Vegas Golden Knights vs. Washington Capitals Matchup Preview

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The Vegas Golden Knights and the Washington Capitals are ready to face off at Capital One Arena in Game 3 of the . NBC Sports Network will showcase the matchup, and the opening face-off takes place at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 2.

Vegas Golden Knights at Washington Capitals Odds

Washington enters the game as the favorite with a moneyline of -125. The line for Vegas sits at +105, and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals (-105 for the over, -115 for the under).

Vegas is 64-35 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 25.2 units this year. Through 99 regular season matches, 48 of its games have gone over the total, while 47 have gone under and just four have pushed. As the road team in 2017-18, the Knights are 28-21 SU.

After accounting for the 10th-best power-play unit in the regular season (converting 21.2 percent of all opportunities), the Golden Knights have been able to score on 19.3 percent of their power plays in the postseason.

Vegas offense attempted 32.6 shots per game in the regular season, leading to 3.3 goals per outing (ranked fourth overall in the NHL). In the playoffs, the team is attempting an average of 32.1 shots on goal 3.0 goals per game.

Averaging 28.6 saves per game with a .931 save percentage, Marc-Andre Fleury (42-21-5) has been the best option in goal for Vegas this year. If Vegas decides to rest him, however, they might roll with Malcolm Subban (15-7-2 record, .910 save percentage, 2.68 goals against average).

Jonathan Marchessault and William Karlsson will both lead the way for the visiting Golden Knights. Marchessault has 94 points on 35 goals and 59 assists, and has recorded two or more points 28 times. Karlsson has 50 goals and 43 assists to his creditand has registered a point in 62 games.

On the other bench, Washington is 62-41 straight up (SU) and has earned 16.8 units for moneyline bettors this season. 54 of its matches have gone over the total, while 44 have gone under and just five have pushed. It’s 32-18 SU at home this season.

Washington has converted on 23.9 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s good enough for seventh-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 16th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 79.2 percent of all penalties.

Washington players have been called for penalties 4.0 times per game in total this season, and 3.2 per game over their past five games. The team has had to kill penalties just 7.6 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.

Braden Holtby has stopped 27.1 shots per game as the top netminder in goal for Washington. Holtby has 47 wins, 27 losses, and five OT losses to his credit and has registered a .911 save percentage and 2.77 goals against average this season.

The home team will be led on offense by Alex Ovechkin (62 goals, 49 assists).

Vegas Golden Knights at Washington Capitals Betting Predictions

NHL Tip: SU Winner – Golden Knights, O/U – Under

Betting Notes

  • The total has gone under in four of Washington’s last five outings.
  • Vegas has managed 29.6 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Washington is averaging 34.8 shots per game over its last five home outings.
  • Seven of Vegas last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 5-2 in those games.