Division leaders in the Vegas Golden Knights and the Florida Panthers are about to lock horns Thursday night at LA Live Arena, in Sunrise, Florida. The Golden Knights are sporting a 43-25-15 record, while the Panthers are carrying a 43-29-9 ledger. This game has the potential to be a preview of the 2022 NHL Stanley Cup Finals, given the positions of these teams on the standings and the strength of their rosters. Who’s going to come away with a victory tonight?
With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NHL odds series, which includes our Golden Knights-Panthers prediction, odds, and pick we have laid out below.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Golden Knights-Panthers odds:
NHL odds: Golden Knights-Panthers Odds
Golden Knights: +1.5 (-170)
Panthers: -1.5 (+138)
Over: 7.0 (-102)
Under: 7.0 (-120)
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Why the Golden Knights Could Cover the Spread
The Golden Knights are looking to get back on track after losing at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes Tuesday on the road in overtime, 4-3. It was a rare loss this season for the Golden Knights away from Sin City. Vegas is 12-5-1 in road games this season. Although the Golden Knights are just 1-2 all-time in games played in Panthers ice, that lone win happened the last time they visited sunny Sunrise, Florida. Vegas beat the Panthers on the road in Feb. 2020, scoring a touchdown and an extra point in a 7-2 victory as road faves.
Florida’s high-powered offense is going to be a tough challenge for Vegas, but it appears that the Golden Knights’ best goalie will be back in front of the net for this matchup. Vegas sat out Robin Lehner in the Carolina game, perhaps because he is only 0-6-0 in his career against the Canes.
However, Lehner had a sensational performance in his last start, blanking Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals in a 1-0 victory last Tuesday in the nation’s capital. On the season, Lehner is 17-11-1 record to go with a 2.85 GAA and .907 SV%. The top line of Evgenii Dadonov, Chandler Stephenson, and Mark Stone will look to propel Vegas’ offense. The three have combined for seven goals and 12 assists over the last 10 Golden Knights games.
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Why the Panthers Could Cover the Spread
It’s arguable whether Florida is the best team in the NHL right now. What’s not up for debate is the fact that after the Panthers ripped the Winnipeg Jets apart in a 5-3 road win last Tuesday, they have the most points in the league with 63. Prior to that, the Panthers got upset in a 5-3 road loss to the Seattle Kraken, so a strong rebound was needed by Florida to get its moxie back. As mentioned earlier, Florida’s offense is a big threat to the Golden Knight.
The Panthers are averaging 4.02 goals per game. They possess the puck most of the time and are actually No. 1 overall with 36.3 shots per game. They are also leading the NHL with a 55.62 CF%, with many of those shots being quality ones, as the Florida Panthers are also ahead of everybody in the league in terms of high danger goals for percentage (62.71%). Vegas is also a top-10 team when it comes to shots per game, but the Panthers are simply better in that department. Lehner is also looking like a deer in the headlights of Florida.
Lehner is only 2-6-3 with a .903 SV% and 3.15 GAA in 12 career starts against the Panthers. Plus Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky is having a better season than Lehner. The 12-year veteran Bobrovsky has a 21-4-3 record and a 2.46 GAA and .922 SV% this season for the Panthers, who are 6-0 in their last six contests against teams with winning records.
Final Golden Knights-Panthers Prediction & Pick
The Golden Knights have what it takes to upset Florida on the road. They are even more successful on the road than when they’re at their home ice. But the Panthers are in a much better form of late. Sure, they got upset recently by Calgary and Vancouver, but those were on the road, plus they have already gotten back in the win column with that victory over Winnipeg. Their offense is better and their goalie is more reliable. The Panthers should take care of business tonight against the visiting Golden Knights.
Final Golden Knights-Panthers Pick: Panthers (-1.5)
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