They Welcome back to NHL Predictions with Last Word on Hockey. Here, we provide in-depth insight into the best matchups around the NHL. Today, we dive into the Vegas Golden Knights and New Jersey Devils.
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NHL Predictions
Vegas Golden Knights vs New Jersey Devils
Time: 7:00 Eastern Standard Time (EST)
TV: MSGSN; SCRIPPS; ESPN+
The Golden Knights and Devils will meet for the first time this season. Last season, both teams won their respective home games against each other. The Devils won a 6-5 scoring marathon in Newark in late January before Vegas claimed a 3-1 win in a late March rematch. This will be the 13th all-time meeting between the two franchises. The Golden Knights have taken seven of those previous meetings.
What Stays in Vegas
The current four-game trip to the East Coast has not faired well for the Golden Knights so far. Their journey through the Empire State saw them drop both contests, 4-2 to the Rangers and 2-1 to the Islanders. Brandon Saad scored his first goal since being acquired last week after the St. Louis Blues bought out his contract. His game-tying goal in the third period was quickly erased when Islanders forward Brock Nelson scored the game-winner under three minutes later. The loss was the fourth in a row for Vegas, who dropped to 3-8-3 in the last 14 games.
Despite the struggles, Vegas still sits in second place in the Pacific at 31-17-, trailing only the defending Western Champions in Edmonton. They once again find themselves as a contender entering the later stages of the season. Jack Eichel is finding himself in the Hart Trophy discussion, pacing the way with 66 points. Vegas finds the net frequently and boasts the second-best power play in the league at 28.5%. Pavel Dorofeyev continues a breakout year leading the way with 22 goals. Tomas Hertl has also proven to be a great investment after being acquired from the San Jose Sharks at last year’s deadline. He sits at 20 goals and 21 points and has scored eight times over the last 10 games.
Adin Hill and Ilya Samsonov have been a decent tandem in net so far, both bolstering similar stat lines to this point. Hill should be expected to start Thursday after getting Tuesday’s game off. In 33 starts, he holds a 2.69 GAA and .900 sv%.
Devils Staying Above Ground
The Devils enter following a 3-2 shootout win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night. They are trying to stay above the playoff line as recent struggles have allowed other teams in the Eastern Conference to gain ground on them. The Devils are without starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom and captain Nico Hischier through the 4 Nations Face-off. They could receive more injury news regarding Jonas Siegenthaler on Thursday. He left Tuesday’s contest after falling on his lower leg early in the first period.
At 30-19-6, the Devils are certainly happy with the improvement they’ve seen this year. While they have been challenged to find the back of the net consistently as of late, they still have many offensive weapons. Jack Hughes is leading the way with 23 goals and 63 points after scoring twice on Tuesday. Jesper Bratt also continues a career year statistically with 61 points.
On the back end, the Devils allow the fourth-fewest goals in the league at only 2.51 a game and have a penalty kill that operates at 83.4%. Jake Allen and Nico Daws have both stepped up with the loss of Markstrom. Allen is 3-2-0 since he has been thrust into the starters roll, posting a shutout against Philadelphia and stopped all 16 shots in relief against Boston after being called upon.
Prediction
With the offensive firepower these two clubs have, we expect a high-scoring type of affair. Last year’s meeting at The Rock saw 11 total goals. With two top-four power plays on display, this game might come down to who can draw a penalty in the late stages.
Prediction: 5-3 New Jersey
Prop Bets of the Night
The Devils are favoured at -120 in this game. There aren’t too many prop bets that stand out as a must-take in this contest, but consider picking up Timo Meier to score at +220.
Main Photo Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
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The post NHL Predictions: February 6 Vegas Golden Knights Vs New Jersey Devils appeared first on Last Word On Hockey.