Will the Knights get the must-win in the playoff race?

Hope against misery – and once again the Vegas Golden Knights are in the middle of it. This time, however, as the more hopeful opponent in this matchup against the New Jersey Devils, who have already been eliminated from the playoff race.

They’ve had a truly epidemic season, missing the postseason for the tenth time in the last eleven seasons. That doesn’t speak well for the front office either, which has failed to execute a rebuild with any success.

To make matters worse, they now have a whopping eight players on their Injury Report, including top performers like Jack Hughes, Ryan Graves and Jimmy Vesey. That makes them the clear underdogs in the game against the Knights, who are under pressure to win.

How games can turn out, in which one team has nothing at stake and one team has a playoff spot at stake, was recently shown by the Flames against the Coyotes or the Capitals against the Canadiens. That’s why our prediction for Knights vs. Devils is a clear win for the home team

Vegas Golden Knights – Statistics & current form

The 0:4 against the Oilers was a bitter setback for Vegas. But that result doesn’t begin to reflect how the game went. The Golden Knights fired 39 shots – more than the Canadiens. The fact that none of them hit the net was due to an over-day by Oilers goalie Mike Smith.

So despite the loss, they can build on this performance and now make the Devils bleed for it. Against the fifth weakest team in the league, anything less than a convincing home victory would be a surprise.

Target 8th place in the West

Meanwhile, they are again three points behind the Kings with a game in hand. They certainly expected this to be different in Vegas, but all is not lost yet. However, to still have a realistic chance, they need to win all of their remaining six games.

The Knights’ problem: In addition to their three-point lead, the Kings also have the easier remaining schedule. That makes a win against the Devils all the more important. That makes the conditions clear and for that reason alone we are already expecting a top performance from Vegas.

Knights much stronger defensively than the Devils

To add to that defensive superiority, there are numbers to be had. 3.64 to 2.96 is the balance of goals conceded per game – to the disadvantage of the Devils. They concede 0.69 more goals per game, which is a lot in the NHL.

In addition, the Knights also score 0.12 more goals per game (3.16 to 3.04), which makes the superiority perfect. For Knights vs. Devils, a tip on Vegas is therefore still clearly recommended even with a slight to medium handicap.

Key Players:
G: Robin Lehner
D: Dylan Coghlan
D: Alex Pietrangelo
LW: William Karlsson
C: Jack Eichel
RW: Jonathan Marchessault

New Jersey Devils – Statistics & current form

The Devils are still trying to finish the season in some sort of honourable fashion, even if they keep getting rocks thrown in between their skids. Eight key players are now on the Injury Report, including top scorer Jack Hughes.

Defensive mainstays Ryan Graves and Jonas Siegenthaler were also recently added to the list, which led to a 4-3 defeat against the even weaker Seattle Kraken. At least Hughes and Graves still have a minimal chance of playing again on Monday

Losing makes more sense than winning?

The only question is whether the Devils would use their top two players if they did. For one thing, they shouldn’t risk them getting more seriously injured, and for another, losing isn’t exactly bad for them right now in terms of draft order.

The Flyers are only two points behind them and if they could still let them pass, they would very likely have one of the top picks this year – with chances even for the No.1 pick. So the temptation to stop giving 100% is definitely there.

Nico Hischier still fully motivated

One player you can tell is still 100% motivated through the season is Switzerland’s Nico Hischier. He scored eight points in the last five games and has already clearly surpassed his season best of 52 points from the 2017/18 season.

But Hischier alone is not enough. Against the Knights, who are playing for survival, it will be enormously difficult and so the odds on Vegas vs. New Jersey make sense in all respects. Whether pure win bets, with handicap or on individual thirds – every bet per Vegas is clearly to be favoured here.

Key Players:
G: Nico Daws
D: Colton White
D: Damon Severson
LW: Yegor Sharangovich
C: Nico Hischier
RW: Fabian Zetterlund

Vegas Golden Knights – New Jersey Devils Direct comparison / H2H-balance

As if we hadn’t already listed enough points in Vegas’ favour, there’s also the head-to-head record. All four of their last head-to-head duels have gone to the Golden Knights, including their only meeting this season (5-3 in December).

The Devils haven’t won against the Knights since 2018, and we don’t trust them to do so in their current form. After all, New Jersey has only won three of its last ten games, while Vegas has won seven.

For Golden Knights vs. Devils, Vegas -2 odds are our top recommendation, followed by bets on many goals by the home team. They will certainly want to bounce back from their 0-goal performance against the Oilers.

Vegas Golden Knights – New Jersey Devils Tip

The Golden Knights are on the precipice, the Devils are already one step further – and down. There is virtually nothing left at stake for them, which is of great importance in this physical league. Because even 5% less effort is a lot here.

That, the Knights’ generally better squad and the Devils’ injury problems make betting pretty easy for us here. On Vegas vs. New Jersey, a bet on the Knights even with a medium handicap is our clear betting recommendation.

Alternative in this matchup: bet on over-points. Aside from the Oilers game, the Knights have been good offensively of late and if there was one thing that has worked to some extent for New Jersey, it was scoring goals as well.