Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Look for Colorado to hoist the Stanley Cup tonight

Tonight is all about hockey. This very well could be the last game of our NHL season. (We have a feeling it is.) Tampa Bay has picked up the intensity the past two games at home but lost a heartbreaker in OT in Game 4, the Lightning's second such loss in this series.

It's hard to climb out of a 3-1 hole, especially when that quest begins on the road. We expect the Avalanche to take care of business in front of their home crowd, and we're pairing that belief in a Same Game Parlay with a betting trend that has gone 10-4-1 this postseason.

Non-Game 7 elimination games have yielded plenty of goals this year - For those who read Bark Bets on the regular (we salute you!), you may remember we mentioned this trend prior to Game 4 of the Western Conference Final. There's something about these non-Game 7 elimination games that have helped overs hit. After last round, overs in these situations have a record of 10-4-1. The logic makes sense: The trailing team is desperate for goals, while the team ahead in the series is there for a reason and can match the scores against it. We like scoring tonight in Game 5.

It's Colorado's time - It was great as a fan to see tighter games in Games 3 and 4, but it ultimately matters not when projecting the outcome this evening. Tampa Bay is seriously hobbled at this juncture. Anthony Cirelli hurt his arm late in Game 4 and wasn't the same when he returned to the ice. Brayden Point hasn't played in two games and seems unlikely to contribute much even if he's on the ice. Nikita Kucherov and Nick Paul have been battling ailments all series. It piles up, and when you couple all of that with the Avalanche playing for the Stanley Cup at home, it becomes insurmountable. We're expecting the Avs to come out firing and take Game 5, and win the Cup along with it. 

Same Game Parlay (+160 DK): Avalanche ML, Over 5.5 goals

We opt for a slightly lower over/under to give us some breathing room here. We find this value to be the right approach for our night. Cheers to Colorado.


In other news ...

Woj demolishes the NBA draft betting market and then he's wrong - Yesterday morning, NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that the betting order was all but set for the top three of the NBA Draft. It was to go Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero. His announcement destroyed the betting market, with bettors flooding to bet on these outcomes. The action was heavy, considering the odds for Smith to go No. 1 and Holmgren to go No. 2 ballooned to -3500. Whoops. Woj was wrong, backpedaling on his report an hour before the draft with news that Banchero was expected to be drafted first. This opens up an interesting dialogue. What responsibility do these insiders have as it relates to obscure betting markets such as the draft? They're just doing their job by reporting what they're hearing, but people use these rumors as gospel for their own money. There's a balance here: You need to gamble responsibly, but insiders who have developed a modicum of trust in the industry need to think before they share such definitive takes.

Alvin Kamara expected to be suspended for six games - Potentially lost in the offseason news cycle was that the star running back for the Saints was arrested for alleged battery in February. There's been an update on this incident, with the expectation that Kamara is to be handed a six-game suspension from the league. Last year, New Orleans went 0-4 when Kamara was inactive. Without their offensive focal point, this could derail much of the Saints' plans for the season. Their win total market is still up. We're betting the Saints go under 8 wins at +115 on DraftKings and will patiently wait to cash that in January.

Ole Miss, Oklahoma last two standing in the College Baseball World Series - Two teams ranked outside the top 25 when this tournament began are now the last two fighting for it all. Ole Miss, fresh off a 2-0 win over Arkansas, will play Oklahoma, with Game 1 set for Saturday. The Sooners rolled through their winners' bracket last round, winning all three games by at least four runs. The Rebels mustered only four runs in their two most recent games, but they likely have the better arms in this series. Ole Miss is the favorite at -130, and we like following pitching. Give us the Rebels to win it all.


Today's Bark Bets is written by Griffin Carroll


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