Sixty-five minutes couldn’t separate them, so a shootout did. The Boston Bruins beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 in a shootout at TD Garden on Monday night, and David Pastrnak scored the shootout goal that sent Boston home happy.
For bettors, this was a puck-line and totals game more than a moneyline one. Regulation ended 2-2, and overtime solved nothing.
How Did the Bruins Beat the Golden Knights?
Boston struck first and took a 1-0 lead after the opening period. The teams traded goals in the second, and Vegas tied it 2-2 in the third to force overtime.
Morgan Geekie scored on the power play for Boston. Pastrnak was the engine all night, firing a team-high 7 shots on goal, adding an assist and earning first-star honours.
| Period | Bruins | Golden Knights |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1 | 0 |
| 2nd | 1 | 1 |
| 3rd | 0 | 1 |
| OT | 0 | 0 |
| Shootout | Bruins win, final 3-2 | |
Boston outshot Vegas 27-23 in the game. Both teams scored once on the power play, with Boston going 1 for 4 and Vegas 1 for 3.
The Strategy:
- Shot volume props beat goal props. Pastrnak’s 7 shots cleared almost any reasonable shots-on-goal line, whether or not the puck went in.
- Know your book’s shootout rules. A shootout win counts as a one-goal victory for most puck-line settlements. Puck-line -1.5 backers on Boston lost; +1.5 backers on Vegas cashed.
- Regulation-time markets are a hedge. If you expect a tight game, three-way regulation lines pay out on the tie that two-way moneylines ignore.
What Went Wrong for Vegas?
Discipline. Braeden Bowman took a major penalty and a misconduct for 15 penalty minutes, and Vegas finished with 19 penalty minutes overall. Even goalie Carter Hart was called for a minor.
The offence was there in spurts. Trevor Connelly scored at even strength, Tomas Hertl set up the power-play goal and put 4 shots on net, and Noah Hanifin added an assist with 5 shots from the blue line.
Jack Eichel won 12 of his 20 faceoffs but was held without a point. For a first-year head coach like Ryan Craig, a road point at TD Garden is a respectable result, even in a loss.
The Plays (going forward):
- Pastrnak shots-on-goal overs. Seven shots shows the volume is real, and shot props settle on attempts, not luck.
- Hanifin shot props. Five shots from a defenceman is a soft market that books price off reputation.
- Eichel faceoff-adjacent props. A 60% faceoff night means Vegas starts with the puck. That matters for live first-goal markets.
- Game-to-overtime props. Two evenly matched teams with low shooting percentages are prime candidates for “Yes” on overtime.
For Ontario bettors, this is a reminder that NHL overtime props and three-way lines are some of the most underused markets on the board. In New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Ohio, they’re often the best-priced hockey bets available.
The lesson is simple. Two-way moneylines hide the tie; three-way and overtime markets let you bet on it directly.
Hot take: Shootouts are coin flips, so anyone who bet Boston’s moneyline expecting a regulation win got lucky, not sharp. Do you bet NHL three-way lines, or are you sticking with moneylines? Tell me in the comments.
“WannaBet.com may receive compensation from the sportsbooks mentioned in this post if you sign up using our links. This doesn’t cost you a dime, but it keeps the lights on. Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER (USA) or 1-866-531-2600 (Ontario, CA). 21+ only.”
