Avalanche vs. Golden Knights Odds
| Avalanche Odds | -110 |
| Golden Knights Odds | -110 |
| Over/Under | 6.5 (-115/-105) |
| Time | 10 p.m. ET |
| TV | ATTSN-RM |
| Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
We have a Western Conference tilt on Saturday night as the Pacific Division's Vegas Golden Knights host the Central Division's Colorado Avalanche. Vegas has won five of the past seven meetings between these two clubs.
Will the Golden Knights take care of business once again, or can the Avalanche avoid a third straight loss?
Colorado Avalanche
This game is not an ideal spot for the Avalanche as they are on the second half of a back-to-back while playing their third game in four nights. To make matters worse, they are coming off one-goal losses to the Winnipeg Jets and Seattle Kraken.
Colorado has not looked as sharp as many expected as the Avalanche are just 2-2-1 through five games. Perhaps there is still a bit of a hangover from their championship run last season, or perhaps the downgrade at goaltender is a bigger concern than anticipated.
Since the Avalanche are on the second half of a back-to-back, we can expect Alexandar Georgiev to take the net. Through three starts this season, he possesses a .893 SV% and 3.00 GAA.
His start to the year is a continuation of a very poor season in New York, where he posted a .898 SV% and 2.92 GAA over 33 appearances. To be fair, he was in a difficult backup role where he usually only played on back-to-backs or when Igor Shesterkin needed a rest. Regardless, he didn't impress when given chances.
In his last start against Vegas, Georgiev allowed five goals on 35 shots for a .857 SV%. In front of him is an offense that has gotten off to a sluggish start this year, particularly at even strength.
At 5v5, the Avalanche rank just 23rd in the league in expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF/60).
Vegas Golden Knights
Starting the year off in great form, the Vegas Golden Knights are 4-1 with their lone loss coming on the road against the talented Calgary Flames. The Golden Knights’ metrics are strong as they rank eighth in the league at 5v5 in xGF and seventh in xGA.
Logan Thompson is projected to take the crease and he's looked sharp since taking over as the primary netminder. Through three starts this season, Thompson is 2-1 with a .938 SV% and 2.02 GAA.
Among starting goaltenders, he ranks fifth at 5v5 in GSAx/60. In a limited role last season, Thompson looked like he belonged as a starter in this league as he posted a .914 SV% and 2.68 GAA over 18 appearances.
Thompson would have ranked 12th among starting goaltenders at 5v5 in GSAx/60 if he would have qualified. After a disappointing campaign last year, this Vegas team is now fully healthy and the results have improved through the first few games.
Avalanche vs. Golden Knights Pick
Should we be worried about the Colorado Avalanche and their slow start to the season? Absolutely not.
This team will be just fine and will get back into its dominant form rather quickly. However, will they figure things out while playing their third game in four nights on the second half of a back-to-back?
I would wager that won't.
Pick: Vegas Golden Knights ML (-110) | Play up to (-130)
