In their third head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Vegas Golden Knights and the Anaheim Ducks face off at the Honda Center. The opening face-off takes place at 10 p.m. ET on Friday, January 4, and you can view this Pacific Division matchup live on AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain.
Vegas Golden Knights at Anaheim Ducks Odds
Anaheim (+105) is currently the underdog to Vegas (-125), and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The odds for betting the total stand at -120 under, +100 over.
Vegas is 24-19 straight up (SU) and has lost 2.1 units for moneyline bettors this year. 21 of its outings have gone under the total, while 20 have gone over and just two have pushed. As an away team this season, the Knights are 11-13 SU.
Vegas has converted on 20.6 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, it has the seventh-strongest penalty kill in the league, and it has successfully killed off 83.5 percent of all penalties.
Vegas, as a collective unit, has been penalized just 3.3 times per game in the 2018-19 season, 3.2 per game over its past five contests total, and 3.8 per game over its last five on the road. The team’s been forced to kill penalties just 6.4 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 25.4 saves per game with a .912 save percentage, Marc-Andre Fleury (23-14-4) has been the top option in goal for Vegas this year. If Vegas decides to rest him, however, the team could turn to Malcolm Subban (1-6), who has a .895 save percentage and 3.10 goals against average this year.
The visiting Golden Knights will be led by Alex Tuch and Jonathan Marchessault. Tuch (31 points) has tallied 14 goals and 17 assists, and has recorded multiple points in nine different games. Marchessault has 13 goals and 17 assists to his creditand has logged a point in 22 games.
On the other side of the rink, Anaheim is 19-22 straight up (SU) and has netted 0.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 41 regular season contests, 24 of its games have gone under the total, while 14 have gone over and just three have pushed. The team’s 10-11 SU at home this year.
Anaheim has converted on just 14.8 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that places it in the bottom 5 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 14th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.0 percent of all penalties.
Anaheim players have been sent to the penalty box 4.1 times per game this season, 4.2 per game over their last five games total, and 4.2 per game over their last five home outings. The team’s had to defend opponent power plays 10.6 minutes per game over their last five home outings.
John Gibson has stopped 29.1 shots per game as the top selection in the crease for Anaheim. Gibson has 16 wins, 18 losses, and six OT losses to his credit and has registered a .924 save percentage and 2.59 goals against average this season.
Ryan Getzlaf (nine goals, 20 assists) will pace the offensive counter for the Ducks.
Vegas Golden Knights at Anaheim Ducks Betting Predictions
NHL Pick: SU Winner – Ducks, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- The under has hit in three of Anaheim’s last five outings.
- The Golden Knights are 11-6 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 19-14 when they’re in the box for fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
- Anaheim (3-2 in shootouts this season) has more experience in games decided by shootout. Vegas has only participated in two shootouts this year, winning one and losing the other.
- Anaheim is ranked 24th this season with 6.6 takeaways per game. That figure has trended higher recently, as it has created 8.8 takeaways over its last 10 games and 10.6 takeaways over its last five.
- Vegas has allowed 2.7 goals per game overall this season, but is allowing only 0.8 per match up over the team’s four-game winning streak.
- Vegas has managed 5.4 takeaways per game over its last five road games, a drop-off from its season average of 10.6 takeaways per game (ranked second in the NHL).
