Alex Tuch, Jonathan Marchessault, and the Vegas Golden Knights will do battle against Dylan Larkin, Gustav Nyquist, and the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena in an East-West showdown. AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain will air the action, which gets underway at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 7.
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Detroit Red Wings Odds
Vegas enters the contest as the noticeable favorite with a -155 moneyline. The line for Detroit sits at +135, and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at an even 6 goals (-120 for the under, +100 for the over).
Vegas is 30-25 straight up (SU) and has lost 3.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. 28 of its games have gone under the total, while 23 have gone over and just four have pushed. This 2018-19 Golden Knights team is 14-16 SU on the road.
Vegas has converted on 18.5 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, it has the third-best penalty kill in the league, and it has successfully killed off 84.1 percent of all penalties..
With a .911 save percentage and 25.1 saves per game, Marc-Andre Fleury (28-19-4) has been the primary option in goal for Vegas this season. If it decides to rest him, however, head coach Gerard Gallant might go with Malcolm Subban (2-6), who has a .904 save percentage and 2.95 goals against average this year.
Over on the other bench, Detroit is 21-32 straight up (SU) and has lost 1.6 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 26 of its contests have gone under the total, while 25 have gone over and just two have pushed. It’s 11-16 SU at home this year.
The Red Wings have converted on just 16.1 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that places them in the bottom 10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 23rd overall, and it’s successfully killed off 78.4 percent of all penalties.
Jimmy Howard has stopped 28.5 shots per game as the top option in goal for the Red Wings. Howard has 15 wins, 20 losses, and five overtime losses to his name and has registered a mediocre 2.73 goals against average and a .916 save percentage this year.
Vegas Golden Knights at Detroit Red Wings Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Golden Knights, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- 42.9 percent of Detroit’s wins have come by two or more goals (the team is 9-16 overall in such games) while 56.7 percent of Vegas’ wins have come by two goals or more (17-15 overall in such games).
- Penalties and power plays may play a key role tonight. The Golden Knights are 12-10 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 24-20 in games where they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 total minutes. The Red Wings are 4-14 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 13-19 in games where they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- Detroit is 2-5 in games decided by a shootout this season while Vegas is 2-1 in shootouts.
- Vegas may hold the upper hand if it’s a tight one late. The team’s 13-10 in one-goal games, while Detroit is 12-16 in such games.
- The total has gone under in four of Detroit’s last five games.
- Vegas skaters have averaged 11.2 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 9.5 giveaways per game (ranked 11th).
- Detroit is ranked 29th this season with 13.2 giveaways per game. That figure has improved recently, however, as it’s averaged 10.6 giveaways over its last 10 games and 9.4 giveaways over its last five.
- Vegas skaters have accounted for the third-most hits in the league (27.3 per game).
