Devils vs Golden Knights

Vegas rides a seven-game point streak (6-0-1) into this matchup, while New Jersey has just two wins in its last nine and recently endured a four-game losing skid that included a 3-0 home loss to the Golden Knights, underlining the gap in current form between these teams. Layer on the injury situation and the contrast sharpens: the Devils remain without Jack Hughes after finger surgery, have Simon Nemec on injured reserve, and are missing multiple depth forwards and defensemen such as Arseny Gritsyuk and Brett Pesce, leaving Luke Hughes and Dougie Hamilton to shoulder heavy minutes on a thinned blue line, whereas Vegas’ main concern is the status of Pavel Dorofeyev and otherwise skates close to a full roster. Historically this matchup has tilted heavily Vegas’ way, with the Knights now 10-2-3 all-time against New Jersey and coming off a December 5 win where Jack Eichel posted two assists and Shea Theodore drove play from the back end, and that’s before factoring in Carter Hart’s strong recent run behind a structured defense versus Jacob Markstrom’s up-and-down form behind a patchwork unit. With the Golden Knights 7-4-4 at home and the Devils just 8-8-0 on the road, the price at -190 implies a win probability in the mid-60s, which still looks reasonable given Vegas’ form, health, and matchup history; I’m backing the Golden Knights moneyline at -190 with a B+ grade for high likelihood but only moderate standalone value at this number. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 17/12/2025 09:39am

The total sitting at 5.5 feels a touch low when you weigh Vegas’ offensive ceiling against New Jersey’s injury-riddled defense and erratic goaltending, even with the Devils’ recent scoring funk. The Knights have been generating consistent offense during their 6-0-1 surge, with Eichel driving a top-heavy attack flanked by Mark Stone, Tomas Hertl, Ivan Barbashev, Mitch Marner and a mobile back end featuring Theodore and Noah Hanifin, and they have already put three past the Devils once this month and three more on Columbus in their latest win. New Jersey’s path to the over rests on its remaining skill — Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, Nico Hischier and Luke Hughes — but that group now has to carry a lineup missing Hughes, Nemec and several supporting forwards, which has contributed to breakdowns on the penalty kill and a tendency to chase games after early goals against, as seen in the recent loss to Vancouver where two early power-play goals set the tone. With Vegas pushing pace at home and New Jersey’s defensive structure compromised, there are enough routes to six or more goals — from Vegas piling on at five-on-five and on the power play to a Devils bounce-back with some score effects late — to make Over 5.5 at -105 the lean, earning a B grade given the combination of matchup edge and fair price but some volatility from Hart’s strong form and New Jersey’s current offensive inconsistency. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 17/12/2025 09:39am

For the puckline, Vegas -1.5 at +143 is a higher-variance angle that leans into how this matchup has actually played out: the Knights have already beaten New Jersey by three earlier this month and also handled them comfortably last season, and they come in on a roll while the Devils are sputtering and heavily undermanned. Vegas’ ability to roll Eichel, Stone and Hertl down the middle, with Marner and Barbashev providing additional playmaking and finishing, gives them multiple lines that can exploit a Devils defense missing Nemec and Pesce and leaning hard on Luke Hughes and Hamilton, and that offensive depth showed in the special-teams-driven 3-0 win in Newark where Vegas pulled away late. The main counterpoint is that underdogs catching +1.5 with a relatively low total often stay inside the number, and Vegas has not been a puckline machine of late, covering just once in its last five by the closing spread despite strong overall results, while New Jersey still ices enough scoring talent in Bratt, Meier and Hischier to threaten a backdoor or force a one-goal game. Even so, with the Knights’ historical 10-2-3 dominance in the series, current form, home-ice advantage and the likelihood of New Jersey needing to open up if they trail, the plus-money side on Vegas -1.5 is my puckline preference at +143, graded B- because the matchup points to multi-goal potential but recent ATS trends and a 5.5 total leave real room for one-goal outcomes. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 17/12/2025 09:39am