An elite Western Conference showdown is on tap for this evening as the Vegas Golden Knights head to “Smashville” to go head-to-head with the Nashville Predators. Let's take a look at our NHL odds series where our Golden Knights-Predators prediction and pick will be made.
Losers of four-straight games, Vegas is as close as hitting the panic button as they have been all season long as they have quickly found themselves a point behind Los Angeles and Seattle for first place in the Pacific Division. With a record of 29-18-4, do the Knights have what it takes to right their wrongs?
The exact opposite could be said for the Predators as they have been clicking on all cylinders with wins in five of their last six games overall. Now, Nashville has seen their record swell to 24-18-6 and has a tremendous shot to enter the playoff conversation with some more solid play down the stretch of the regular season.
Here are the Golden Knights-Predators NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Golden Knights-Predators Odds
Vegas Golden Knights: +1.5 (-250)
Nashville Predators: -1.5 (+198)
Over: 6 (-102)
Under: 6 (-120)
How To Watch Golden Knights vs. Predators
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 8:00 ET/5:00 PT
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Golden Knights Could Cover The Spread
Despite the recent struggles that have hurt this team in a big way, this is still an extremely talented bunch that has surprisingly done most of their damage when out on the road, With a 15-5-4 record away from their home arena, the Golden Knights excel at blocking out the noise of opposing crowds and focusing on the task at hand. While their recent stretch of play hasn't impressed by any means, expect Vegas to be refreshed and refueled with the time off that the All-Star break provided.
First things first, it will be vital for Vegas to continue to ride the hot hand of their goaltender Logan Thompson who remains as one of the top net-minders in the entire league. In fact, the last time that Thompson last faced off with the Predators saw him record 33 saves in an overtime victory over Nashville on New Year's Eve. Another repeat of this type of performance will go a long ways for a Vegas squad that has been far too streaky of late when it comes to scoring goals of their own.
On paper, Vegas does have the advantage when it comes to having the edge in goals per game, but they have only scored four times in their previous three games. Alas, the Golden Knights will need to get guys like Chandler Stephenson involved early to create a flow offensively. Thus far, Stephenson leads the team in assists and points and could be the exact spark that Vegas has lacked of late.
Why The Predators Could Cover The Spread
It is hard to argue against the fact that the ‘Preds currently reside as one of the hottest teams in all of hockey, and for good reason. Over the course of their winning ways Nashville has been playing fundamentally solid on both ends of the ice and has been extremely tough to slow down.
More specifically, the Predators have certainly found a rhythm on offense. Although they are hoping to avoid a cooldown after not playing in the last 11 games, Nashville is fresh off of scoring 13 goals in their previous three games and a big reason for that has been in large part the play of their power-play attack. At first glance, Nashville is converting on only 16% of their extra-man attacks, but they did happen to score on 50% of their power-play opportunities en route to their 6-4 statement win over the Devils last time out. Without a doubt, this has been an area of concern for the ‘Preds all season long, but even slightly improving their power-play strategy could do big things for this club.
Not to mention, but how dominant has center Matt Duchene been in his previous 20 games? Over that stretch, few skaters around the league have been able to replicate Duchene's production as he has nine goals and eight assists during that span. Alas, whether it's the offensive-minded Duchene or the sniper forward in Filip Forsberg, this Predators squad has an abundance of talent with the puck in their possession to help them continue their red-hot play and to get them over the hump against Vegas later this evening.
Final Golden Knights-Predators Prediction & Pick
There's no doubt that the Golden Knights enter this game licking their wounds, and even if they don't end up coming out victorious in this one, Vegas should be expected to keep this one close throughout and ultimately cover the +1.5 goal spread.
Final Golden Knights-Predators Prediction & Pick: Golden Knights +1.5 (-250)
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