In what should be an action-packed Thursday slate of NHL action, the Vegas Golden Knights will make the trip to Pittsburgh to take on the mighty Penguins. Join us for our NHL odds series where our Golden Knights-Penguins prediction and pick will take place.
The last time we saw the Golden Knights out on the ice was when Vegas was able to top the Columbus Blue Jackets in a thrilling 3-2 shootout win. Now with a record sitting at 17-6-1, the sky is the limit for a Vegas team that appears to be as competitive as any squad in hockey.
When it comes to the Penguins, Pittsburgh has gone on to drop back-to-back games after five straight victories. Nevertheless, the Penguins at least received one point in their previous game when they lost 3-2 in overtime to Carolina at home. With a slightly average 4-3-2 record coming at their home arena, can Pittsburgh finally put things into high gear in front of their faithful fans?
Here are the Golden Knights-Penguins NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Golden Knights-Penguins Odds
Vegas Golden Knights: +1.5 (-260)
Pittsburgh Penguins: -1.5 (+205)
Over: 6.5 (+100)
Under: 6.5 (-122)
Why The Golden Knights Could Cover The Spread
Don't look now, but here come the Golden Knights! At this stage of the regular season, Vegas has proved to not only the rest of the league but themselves as well that they can compete with absolutely anyone on the ice. In fact, the Golden Knights are one of few teams that have excelled and experienced so much success out on the road. At the moment, Vegas holds a 10-1-1 record away from home which has made them such a formidable team to try and overwhelm.
After experiencing a mini two-game skid for just the second time all season long, Vegas rebounded nicely by stringing together a tremendous performance against a respectable Blue Jackets squad. In that hotly contested matchup, the Western Conference's top points-getter through 24 games managed to come up with more scoring opportunities by out-shooting Columbus 36-28 overall. Clearly, one of Vegas's biggest strengths out on the ice has been their ability to possess the puck at a consistent rate in the opponent's zone. If the Knights can have another repeat of this against the Penguins, then covering the spread as surprising +1.5 goal underdogs will prove to be not much of a challenge.
Alas, it has been Vegas' goaltending that has been near flawless of late. With goalie Logan Thompson in net, there is no doubt that the Knights are even more frightening to play on a game-to-game basis. On paper, Thompson has been one of the league's best net-minders with a solid .921 save percentage and is tied with the third-most shutouts in all of hockey. Simply put, if Thompson is at its best, then Pittsburgh is in deep trouble.
Why The Penguins Could Cover The Spread
Although the Penguins haven't been as impressive as a team like Vegas to begin the year, there are clearly still some electrifying and talented pieces among this roster that can instill some fear in any team that they play. While their record may not show it a the moment entirely, don't be sleeping on this Pittsburgh squad.
For starters, the most dangerous part of this squad located in The Steel City is that Sidney Crosby is like a fine wine that does not appear to be aging out on the ice. Coming into this one, Crosby has a total of 15 goals which os good for the 15th most in the NHL. Not only that, but Sid the Kid has 31 points on the season including an impressive showing in the OT loss to the Hurricanes in which he tallied a goal and assist and was entirely responsible for the Penguins scoring on Tuesday. Above all else, Pittsburgh has to feel fairly confident that even when worse comes to worst, they have a future Hall-of-Famer that they can turn to at any point to save them from defeat.
The most important part of this game for the Penguins and their ability to cover the -1.5 goal spread will be whoever is net's ability to be able to stand on their head and be a human wall in opposing Vegas's frenzy of an offense. Whether it is Tristan Jarry in goal or Casey DeSmith getting a crack at it, it will be a must for Pittsburgh to be at the top of their game in this department. As it stands, the Penguins are a middle-of-the-pack type of team in their goaltending statistics overall as they are surrendering 3.17 goals per contest.
Final Golden Knights-Penguins Prediction & Pick
This isn't about whether or not the Penguins can ultimately win outright, but instead if Pittsburgh has enough firepower to beat a team like Vegas by multiple goals. Even though they are at home, it is hard to ignore how successful the Golden Knights have been out on the road this season. Side with Vegas in covering the spread and you may be able to make a profit in tonight's action.
Final Golden Knights-Penguins Prediction & Pick: Golden Knights +1.5 (-260)
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