NHL: Vegas Golden Knights vs Nashville Predators Line Preview
The Knights got a massive win in St. Louis last night, three points behind Predators
The Vegas Golden Knights (39-25-7, 85 points) went into St. Louis last night and took two points from the Blues, who desperately needed to win in regulation.
Now the Knights will play their second game in as many days, this time against the Nashville Predators (42-25-4, 88 points), who lead Vegas by three points for the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Oddsmakers have made the Predators a -140 home favorite with a total of 6 (Over -125).
The Puck is scheduled to drop at 8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT and can be seen on Bally Sports South and SCRIPPS. Let’s start our Knights vs Predators betting preview with a deeper look at Vegas from a betting perspective.
Vegas Golden Knights vs Nashville Predators 
Day/Time:
Location: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
Streaming: Bally Sports South & SCRIPPS
Marchessault, Thompson Come Up Big
When Jonathan Marchessault scored just 49 seconds into overtime to give Vegas a 2-1 overtime win over the St. Louis Blues last night, we may peek back and remember this moment simply because wins like this sometimes propel teams to greatness.
We’re not trying to get ahead of ourselves when it comes to the defending champions, but they have now won six of their last eight games after putting a 5-point distance between themselves and the Blue.
We still have Vegas ranked 14th in our power ranking and 8th in the West, but they’ll have an excellent chance to move up with a date against the seventh-ranked team tonight. Logan Thompson finished with 30 saves, including a penalty shot in overtime to preserve a 1-1 tie.
Despite the win, there is some concern, as usual, with the Knights with defenseman Alex Pietrangelo out for the fourth straight game after not traveling with the team to St. Louis. With a top-pairing defenseman out, that could be a factor on back-to-back nights.
For cappers betting on the Knights, they improved to 39-32 on the season but still are in the red with 3.18 units lost, but 12-10 (+3.84 units) as an underdog. That number can be deceiving because Bruce Cassidy’s team is much better as a home dog (6-1) than a road dog (6-9).
The Knights always provide interesting NHL scoreboard watching, with tonight being no exception.
Nashville 32, Sphere 0
Back on February 13th, some Predators players were already anticipating a trip to Vegas even though they had the Dallas Stars coming up on the schedule first in a key Central Division match-up.
Some of the Predators had asked if they could get a head start on their Vegas trip after the Stars game so they could go the Sphere to catch a U2 concert. We’re not sure if Head Coach Andrew Brunette ever officially approved that, but he didn’t publicly say no, either.
That was until a 9-2 loss to the Dallas Stars at home, a game that postdated a 4-2 home loss to New Jersey. Brunette thought his team was too focused on Vegas and promptly canceled the date with Bono.
Instead of his team playing like they had just been hit upside the head with a Joshua Tree, the Preds took their frustration out on the St. Louis Blues (5-2) and then Vegas (5-3).
Since what had to be a difficult decision for Brunette, Nashville is 15-0-2 including wins streaks of eight and their current run of five straight victories leading to 32 of a possible 34 points. They lead the Knights by three points for the first wild card and maybe getting Vegas at just the right time to extend their unbeaten streak to 18 games.
NHL betting line history shows Nashville as the second most profitable team in the league with 9.52 units won (St. Louis +13.25).
The Public May Get Burned On Total
We thought the public might be on the over in this one, but it appears that won’t be the case. After opening 6 (over -125), the juice on the over is -115, and we’re taking full advantage of that.
We know the thinking behind it, the Knights scored just one regulation goal last night against the Blues and have cashed five unders in their previous six games, while Nashville has been a solid under wager for most of the season.
However, we expect recent call-up Juri Patera (1-3-0, 3.75 GA, .901) to get the start in goal in one of the most difficult barns in the league. Patera has not won a game in the NHL since December 10th against the San Jose Sharks and has allowed 16 goals in his last four starts.
Fatigue is a factor for Vegas, but I’ve always thought that not being 100% will affect a team on defense more than it will on offense. Both teams should get plenty of chances tonight. We’re betting the over 6 (-115). That does it for our Knights vs. Predators line preview. We wish you all the best with your predictions tonight.
For NHL betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
