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Home ice advantage hasn't always meant a lot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs this year, but now that we're in the Stanley Cup Finals with two teams who have managed to win all of the biggest games in front of their fans, we could see that change. That's why the Pittsburgh Penguins are definitely worth watching when it comes to live betting in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the San Jose Sharks.
Stanley Cup Odds at BookMaker.eu
San Jose Sharks +115
Pittsburgh Penguins -135
Over/Under 5 (over -120)
ODDS ANALYSIS
From a live betting standpoint, this margin is only going to get closer and closer between these teams as the game stays tied.
However, it's a little surprising to see this number start off as low as it is.
There's no doubt that the Penguins have been fantastic, but the argument could be made they had the much easier route to get to this point in the season. The Sharks have played well on enemy ice, but this is a far different story going across the country to face a team which has been beaten in consecutive games exactly once since the middle of January.
KEY STAT
The biggest stat for live betting purposes in this game is going to be Pittsburgh's shots on goal. The Penguins put a whopping 38.4 per game on net against the Lightning and have averaged well over 35 shots per game for the postseason. Their logic has been to put as much pressure on teams as possible for the full 200 feet of the ice, and we have no doubt they can do that to the Sharks.
That said, San Jose's defense has been brilliant in protecting Martin Jones. The Sharks haven't allowed 30 shots in a game in seven straight, averaging just 24.2 shots per game allowed against the Blues. That said, St. Louis is a far less offense-oriented team. It'll be interesting for live bettors to follow what's going to happen in this matchup now that San Jose is running into its best offensive team in this postseason.
SPECIAL TEAMS TALK
Both of these teams have absolutely lethal power play units which don't get nearly enough credit in spite of all of their publicity.
Thus far in the playoffs, the San Jose "power five" of Brent Burns, Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau has accounted for 15 goals on the man advantage. No line in the playoffs has had nearly that much production in any facet of the game.
The Sharks are scoring on 27.0 percent of their power play chances in the postseason, but they're allowing goals on 19.6 percent of their kills.
That's another facet of Game 1 where Pittsburgh could have a real advantage for live betting purposes. Even though Sidney Crosby has been quiet across many big stretches and Evgeni Malkin isn't producing goals, it's that power play line that’s done a ton of damage.
The Penguins weren't good on the man advantage against Tampa Bay for the most part, but they're still at 23.4 percent for the playoffs. If they can duplicate that type of percentage in Game 1 of this series, there's a good chance their power play will be the difference for live bettors.
Stanley Cup odds at BookMaker.eu
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly interface on your smartphone or tablet provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! Game 1 of the series between the San Jose Sharks and the Pittsburgh Penguins will start at 8:00 p.m. ET on Monday, May 30, 2016 at the Consol Energy Center. The contest will be broadcast nationally on NBC.
