Rovell’s Pick for Game 1 of Stanley Cup Finals: Panthers vs. Golden Knights

Rovell’s Pick for Game 1 of Stanley Cup Finals: Panthers vs. Golden Knights article feature image
Credit:

Picture by Getty Images.

People who follow me know I love myself a good under.

You'd think that the Stanley Cup Finals is ripe for an under, featuring goalies Sergei Bobrovsky and Adin Hill playing out of their minds.

Florida's Bobrovsky in particular has been insane. He has by far the highest goals saved above expected this playoffs — a ridiculous 19.7. That means Florida has let in almost 20 fewer goals in just three series simply by virtue of having Bobrvosky netminding. That's compared to a league average goalie.

For reference, the second-highest clip this postseason is at 8.8 goals saved above expected by the Rangers' Igor Shesterkin.

Rooting for an under is less exciting, but there's a slight edge in rooting for no offense — the public loves overs — and eight of the last 10 games for Florida have hit the under.

But I can't do it.

Bobrovsky has been off for nine days. He hasn't seen game action in over a week — an eternity for hockey players. If you know that meme with Danny DeVito vigorously shaking his head, that's me right now.

That's why there's big sharp money on the over. The market hasn't adjusted for lack of inertia — it's treating rest like it's a good thing, instead of what it should be: a small detriment.

I'm not expecting either goalie to be a disaster, but the lamp will be lit enough for me to take the over of 5.5 (-115) at BetMGM.

The must-have app for NHL bettors

The best NHL betting scoreboard

Free picks from proven pros

Live win probabilities for your bets
About the Author
Darren is a Senior Executive Producer at The Action Network, covering all angles of the sports betting world. He spent two stints at ESPN, from 2000-06 and 2012-18, he regularly wrote for ESPN.com and contributed to ESPN shows, including SportsCenter and Outside The Lines. He also served as a business correspondent for ABC News, where he made appearances on the network’s flagship shows, including “Good Morning America,” “World News Tonight” and “Nightline.” While at CNBC from 2006-2012, Rovell anchored five primetime documentaries, including “Swoosh! Inside Nike,” which was nominated for an Emmy. Rovell also contributed to NBC News, where he earned an Emmy as a correspondent for the network’s Presidential Election coverage.

Follow Darren Rovell @darrenrovell on Twitter/X.

This site contains commercial content. We may be compensated for the links provided on this page. The content on this page is for informational purposes only. Action Network makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event.