We have a 8 games tonight in the NHL. There’s some pretty good matchups but the highlight of the night will be the Vegas Golden Knights against the Carolina Hurricanes. Speaking of that game, I breakdown that matchup below and offer some more picks for tonight.
Vegas Golden Knights @ Carolina Hurricanes
- Time: 7:00 PM ET
- TV Coverage: ESPN+
- Vegas Golden Knights: 25-15-2, 1st Pacific (13-10-2 Away)
- Carolina Hurricanes: 27-9-2, 3rd Metropolitan (13-4-1 Home)
| Team | Opening ML | Current ML | Spread | Total |
| Vegas Golden Knights | +115 | +140 | +1.5 (-165) | o6.0 (-120) |
| Carolina Hurricanes | -167 | -160 | -1.5 (+145) | u6.0 (+100) |
Trends:
- Golden Knights are 6-0 in their last 6 road games.
- Over is 10-2 in Golden Knights last 12 road games.
- Carolina are 7-2 SU in their last 9 games at home.
- Over is 6-2 in Carolinas last 8 games.
Preview:
The Golden Knights and Carolina will square off for the 2nd time this season with Carolina winning 4-2 back on November 16th. Teuvo Teravanien, Vincent Trocheck, Sebastian Aho, and Martin Necas all had two points in that game.
Vegas Golden Knights
The Golden Knights will be in a tough situation here playing back to back games against a very good Carolina Hurricanes team. Last night they defeated the Washington Capitals 1-0 behind a great performance from Robin Lehner.
Vegas is a tricky team to try and figure out as of late. They’ve rattled off back to back wins but neither win was very convincing. To be fair they are dealing with a bunch of injuries right now which has significantly affected their lineup.
Offensively, Vegas has been good on the year averaging 3.46 Goals For with an even better average on the road averaging 3.69. They have a +3.25 Goals For Above Expected which is good considering the amount of chances they generate. Vegas is also one of the best teams at generating High Danger Shots For with 92 on the season ranking 3rd. Their Power Play is currently 12th best in the NHL and has been great in the past few games besides last night.
In terms of player props, I would look to target Chandler Stephenson, Jonathan Marchessault, and Evgenii Dadonov who have all recorded at least a point in three of their last four games.
As previously mentioned, they are without Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty who remain on IR. Newly acquired Jack Eichel is also set to make his Vegas debut as early as next month, which again, would provide a significant boost to their offense. In addition to those three guys, they’ll also be with Riley Smith who remains in COVID protocols.
Defensively, Vegas has struggled recently allowing three or more goals in 3 of their 4 games. The lone outlier came last night where Robin Lehner stood on his head and finished the night with a +3.45 GSAx. Vegas has a 3.02 Goals Against Average on the season but has been better on the road only allowing an average of 2.94. Their Penalty Kill ranks 22nd but did shut down Washington on all five of their Power Play opportunities.
Alec Martinez remains sidelined for the Golden Knights but is expected to return to the ice early next month. Zach Whitecloud is also out for tonight’s matchup with a back injury.
The starting goaltender for Vegas remains a mystery. Robin Lehner was sensational last night and may have to start again if Laurent Brossoit cannot go. He’s currently listed as Questionable with an undisclosed injury. So definitely something to monitor before placing your bets tonight. I’ll update the article as soon as the starter is announced. Lehner has a +3.3 GSAx on the year while Brossoit has a +1.0 GSAx.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes are coming off a 7-4 loss against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday. Prior to that they had won three straight defeating the Rangers, Bruins, and Canucks. The Hurricanes currently sit 4 points behind the Rangers for the Metropolitan division but do have 5 games in hand.
When you look at complete teams, Carolina is definitely in the conversation. Offensively they rank 4th in the NHL in terms of Goals Per game averaging 3.58. They’ve also scored four or more goals in their past 4 games. They have the 5th best Power Play converting at a rate of 26.5%. Prior to the Devils, they had scored at least one Power Play goal in their previous three games.
In terms of injuries up front, Teuvo Teravanien is questionable to return tonight with a lower body injury. Jordan Martinook is out for tonight as he remains in COVID protocols.
If you’re looking to target player props start with Andrei Svechnikov who has tallied at least two points in his past four games. Tony DeAngelo is also riding a four game point streak.
When you look at them from a defensive prospective they rank even better. They’re 1st in the NHL in Goals Allowed Per Game averaging 2.39. At home they allow even less goals per game with an average of 2.33. They allow the fewest Shots on Goal per game and have the 2nd best Penalty Kill. However, they have allowed at least one Power Play goal against in their past three games. They also have struggled a bit in terms of goals against allowing 7 and 3 in their last two games versus mediocre offenses.
It looks as though Frederick Anderson will get the start in net tonight for Carolina. He’s been their go to guy all season and has played well with a +19.8 GSAx in 27 games played.
Pick:
- CAROLINA HURRICANES (-160), (DraftKings 1/25 12:54 AM)
- When looking at this matchup, the Hurricanes are just flat out the better team especially at home. Vegas is coming off a tough fought game, that they shouldn’t have won against Washington. The Golden Knights goaltender remains in question and regardless of who starts for them, Carolina has a significant advantage in net. The Golden Knights are also dealing with a lot of injuries at the moment while Carolina is relatively healthy. The Hurricanes have had several days off to rest and should get the win at home.
Other Picks For Today:
- LEON DRAISAITL POWER PLAY POINTS OVER 0.5 POINTS (+100), DraftKings 1/25 2:18 PM
- Vancouver continues to struggle on the Penalty Kill. They rank 32rd in the NHL and have given up at least one Power Play goal against in their last 7 games. Edmonton’s Power Play runs through Draisaitl so as long as they score one, he should be involved in the play.
- NASHVILLE PREDATORS 60 MINUTE LINE (-120), Draftkings 1/25 2:24 PM
- While Seattle has played better at home, this should be a let down spot for the Kraken here. They’re coming off a massive upset against Florida on Sunday. After a few days off they take on a scrappy Nashville team that’s looked good in their last two games.
Best of luck, and as always you can find me on Twitter @GatorBetting and Instagram @Gator_Sports_Betting.
