Sunday evening in the NHL brings us a big time showdown between the Vegas Golden Knights and New York Rangers. Madison Square Garden will have some of the NHL’s best players like Jack Eichel and Artemi Panarin battling for an important two points.
Vegas has been vying for the top of the Pacific Division, but they have multiple opponents on their tail. As for the Rangers, a disappointing season is still alive as they desperately push for a playoff spot.
This will be a great battle between two teams who hold themselves at a high standard, and we are here with some Golden Knights vs. Rangers predictions.
Vegas has won nearly 60% of their games, and earned points in over 70%. They are also on a three-game point streak, where they have gone 1-0-2. However, the team has gone 3-6-3 in their last 12 games, which I think should increase their urgency in this game against a good team.
New York also bested them in January, which is something Vegas would like to pay them back for. The Rangers just acquired star forward J.T. Miller, but in his first game the team lost 6-3 to a middling Boston Bruins team. This proves that the Rangers are still filled with holes and inconsistencies, and the fact they are playing in their second game in as many nights does not help.
Vegas is a rock-solid team with many elite players that include a deep and well-balanced forward unit, strong goaltending, and one of the best defense corps in the NHL. Even on the road, they should be able to frustrate New York in ways of both offense and defense, resulting in a win.
The star power present in this game is real. While the two teams are in very different spots in the standings, both the Rangers and Golden Knights have multiple players who are considered the NHL’s best offensive producers.
Vegas currently ranks fifth in goals per game at 3.3 goals, and have been just okay at keeping it out with the 13th best goals against average of 2.65. This means they should have no issues scoring, but could see a few go by them.
Vegas should score multiple times as New York has been even worse at defending with a 2.92 goals against average, ranking 22nd. Even though they have the 15th best goals per game average of 3.0, they have guys on the team who can score on any given night.
J.T. Miller has been on Vancouver’s trade block practically all season, but he has found a new home in New York. He kicked off his reacquaintance with the Rangers with a bang, scoring two goals on six shots in a losing effort.
It is clear he is hungry to get off on the right foot, and to help his team in a desperate playoff push. Not only that, but Miller portrayed a man with the weight off his shoulders now that he is finally with a new team.
He was buzzing in his first game, and I expect to see the same in this one. Six shots is a higher than usual amount for Miller, but this line is only at 1.5, which I expect him to crush, especially as the Rangers could find themselves down early, in need of goals against a powerhouse team.
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Vegas Golden Knights | -130 ML |
New York Rangers | +110 ML |
Puck Line | VGS Golden Knights -1.5 |
Total | O/U 6.5 |
Jack Eichel (VGS Golden Knights) | +140 |
Artemi Panarin (NY Rangers) | +170 |
Pavel Dorofeyev (VGS Golden Knights) | +180 |
Chris Kreider (NY Rangers) | +190 |
Mark Stone (VGS Golden Knights) | +200 |
Tomas Hertl (VGS Golden Knights) | +220 |
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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.