Arizona Coyotes vs. Vegas Golden Knights Prediction, Preview, and Odds

The Vegas Golden Knights host the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Arizona is fifth in the Central Division and has a record of 8-9-2. Vegas sits at the top of the Pacific Division and the Western Conference with a record of 14-4-2. Last season the Golden Knights won two of their three games against the Coyotes. Puck drop is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. EST.

Arizona Playing Better

The Arizona Coyotes are heading to Vegas after their loss at home to the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday with a final score of 5-6. This is the third loss in a row for the Coyotes. Arizona continues to play better and better as the season goes on despite their losses. They are battling in most games that they play and a lot has to do with their offense. The Coyotes are averaging 3.21 goals per game and this has to be a result of their powerplay ranked sixth overall at 26.1%. This is a huge difference from last season as the Coyotes averaged only 2.74 goals per game and a powerplay percentage of 18.9%.

There is still a disparity in the two netminders for the Coyotes. Karel Vejmelka is 2-6-2 this season with a goals against average of 3.45 and a save percentage of .892. Connor Ingram has clearly been playing better than Vejmelka as he has a record of 6-3-0 and a save percentage of .910 and goals against average of 2.94.

Vegas' Offense is Returning to Normal

The Vegas Golden Knights are returning home after their five-game road trip that finished with a win in Dallas on Wednesday that had a final score of 2-1. This was only their second win out of their last five games on the road. Vegas' offense has been strong since the beginning of the season but has started to fall back after a few scoreless games in their last five. This however is normal as they now drop down to 14th in the NHL in goals per game at 3.30. This is exactly where they finished last season with a goals per game average of 3.26.

Vegas has been amazing on their defense that ranks third in the league with a goals against per game average of 2.40. This could mainly be a cause of their penalty kill ranked eighth overall at 85.5%. A lot of their low goals against average comes from the netminder Adin Hill. Hill has a record this season of 9-2-1 and an amazing save percentage of .932 and an even better goals against average of 1.97.

Best Bets

Full-Game Side Bet

Rating:

As much as I would like to commit to the -1.5 spread for the Golden Knights, Arizona has been scoring and keeping their games close this season. However the Golden Knights are 7-3 in their last 10 against Arizona and of those seven wins, six of them were in regulation. Only two of Arizona's eleven losses this season have went to overtime. If you believe Vegas will win, this is the smart play.

I am taking Vegas to win in regulation, take the 3-way moneyline.

Prediction: Vegas Golden Knights 3-way ML ( -145 )

Full-Game Total Pick

Rating:

We have two teams here that are playing defensive especially when it comes to the penalty kill. Most of their defense for both teams are coming from their two starting goaltenders. We already have Connor Ingram confirmed in net for this one and due to that I like the under. Ingram is posting a .910 save percentage, and the Golden Knights are only 15th in shots per game. With Ingram in net and Vegas' offense starting to dwindle, I like the under in this one.

Take the under at 6.5.

Prediction: Under 6.5 ( -132 )

Growing up in Pittsburgh, Anthony has always been surrounded by sports. Whether its watching the Penguins win the cup or the Steelers winning another ring, he saw what it took to win it all. He enjoys breaking down stats and applying them to spreadsheets to better his picks. With the combination of watching trends and his spreadsheets, Anthony has been very successful as a sports bettor. His last name is the German word for people and it is clear that he is the people's choice when it comes to handicapping.