Vegas at Carolina

Going into Game 5 tied 2-2, the goaltending matchup has sharpened considerably. Carter Hart likely on one side, Brandon Bussi confirmed on the other — and that is where the edge sits tonight. Carolina built its postseason identity around Frederik Andersen, who arrived at this series 12-1 with a 1.41 goals-against average. Andersen is a healthy scratch for the second straight game. Bussi is making his second career playoff start, and the price on Carolina doesn’t fully account for the drop-off from one of the most dominant playoff goalies of the spring to a rookie who has one game under his belt. Hart, meanwhile, has been the steady anchor of everything Vegas has done, posting a .924 save percentage across his postseason run. The Golden Knights have outscored Carolina 9-1 in second periods through four games; the offense is functional, the finishing has been the problem. In a dead-even series where nothing has been decided by more than two goals, I'm backing the proven road squad at plus money. Go with Vegas tonight.