For the very first time, the San Jose Sharks will step on the ice as the winners of the Western Conference.
Their first taste of the Stanley Cup Finals in franchise history comes on Monday night when they take on the grizzled Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1 of what should be an epic series.
Stanley Cup Odds at BookMaker.eu
San Jose Sharks +115
Pittsburgh Penguins -135
Over/Under 5 (over -120)
ODDS ANALYSIS
It shouldn't be surprising that this series is considered relatively even. Both of these teams were fantastic every step of the way in the playoffs, and they're deserving conference champs.
For all intents and purposes, Pittsburgh is favored by the value of home ice advantage only at -135.
The total is the interesting factor here to us. We think this series should be featuring much higher totals than the standard 5s we've seen across the board this whole postseason, but the series will start at essentially a flat 5.
GOALIE REPORT
Martin Jones had some shaky moments at the end of the West Finals against St. Louis, including when he got pulled in Game 5 after a dreadful game. That said, Jones has been fantastic for the most part. He has three shutouts to his credit in the second season and a 2.12 GAA. No one could ask more of him than the .919 save percentage he's sporting as well.
Have we seen the end of Marc-Andre Fleury in a Penguins uniform? It's entirely possible that Matt Murray has taken this job over once and for all between the pipes. Murray sat down for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Tampa Bay, but after Fleury was awful in said game, the pipes went back to Murray.
He was fantastic in Games 6 and 7, and he now has a 2.22 GAA and a .924 save percentage in the second season.
LIVE BETTING
Puck control is going to be crucial in this series. The Penguins are used to having the territorial advantage, something they had literally every step of the way in the East playoffs.
The Sharks aren't going to be opposed to having less of the puck, but their goal is going to be to keep the Penguins away from the center of the ice. They've done that well to keep the pressure off of Jones for the most part.
Keep an eye on the action in the slot and in the crease early in this game. If that's what's happening on the San Jose side of the ice, it's going to be a huge edge for the Pens.
QUICK PICK
We're all about finding value, and the value as we see it in Game 1 belongs with the Penguins. In all likelihood, bettors are going to find out over the course of the next week and a half that Pittsburgh is the best team in hockey and deserves to win the Stanley Cup.
We think the world of these Sharks, and we know they aren't going to go down without a fight, but especially with the way the offense has created so many scoring chances for Pittsburgh in recent weeks, we can't see it punting Game 1.
NHL Odds: Penguins 4, Sharks 2
Access live betting lines from your mobile device or tablet at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker's live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here, so start betting with BookMaker today! The matchup 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. Game 1 of this series will be televised live on NBC.
