The Vegas Golden Knights are picked to beat the Nashville Predators in 60 minutes on Saturday 14 November at T-Mobile Arena, where two teams arriving on winning runs meet with a result market already leaning toward the home side. The recommended 3-way moneyline price is 1.88, a number that implies the Golden Knights are viewed as the more likely winner in regulation even with Nashville riding a six-game streak.
That is why this matchup is drawing attention now. The Predators come in off a 4-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center, their sixth straight victory, while the Golden Knights followed a 5-3 win over Utah Mammoth at T-Mobile Arena with a fourth straight win of their own. Steven Stamkos was one of four different Nashville players on the scoresheet in that latest victory, and Justus Annunen stopped 27 shots. For Vegas, Ivan Barbashev scored twice, while Jack Eichel, Brett Howden and Victor Olofsson also found the net.
The teams also know each other well enough to make the number interesting. Their last meeting ended in a 5-2 Golden Knights win over the Predators at Bridgestone Arena, and both sides have taken five of the previous 10 head-to-head meetings. The recent form lines are close but not identical: Nashville is 7-1-2 in its last 10, averaging 3.5 goals on 27.1 shots while allowing 2.2 goals, and Vegas is 5-3-2, scoring 2.7 goals on 27.2 shots and conceding 2.9. Nashville's special teams have also been sharper, with a 23.7% power play and 96.9% penalty kill, compared with Vegas at 26.9% and 80.0%.
That is where the recommendation meets its own test. The Golden Knights are still the side suggested to win in 60 minutes, but the Predators have been hard to shake, and the numbers around recent scoring and goaltending show why. Filip Forsberg leads Nashville with 14 points over the last 10 games, Roman Josi has 13, and Juuse Saros has a 1.96 goals-against average with a.933 save percentage and one shutout. Mitchell Marner leads Vegas with 12 points, Tomas Hertl has eight, and Carter Hart carries a 2.75 GAA and.874 SV%. Marner has also finished with one assist or more in five straight home games, which gives the Golden Knights one more angle in a meeting that is set to decide whether Nashville's streak keeps going or Vegas protects its own.
