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Vegas Vic’s Stanley Cup Game 1 pick: Rooting for a Bruins’ overtime win

Plus, a look at how some bookies will get hurt if St. Louis wins the series.

The stellar play of goaltender Tuukka Rask is a big reason the Bruins are favored entering Monday's opening game of the Stanley Cup Finals (8 p.m., NBC).
The stellar play of goaltender Tuukka Rask is a big reason the Bruins are favored entering Monday's opening game of the Stanley Cup Finals (8 p.m., NBC).Read moreGerry Broome / AP

Inquirer handicapper Vegas Vic looks at Monday night’s Stanley Cup Finals opener, plus we take a quick look around to see what a couple bookies need:

NHL

Las Vegas -- It’s been 49 years since the St. Louis Blues have been in the Stanley Cup Final. It’s been 28 years since Vanilla Ice took the music world by storm with “Ice Ice Baby.” Initially, I thought “Ice Ice Baby” was gonna be the theme music for the 1991 Stanley Cup, but alas, it was just a rap song about the Miami scene. However, if you don’t think that Ice was a poet, just check this out.

“To the extreme, I rock a mic like a vandal.

Light up a stage and wax a chump like a candle.”

OK, OK, just make the pick.

These two hooked up twice this season, with the Bruins rocking the first game in Boston 5-2, and the Blues posting a 2-1 W back in St. Louis. Kinda tough to play against the Bs since they are on a GORGEOUS 7-0 run. However, gotta give some props to the Blues, because they did something that was BEYOND incredible.

» READ MORE: Stanley Cup Finals preview, includes Tuukka Rask’s ridiculous numbers

As of January, St. Loo was at the bottom of the NHL barrel at 15-18-4. DEAD LAST! One BRILLIANT guy dropped $400 on the Blues at the Paris casino here in Vegas before heading home, at odds of 250-1. If St. Loo skates off with the Cup, he’s gonna pocket $100,000! And no, sadly, that was NOT my bet.

Give interim coach Craig Berube a TON AND A HALF of the credit. He took over after Mike Yeo was pink-slipped in November, and after a month of shaky, the Blues finished the season with a 30-10-5 record.

» READ MORE: Craig Berube wouldn’t have done the same for the Flyers

Still tough to go against Boston in the opener, so here’s the plan:

Gonna buy the Bruins tonight, and if they win, plunk down some cash on St. Loo in Game 2.

If the Blues upset the Bs in the opener, would come back with both hands and go ALL IN on Boston in Game 2.

Also gonna try a Vegas prop wager tonight and grab the Bruins to win by one goal at 5-1, and also the Blues to win by one at 8-1. Can you say OT?

Gimme $80 to win $50 on Boston tonight and $50 on each of the props.

(Editor’s note: FanDuel’s one-goal lines are Bruins 6-1, Blues 13-2.)

Favorite (ML)
Game 1/Monday
O/U
Underdog (ML)
Time (TV)
Favorite (ML)
BRUINS (-160)
O/U
5
Underdog (ML)
Blues (+140)
Time (TV)
8 p.m. (NBC)

Series odds (via SugarHouse/Parx): Bruins -159; Blues +135.

NBA

Via Parx/SugarHouse

Favorite (ML)
Game 1/Thursday
Line
O/U
Underdogs (ML)
Time (TV)
Favorite (ML)
RAPTORS (-112)
Line
0.5
O/U
214.5
Underdogs (ML)
Warriors (-108)
Time (TV)
9 p.m. (6abc)

Series odds (via SugarHouse/Parx): Warriors -315; Raptors +250

What the bookies need

In addition to the $100k at stake from the Paris mentioned above by Vegas Vic, a couple other sportsbooks are looking at hefty futures liabilities if the Blues win the series.

William Hill-US, the Nevada-based sportsbook which runs the Ocean Casino Resort and Tropicana in Atlantic City, took a $2,000 wager on the Blues to win the Stanley Cup at 40-1 and another $2,000 at 35-1 on Feb. 15. Those two bets alone are worth $150,000. They have five other bets out there ranging from $50 at 300-1 (on Jan. 15) to $10k at 5-1 that are worth another $171,000.

So you’d think Nick Bogdanovich, the director of trading for William Hill, would hate the Blues’ 2019 anthem “Gloria”, which started at a Mummers club in South Philly.

“Yes, we need the Bruins,” he said, “[but I] love the song.”

He continued, by saying William Hill was seeing, “good two-way action on series betting, and action in Game 1 is strong as well. I think series will go deep, and be low-scoring. It should be highly entertaining. Hope the long layoff doesn’t effect play.”

FanDuel, which operates the sportsbook at the Valley Forge Casino Resort, took a $2,700 Stanley Cup bet on the Blues at 21-1. The ticket would collect $59,000, for a $56.7K profit.

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