Vegas Ready to Get Lucky vs Visiting Chicago

The Vegas Golden Knights haven’t faced much adversity in their two-plus years of existence – but an early three-game losing skid has them a little too close to the postseason cut-off line as they return home to face Chicago on Wednesday. The Golden Knights dropped the final three games of their East Coast road trip after kicking things off with a win over Columbus.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

Vegas kicked this one off as an overwhelming -215 favorite, marking the fifth time the Golden Knights have had -200 or better odds this season; the Golden Knights are 2-0-2 SU in those games. The total is set at 6.5 and is unlikely to shift.

Chicago News & Notes

Consistency has eluded the Blackhawks so far; Chicago has alternated wins and losses over its past six games while putting together just one two-game winning streak all season. And like Vegas, offense has been an issue, with the Blackhawks entering Wednesday’s showdown at T-Mobile Arena having averaged just 2.65 goals through their first 17 games (24th in the NHL).

And there’s even more bad news for Blackhawks fans and bettors: it could be a whole lot worse. Chicago is allowing a league-high 36.8 shots per night, with its .918 team save percentage (T-5th) the only reason the Blackhawks aren’t mired at the bottom of the Western Conference. Chicago has outshot the opposition just four times so far in 2019-20.

Vegas News & Notes

One-goal games have given the Golden Knights major fits in recent weeks; Vegas has dropped five of six games overall, and four of those defeats have come by a goal. Vegas has a .375 winning rate in one-goal affairs this season, good for 25th overall; Vegas posted a .515 success rate last season (14th) and a .579 mark in its inaugural campaign (9th).

A lack of scoring has been the primary culprit for the Golden Knights’ recent struggles. They scored two or fewer goals in each of the four games on their road trip, and have slipped to 19th overall in goals per game (2.84). Coupled with Marc-Andre Fleury and Malcolm Subban continuing to supply solid goaltending, it’s easy to see why the UNDER is 3-1-1 in Vegas’ last five games.

Betting Pick: Golden Knights Puckline

Chicago is giving up a ton of shots, which should make for ideal get-right conditions for a Vegas team that is due for a little more puck luck and should be buoyed by a return to T-Mobile Arena.