking good early on before sweating bullets with them nearly blowing that 3-1 series lead.

But unless Vegas all of a sudden finds their scoring touch in a hurry, this series really looks like it will have the same result.

VegasInsider Staff

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