Ottawa Senators at Vegas Golden Knights Matchup 10/28/18

betdsiArticles, Hockey, NHL

T-Mobile Arena is playing host to an East-West clash as the Vegas Golden Knights take on the visiting Ottawa Senators. AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain will broadcast the game, and the opening face-off takes place at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, October 28.

Ottawa Senators at Vegas Golden Knights Odds

Ottawa (+200) is currently the underdog to Vegas (-240), and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at an even 6 goals. The odds for betting the total stand at -120 for the under and +100 for the over.

The Golden Knights are 4-6 straight up (SU) and have recorded -5.4 units for moneyline bettors thus far. That early-season winning percentage is a big slide from what the team recorded during the 2017-18 season (51-31). Through 10 regular season contests, seven of its games have gone under the total, while three have gone over and none have pushed. The team’s 2-3 SU at home so far this year.

Vegas has converted on just 9.4 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that places the team in the bottom- overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 13th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.5 percent of all penalties.

Vegas, as a collective unit, has been called for penalties just 2.9 times per game this season, a number that’s improved from last year’s 3.6 penalties per game the team surrendered. After serving an average of 7.9 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team’s been forced to kill penalties for 6.1 minutes per outing this season.

Averaging 21.1 saves per game with a .900 save percentage, Marc-Andre Fleury (4-5-1) has been the best option in goal for the Golden Knights this year. If head coach Gerard Gallant chooses to give him a breather, however, the team might go with the winless Malcolm Subban (0-2-2 record, .871 save percentage, 2.71 goals against average).

The Knights will continue to look for leadership from Jonathan Marchessault and William Karlsson. Marchessault (10 points) has tallied five goals and five assists and has recorded multiple points four times this year. Karlsson has three goals and six assists to his credit and has recorded a point in five contests.

On the other hand, Ottawa is 4-5 straight up (SU) and has netted 1.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through nine regular season contests, six of its games have gone over the total, while two have gone under the total and just one has pushed. Ottawa’s 1-2 SU as the visiting team this season.

Ottawa’s scored on 24.1 percent of its power play chances this year after converting on 16.5 percent of its extra-man opportunities in 2017-18 (a percentage that was ranked just 26th in the NHL). The team’s gone from successfully defending 76.1 percent of opponents’ power plays (ranked 27th overall last season) to 67.7 percent this year.

Ottawa’s skaters have been penalized 4.1 times per game this season, a number that is up some over the 3.5 penalties per game given up last year. After serving an average of 8.1 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team has been forced to kill penalties for 8.8 minutes per matchup this year.

Craig Anderson (33.4 saves per game) has been the primary choice in goal for Ottawa. Anderson has four wins, four losses, and one OT loss to his credit, while registering a .905 save percentage and 3.50 goals against average this year.

For the visiting Senators, the offense will be coordinated by Thomas Chabot (three goals, eight assists) and Matt Duchene (three goals, seven assists).

Ottawa Senators vs. Vegas Golden Knights Betting Picks

Prediction: SU Winner – Golden Knights, O/U – Over

Betting Trends,

  • The total has gone under in each of Vegas’ last five games.
  • Ottawa has managed 26.3 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Vegas is averaging 33.0 shots per game over its last five at home.
  • The Golden Knights are 1-2 SU when they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Senators are 2-1 SU in games where they spend more time in the box than the opposition.
  • After going 4-3 in games decided by a shootout last year, Vegas is off to a 1-1 start in shootouts this season. Ottawa went 2-7 in shootouts last year and has yet to participate in one this time around.