Gila River Arena will be hosting an intriguing tilt as the Arizona Coyotes welcome the visiting Vegas Golden Knights. AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain will air this Pacific Division matchup, and the opening face-off is at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday, October 10.
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Arizona Coyotes Odds
Vegas (-150) is favored over Arizona (+130) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The odds for betting the total stand at -110 for the over and -110 on the under.
Vegas is 2-1 straight up (SU) and has earned 0.7 units for moneyline bettors this year. That SU winning percentage, ranked third in the Pacific Division so far in this young season, is fairly close to what the team produced last season (43-39).
Vegas has found the net on 30.0 percent of its power play opportunities so far. That’s a noticeable step forward from last year, when it was ranked 19th in the league by converting on 18.4 percent of its extra-man opportunities. Its penalty kill has also gotten stronger since last year, as the team has gone from successfully defending 80.3 percent of all opponent power plays (ranked 15th overall last year) to 92.3 percent this year.
For the team as a whole, Vegas has been sent to the penalty box 5.3 times per game this season, a number that’s regressed noticeably from the 3.4 penalties per game given up last year. After serving an average of 7.8 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team’s had to kill penalties for a taxing 18.7 minutes per matchup this season.
Boasting a .935 save percentage and 28.7 saves per game, Marc-Andre Fleury (2-1) has been the top option in goal for Vegas this season.
Mark Stone and Reilly Smith will both lead the way for the visiting Golden Knights. Stone (six points) is up to two goals and four assists this season while Smith has three goals and one assist to his name through the early stages of the regular season.
Over on the other bench, Arizona is 0-2 straight up (SU) and has lost 2.0 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through two regular season matches, two of its games have gone under the total, while zero have gone over and none have pushed.
Arizona has scored on 0.0 percent of its extra-man advantages this year after converting on 16.2 percent (ranked 27th in league) last season. It’s killed off a remarkable 100.0 percent of its penalties, a few points better than the 85.0 percent the team posted a year ago (when it was ranked first overall).
The Coyotes have been penalized only 2.0 times per game this season. Last year, that number was at 3.3, the fourth-lowest mark in the NHL. After serving an average of 7.1 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team’s had to stave off opponent power plays for only 4.0 minutes per matchup this season.
The winless Darcy Kuemper has stopped 26.0 shots per game as the primary choice in goal for Arizona. Kuemper has zero wins and two losses to his name and has registered an outstanding 1.54 goals against average and a .945 save percentage this season.
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Arizona Coyotes Betting Predictions
Pick: SU Winner – Golden Knights, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- Vegas was 3-2 in games that ended with a shootout last season. Arizona was 4-3 in shootouts.
- Vegas has managed 29.0 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Arizona is averaging 35.0 shots per game over its last five home outings.
- Vegas has yet to lose a game by two more more goals this season.
- Vegas skaters notched 29.1 hits per game last season, while the Coyotes accounted for 24.7 hits per matchup.
