By the time Brett Howden’s second goal of Game 1 entered an empty net as the final horn sounded, the Vegas Golden Knights were already on their way to a first-round series lead over the Minnesota Wild. But while the goal didn’t change who won the game, it mattered to a few.
Not only did Howden’s late score cover the 1.5-point spread for Vegas, pushing the team’s lead to 4-2, it also pushed the final score over the 5.5-goal total for the game.
Most bettors were happy to see it — 61% of tickets on the total at BetMGM had the over, and 92% of tickets on the spread had Vegas — but it was an all-time bad beat for people on the wrong side, because the goal couldn’t have come any later in a game than it did.
Even looking at the replay, it’s hard to say the goal definitely beat the buzzer — unless it lost or won you some money, then it’s probably clear as day.