Mitch Marner Mania: Why the Golden Knights Star has Become the Biggest Name in NHL Prop Betting
This week, prop betting on Mitch Marner is at an all-time high as the Golden Knights' star center takes center stage in the Vegas-Anaheim playoff match.
Tonight's Game 2
The Ducks and Golden Knights will play Game 2 of their NHL series at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas tonight at 9:30 p.m. EST. On Monday night, Las Vegas prevailed 3-1 in Game 1.
"The Knights game is the last played of the two tonight but will probably be first in handle because of that positioning,” said Johnny Avello, Director of Race & Sports Operation at DraftKings. “The bettors like the home ice Knights as the line has moved from -162 to -166.”
Ivan Barbashev of the Golden Knights and Cutter Gauthier of the Ducks are the most wagered player props at BetMGM, with Over 0.5 Points (-118) and Under 3.5 Shots (+100), respectively.
Marner 0.5 Supports Well-Known Prop
Mitch Marner's -145 assist prop, which has drawn almost 100% of the entire betting volume, has emerged as the most lopsided wager on the board with six assists in his first seven postseason games.
With a series of clutch performances when it counts most, Marner is officially rewriting his legacy in Las Vegas, exchanging his reputation for playoff troubles.
Golden Knights Predictions
There is a significant gap in the betting splits for Game 2: A staggering 67% of the total money is supporting Anaheim to pull off the upset, even though 53% of individual bets are on the Ducks (+135). With 76% of the total handle, the Ducks +1.5 spread is the most popular play of the evening.
Carter Hart, the starting goaltender for Vegas, is another. Throughout the entire season, there were concerns over the Golden Knights' goaltending. On March 29, they fired Bruce Cassidy and replaced him with John Tortorella, who hired Hart as his goalie. Before the playoffs, the club had a 7-0-1 record.
With a save percentage of.910 and.965 in the last several games, Hart has been superb during the playoffs. In the first game, Hart stopped 33 pucks.
Hart Effect
“You can go either way with Carter Hart,” said Karry Shreeve, Head of Hockey at Caesars Sportsbook. “From a general NHL season workload, Hart has nothing to worry about, as he hasn’t even played in 30 games since joining VGK. At the other end of that blade is the fact that he hasn’t played this many consecutive games in years and is that something that does indeed play a factor. There aren’t many recent examples of his situation to compare it with.
“As always, the biggest factor will be how the team continues to perform in front of him. Certainly, trending towards YES, he can keep this up,” Shreeve added.
Stanley Cup Prospects
He stated that the Golden Knights had faced two non-public teams thus far: the Utah Mammoth in Round 1 and the Ducks.
Shreeve remarked, "I know the Edmonton Oilers are a public team, but I was shocked by how much love they received despite the fact that there is absolutely no value in any of their prices, whether for individual games or the series." "The Boston Bruins also got a lot of attention, but there wasn't much evidence to support it."
The Tortorella Effect
What effect does the Tortorella effect actually have? To what extent is the talent finally connecting with their playoff framework and zone time?
“This is a tough one, too,” said Shreeve. “It would be completely unfair to give him zero credit. Wins are wins. Stacking wins is even more impressive. Is it totally fair to say these same runs of results couldn’t have happened with Cassidy in charge? I’m not entirely sold on that either.
“The facts remain that the Knights had a pretty soft schedule to end the season, played a Utah team that, as a group, had zero playoff experience, and it showed up in key moments, and currently are playing a Ducks squad with zero playoff experience as a group as well.
“What we do know is that Vegas is in the second round of the NHL playoffs and are favorites to advance to the Conference Finals. However, whoever you think should get credit can be up for debate,” she concluded.
At +160, the Colorado Avalanche are the current favorites to win the Stanley Cup at Caesars, followed by the Carolina Hurricanes at +170 and the Golden Knights at 450.
