Every team, regardless of sport, wants to score first, but in the NHL playoffs, it almost ensures a win. During the first two days of the playoffs, the team that scored first went on to win five of the seven games (the lone exceptions were the Golden Knights and Sabres). “There seems to be a lot of competitiveness in the NHL. A lot of the games were one-goal games or overtime games, so overall, a really, really good handle on the NHL,” said Chuck Esposito, Station Casinos Sports Book Director. “It’s like every night we’re trying to dodge the home team and the total, trying to keep it under, but overall the handle’s been really good.”
The first day of the NBA playoffs featured several lopsided games, continuing a trend from the regular season in which favored teams consistently outperformed expectations. Added Esposito, “We just can’t catch a break with the NBA.” However, the pendulum swung back on Monday with upset wins by the Hawks and Wolves. With all that in mind, let’s quickly review the past week in sports and peek at what’s ahead on the STN Sports App and the STN Sports Books.
VGK
For much of the NHL season, the Vegas Golden Knights hovered in that “they’re mediocre-to-pretty-good” place, and a swath of STN guests stopped blindly betting the VGK as many have done since the team’s inception. But then John Tortorella was hired. “All of a sudden, now that they’re relevant and playing so well, the guests are right back on them again. They don’t stay off them for long, that’s for sure,” Esposito said.
The STN Books got beat down more than a Wrestlemania performer on Sunday after the VGK’s 4-2 win. “They won, covered the puck line, and the game went over,” Esposito said. “And the game had a late start time after everything else was over, so everything was dumping into the Knights. We want them to go far, and hopefully the series goes seven games so we get our fair share as well, but if they continue to kind of roll a bit, the public’s just going to bet more and more on them.”
On Tuesday night, Utah evened the series at 1-1 after beating the VGK 3-2; also, the game stayed under the total, showing that every contest is its own soap opera. The result was hugely beneficial to the Books, not so much for the guests. The Knights’ day-to-day wins are not great for the Books’ bottom line, but the hometown team also represents the most Stanley Cup liability — by a long shot — in the future book. Other teams presenting liability are the Oilers, Ducks and Wild.
NBA Playoffs
NFL Draft
Beginning at 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 23, 2006, Red Rock will host an NFL Draft party to coincide with the first round of the annual event. Held in Red Rock’s VIP and lounge area and open to those 21 years old and up, the day will include a T-shirt giveaway and drawings for pro football draft hats. In addition, STN Books will have a plethora of betting opportunities tied to the draft, including the position of Mr. Irrelevant, the over/under of first-round wide receivers, and more.
MLB
We’re still in the infancy stage of the Major League Baseball season, but teams are more hit and miss than the Vegas weather. The Mets and Phillies, two of the league’s highest-payroll teams, are underperforming, while lower-payroll teams like the A’s, Pirates, and Cardinals are exceeding early expectations. Baseball betting is tough, certainly, but some early trends might lead to some fatter wallets.
The Royals are one of the league’s worst teams, but their games are consistently going under, cashing at a 65% clip. The Nationals and Astros are the polar opposite, with their games cashing over bets at a nearly 70% rate. “It’s hard to say why these are happening, but it’s early in the season, so weather is definitely a factor, matchups are definitely a factor,” Esposito said. “There are a few teams that got out of the gate slow. I think everybody thought the Blue Jays were going to be much better. People expected the Royals to be a little bit better, same with the Astros and Mariners. The Mariners are one of the most popular teams in the American League as far as future books. We have some liability on them, and they’re out of the gate slow and have a terrible road record.”