Capping off a four-game slate in the NHL on Wednesday will be the Colorado Avalanche visiting the Vegas Golden Knights in a matchup between two recent Stanley Cup winners.
In recent years, this matchup has been a heavyweight bout as the Avs won the Cup in 2022 and the Golden Knights won it in 2023. To add intrigue to the NHL’s first week of the season, this is a great one for the league to have on the docket.
The Vegas home-ice advantage is no secret. Since their inaugural season in the NHL, Vegas has been one of the toughest barns in hockey for visiting teams. Last year was no exception.
The Golden Knights were the joint-seventh best home team last year in terms of points. This year, with yet another good team in a season opener that will be nationally televised, the T-Mobile Arena will be wild. Look for the players to feed off of the home crowd.
This Golden Knights side are also healthy right now with only one player - center William Karlsson - that is questionable for Wednesday. This is largely the same team that has seen success year after year.
Meanwhile, the Avalanche are facing a few questions. Granted, they still have Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Mikko Rantanen. But beyond that, they are missing Valeri Nichushkin, Gabriel Landeskog and Artturi Lehkonen.
With that, their depth will be tested against a very good Vegas team. This one looks better for the Golden Knights.
Since he arrived in Vegas during their Stanley Cup winning season in 2023, Ivan Barbashev has cemented himself as the top line left winger. He finds himself in a familiar spot on the Golden Knights’ first line with Jack Eichel and Mark Stone, as well as on the team’s second power play.
Every time Barbashev steps on the ice, he has a good chance to produce alongside talented team mates. The +132 are favorable odds for him to tally a point.
In 2023-24, Barbashev played in all 82 games and finished sixth on the Golden Knights in points with 45. This is a player who is heavily relied on by his coach and team, especially in games like this against another good team.
Barbashev brings a physical element to Vegas which is needed against Colorado. In what could be a game with a thin margin of error, Vegas may lean on their first line which will only give Barbashev more opportunity.
The Avalanche's chances to win in any game usually depend on Nathan MacKinnon. The reigning Hart Trophy winner has proven for a decade now that he is just that good.
He always has a chance to score and he has the ability to will his team to a win. Given the questions their roster has right now, MacKinnon may need to step up in this one to carry his team.
Last year, MacKinnon played in all 82 games, logging 51 goals and 140 points. That was his second consecutive season tallying over 100 points as he is firmly in the prime of his career at 28 years old.
At the end of the day, he will still be sharing the ice in this one with Rantanen and Makar. So regardless of the outcome and potential depth challenges in this matchup, MacKinnon has as good of a chance as anyone in this game to score.
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Colorado Avalanche | -110 ML |
Vegas Golden Knights | -110 ML |
Puck Line | COL -1.5 |
Total Goals | O/U 6.5 |
Nathan McKinnon (COL Avalanche) | -120 |
Mikko Rantanen (COL Avalanche) | +125 |
Jack Eichel (VGS Golden Knights) | +140 |
Tomas Hertl (VGS Golden Knights) | +260 |
Mark Stone (VGS Golden Knights) | +260 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.