Vegas Golden Knights vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Prediction, Preview, and Odds

The Vegas Golden Knights face the Tampa Bay Lightning with both teams looking to build off of great seasons. The Golden Knights have a 38-20-6 record and are in first place in the Pacific Division while the Lightning have a 38-21-5 record and are in third place in the Atlantic Division. Both teams look to remain near the top of their divisions and the upcoming game looks to be a great one as a result.

Golden Knights have been carried by their defense

The Golden Knights are having a great season with their offense stepping up and scoring 3.13 goals per game. Chandler Stephenson, Jack Eichel, and Reilly Smith have scored 56 goals and 85 assists to lead the top two lines but the rest of the offense has stepped up as well. Jonathan Marchessault, William Karlsson, and Phil Kessel have combined for 41 goals and 67 assists while defensemen Alex Pietrangelo and Shea Theodore have added 16 goals and 54 assists from the point to open up the offense.

The offense has stepped up but the defense has carried the Golden Knights, allowing only 2.75 goals per game with only 10 goals in their last four games. Brayden McNabb and Shea Theodore have combined for 7.6 defensive point shares and 219 blocked shots while Alec Martinez, Alex Pietrangelo, and Nicolas Hague have combined for 9.0 defensive point shares to add depth to the unit. Additionally, goaltender Adin Hill has been great with a .916 save percentage and a 2.45 goals-against average on 729 shots with 8.1 goals saved above average.

Lighting have been led by great offense

The Lightning are having a great season with their offense carrying them, scoring 3.48 goals per game with five goals in their recent game. Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, and Brayden Point have scored 81 goals and 139 assists to lead the top two lines but the entire offense has been great. Alex Killorn, Brandon Hagel, and Nick Paul have combined for 58 goals and 72 assists while defenseman Mikhail Sergechev has added seven goals and 37 assists from the point to put the offense over the top.

The offense has been great but the defense has struggled, allowing 3.06 goals per game. Mikhail Sergachev and Ian Cole have combined for 6.4 defensive point shares but the rest of the unit has struggled, allowing opponents to carry the puck into the offensive zone and find open shots on the net. The bright spot has been the play of goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy who has a .916 save percentage and a 2.67 goals-against average on 1521 shots with 16.2 goals saved above average.

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Both teams have great offenses in the upcoming game should reflect that with forward units stepping up and finding the back of the net throughout the game. The Golden Knights, who averaged 3.13 goals per game, should pile on the goals with Jack Eichel, Chandler Stephenson, and the rest of the forward unit establishing a strong offensive zone presence and creating open shots with great puck movement. The Lightning look to build off a five-goal game and run up the score with Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, and the rest of the forward unit crashing the net on the rush and creating open shots with effective puck movement while Mikhail Sergachev picks apart the Golden Knights defense from the point. The Over should cover in a high-scoring game with both offenses stepping up.

Take the Over on 6 goals.

Prediction: Over 6

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