Saturday Betting Recaps
Favorites had a banner day on Saturday with the Golden Knights winning Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals and going 10-3 in MLB (with 3 pick-’ems) and 2-0 SU in the USFL (though underdogs were 2-0 ATS).
Let’s get to the specific details with our daily betting recaps, and then update the spread and total records in each current major team sport (including the NBA playoffs that resume with Game 2 of the Finals on Sunday).
NHL: Vegas Golden Knights beat Florida Panthers 5-2 on Saturday night in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Golden Knights did it as -140 home favorites and also covered the puck line of -1.5 +190. The game went Over the betting total of 5.5 goals. Home/faves/Overs start this round 1-0.
More NHL: Underdogs dipped to 43-37 overall in Stanley Cup playoffs with 4 games closing pick-’em. Road teams also dipped to 46-38 overall. Over took 42-41-1 lead after being tied through 3 rounds. The “zig-zag” (aka “loser of the last”) wasn’t applicable in Game 1 as both teams won previous game, but still leads 39-30 (56.5%).
MLB: Faves went 10-3 with Phillies-Nationals, Brewers-Reds and Yankees-Dodgers closing pick-’em. Yes, 3 PKs on the day. The upsets were by the Rockies (+133 at Royals), Pirates (+125 vs. Cardinals) and Guardians (+114 at Twins). Home/road teams split 8-8. Unders led 9-6-1 with the push in NYY-LA (9). On the season, faves lead 500-364 with 12 PKs. Home teams lead 464-410 with 2 neutral-site games. Overs’ lead is down to just 422-421-32 with 1 no-action.
USFL: Birmingham Stallions (-6.5) rallied to beat the Philadelphia Stars 27-24 in a battle of division leaders but did NOT cover (cha-ching as Stars +6.5 was my Best Bet on the day) and went Over 46 on the winning TD. Earlier, the Houston Gamblers (-2.5) beat the Pittsburgh Maulers 20-19 but also didn’t cover as that game stayed Under 43.
More USFL: Favorites went 2-0 SU on Saturday to start Week 8, but underdogs swept 2-0 ATS. Dogs’ lead on the season dipped to 18-12 SU, but improved to 23-7 ATS (76.7%). Over/Unders split 1-1 on Saturday, so Unders still lead 17-13 (56.7%).
NBA (ICYMI): With the Nuggets’ spread-covering Game 1 win on Thurday night, faves improved to 52-27 SU and 42-36-1 ATS (53.8%) overall in the playoffs with 1 game closing PK. Home teams also improved to 49-31 SU and 44-35-1 ATS (55.7%). Over/Unders went back to .500 at 39-39-2. The “zig-zag” (aka “loser of the last”) didn’t apply as both teams won their previous game, but still leads 35-29-1 ATS (54.7%).
