The Vegas Golden Knights (29-17-3) are hoping to turn things around tonight when they face off against the New York Rangers (26-14-8) at Madison Square Garden. This is the second and final matchup between these teams this season, with the Blueshirts soundly beating the Golden Knights 5-1 in the first one back in early December.
Despite winning six of the last eight meetings, Vegas comes into this game as the underdog with the opening odds set at -161 in favor of New York. The total opened at 6. The Golden Knights’ last six road games have all gone UNDER the total, as have five of the Rangers’ last six contests overall.
Latest Betting Notes: Golden Knights
This team looked unbeatable to begin the season, going 16-4-1 in its first 21 games. But since then, the Knights have won only 13 of 28 contests, including just two of their last eight. Tonight marks the third in a season-long six-game road trip for Vegas, which lost the first two to Arizona and New Jersey.
The offense seems to have dried up recently. Jack Eichel is pointless in three straight and has just one assist in his last six contests. Chandler Stephenson is also going through a cold spell as he hasn’t scored a goal in eight consecutive games.
There is a bit of good news, though, as the team expects defenseman Shea Theodore to return to the lineup tonight after missing 20 games with a leg injury.
Latest Betting Notes: Rangers
You can expect New York to be all-in tonight as this is the Rangers’ final game before the all-star break. They don’t play again until February 6. The Rangers are coming off a disappointing loss to Toronto on Wednesday, blowing a late lead before falling in overtime. They have alternated wins and losses in their last six games.
Mika Zibanejad has the hot hand for New York right now with seven goals in his last dozen contests, while Adam Fox has 13 points over his last 11 games. New York is 6-0 in its last six games vs Western Conference opponents.
Golden Knights Player Prop: Chandler Stephenson Anytime Goal Scorer (+270)
Let me preface this by saying Stephenson has been invisible throughout his career vs the Rangers, failing to find the back of the net in 12 games. And yes, he hasn’t scored in quite some time. So why would I go with him, you ask? For a couple of reasons. Firstly, all things have to come to an end at some point and it’s certainly time for him to get the monkey off his back. Secondly, Stephenson is a much different hockey player this season. He leads the team with 43 points and is a big part of the Vegas offense. At +270, the number is too good to pass up.
Rangers Player Prop: Artemi Panarin Anytime Goal Scorer (+220)
The Rangers winger may not be able to bet on himself, but if history is any indication, anybody looking to make money tonight should lay down a wager on Panarin. He loves playing the Golden Knights. In six career games vs Vegas, he has 12 points, including three three-point games. Panarin has just one goal in his last nine games and has been held off the scoresheet in three of his last four. He is having a disappointing season, by his standards, sitting tied for 29th in league scoring with 50 points, so a visit from Vegas may be just what the doctor ordered.
