Pros vs. Joes III: Sharps on Jets, public on Knights in Game 5
The Golden Knights are one win away from advancing to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season. The betting public is banking on the Knights to get that win Sunday afternoon and knock off the Winnipeg Jets in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final.
But, for the third consecutive game, sharp bettors are backing Winnipeg, which is favored between minus 140 and minus 150 at Las Vegas sports books.
“It’s obviously the Jets’ season (on the line). We expect late money to come on the Jets just because of the spot on the game,” Westgate sports book manager Jeff Sherman said Sunday morning.
The Westgate opened the Jets at minus 150 and the Knights at plus 135 before money on the Knights drove the price down to minus 140.
Sherman said 69 percent of the tickets and 83 percent of the money are on the Knights.
But Winnipeg was back up to minus 150 at the Westgate on Sunday morning.
“We’re just holding at the market price,” Sherman said. “We got that early Knights money and the price got lower, then it went back up to the opener. That was sharp money (that moved it back up).”
The Knights are underdogs in Game 5 ranging from plus 120 to plus 135. They’re plus 135 at the Westgate, plus 130 at the MGM Resorts and TI sports books and plus 125 at Boyd Gaming sports books.
The total is 6 (Under minus 130). The Jets are plus 185 on the puck line (minus 1½) and the Knights are minus 210 (plus 1½).
Possible Stanley Cup Final series prices
The Washington Capitals won the first two games of the Eastern Conference Final, but the Tampa Bay Lightning has bounced back to win three straight and will try to close out the series on Monday.
If the Knights advance to the Stanley Cup Final against Tampa Bay, Sherman projects the Lightning to be a minus 150 series favorite with home-ice advantage. If the Knights face Washington, the Knights are expected to be minus 140 favorites with home-ice advantage.
More betting: Follow all of our sports betting coverage online at reviewjournal.com/betting and @RJ_Sports on Twitter.
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.
