The Vegas Golden Knights visit the Chicago Blackhawks to keep their playoff hopes alive, while the Dallas Stars can punch their ticket to the postseason against the Arizona Coyotes in today’s betting guide.
Chicago Blackhawks (+170) vs Vegas Golden Knights (-225)
CHI: 27-42-11, 2.60 GF/GP, 3.54 GA/GP, L10: 3-7-0
VGK: 42-31-7, 3.15 GF/GP, 2.96 GA/GP, L10: 4-3-3
The Golden Knights are in do-or-die mode right now and have seemingly been that way for a while. They’ve lost must-win games against teams much lower in the standings, like the New Jersey Devils and San Jose Sharks, and dropped the most important game of their season against the Dallas Stars last night.
This will be the second of back-to-back games for the Golden Knights, while the Blackhawks are rested from their bout against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday. The Blackhawks will not take it easy on the Golden Knights as everybody is relishing the opportunity to play spoiler against possibly the most hated team in the NHL, but Vegas is not going to go down without a fight.
Their top players like Jack Eichel and Mark Stone have been invisible, and you have to think they will go back to Logan Thompson with Robin Lehner shut down for the season. The Golden Knights have lost four of their past five games and two in a row in a shootout, while the Blackhawks have won two of their past four and are coming off a win. With the lack of scoring coming from both teams, take the under (U6, -110) and the Golden Knights to take this game by a slight edge.
Dallas Stars (-500) vs Arizona Coyotes (+360)
DAL: 45-30-5, 2.83 GF/GP, 2.98 GA/GP, L10: 5-4-1
ARI: 23-50-7, 2.46 GF/GP, 3.78 GA/GP, L10: 1-7-2
Betting against the Coyotes at this point in the season is almost not worth it and the spread is risky at -2.5, especially when their young players getting inserted in their lineup and straight out of college are putting their all into games. The organization may want them to finish last place, but the players are trying to make an impression, so they will get a better look come training camp in the fall.
The Coyotes had lost 10 in a row before stunning the Minnesota Wild last night in a 5-3 win. Don’t expect that to happen again, even if the Stars are coming off a game last night because so are the Coyotes. The Stars have won two in a row after dropping three straight to the western Canadian teams. With a chance to secure a playoff spot with even a point, the Stars will be going all out as their destiny is in their hands against the worst team in the Western Conference.
The Stars have gone eight consecutive games scoring three goals or fewer, and the Coyotes have kept games tighter over their past five. If the Stars get the lead, expect them to lock it down defensively and protect the lead rather than pour the pressure on offensively and take chances. It may be best to parlay this game for better odds, so take the Stars and the under (U6, -120).
Odds via Yahoo and BetMGM.
The Hockey Writers & THWBets promotes responsible gaming, and provides this content as opinion and analysis with no guarantees or assurances.
For more information about responsible gambling, including help for problem gambling behaviour, please visit these great resource pages:
If you’re in Canada, Rogers Sports & Media has put together a great information and resources page.
If you’re in the United States, MGMResorts has a great page for gambling problem resources.
