Golden Knights vs Blackhawks

Vegas comes in on a four-game losing streak, but the underlying matchup still tilts their way: they’re the deeper roster front-to-back with Jack Eichel, Mark Stone and Mitch Marner all active, while Chicago is missing young pivot Frank Nazar and still carries Shea Weber on long-term injured reserve, thinning an already shallow blue line. Recent form is noisy here—Chicago has won two straight behind Spencer Knight, but over the season the Blackhawks are still underwater in goal differential and trail Vegas significantly in five-on-five shot share and special-teams efficiency, with the Knights’ power play and penalty kill both grading out top-10 league-wide versus Chicago’s heavy penalty minutes. Eichel’s track record against the Blackhawks (15 points in 19 career games) and Carter Hart’s shootout win over Chicago in the first meeting this season reinforce Vegas’ edge in top-end talent and goaltending ceiling, and with the Knights sitting firmly in the Pacific playoff bracket while Chicago is already drifting toward lottery territory, motivation skews slightly toward the Cup contender needing to halt a slide. That said, laying -250 on a road favorite in the middle of a slump isn’t cheap, so while I project Vegas to win this game more often than the implied probability, the price and recent wobble on defense keep this at a B- rather than a slam-dunk A-level position. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 04/01/2026 09:32

This matchup quietly sets up for offense despite Vegas’ strong season-long defensive metrics, as the Knights are allowing more than three goals per game during their current skid and have coughed up at least four in each of their last four outings, while Bedard, Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen headline a Chicago top six that’s produced three or more goals in four of the last five. On the macro side, Vegas is sitting around 3.1 goals for and 3.0 against per night, Chicago roughly 2.8 for and 3.2 against, giving a baseline expectation close to six goals before you layer in the Knights’ high-end power play versus a Blackhawks team that takes a ton of penalties, and the fact that both clubs lean heavily on their stars, which tends to keep top units out in offensive situations late rather than shutting things down. Goaltending is capable but volatile here—Akira Schmid and Hart have been up-and-down for Vegas, while Knight has been excellent but is being asked to carry a huge workload behind a defense that bleeds shots from dangerous areas—making a pure “goalie steals it” under less attractive than usual. With their first meeting this season finishing 4-3 and both teams trending more toward track meets than rock fights recently, I lean to Over 6 at -133 and grade it a B: the number is fair and juiced, but the combination of current form, special-teams profiles and star-driven offense gives the over a modest edge. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 04/01/2026 09:32

Given Vegas’ profile this year, I’m more comfortable taking Chicago on the puckline than I am laying goals with the road favorite: the Knights have already piled up 11 overtime or shootout losses, a classic sign of a team living in one-goal territory, and their first matchup with the Blackhawks was a 4-3 shootout decision where Bedard and Bertuzzi both found the net before Vegas escaped. Even in this recent four-game losing streak the Knights have generally been within a goal late, while Chicago’s last five have all landed on exactly one or two goals either way, with Knight giving them consistently above-average goaltending and Bedard driving enough offense to keep them in games even when out-shot. Nazar’s injury dings Chicago’s center depth, but their current roster—Bertuzzi, Connor Murphy, Alex Vlasic and an emerging young blue line—has settled into a competitive mid-pack group, and Vegas’ tendency to trade chances rather than sit on a lead means backdoor covers are very live. With playoff context at the midpoint of the season (Chicago around 41 games played and already a long shot for a berth, Vegas a near-lock in the Pacific), I expect the underdog to treat this as a measuring-stick game and lean heavily on its top line, which should at least keep the scoreline tight more often than not. At -118 for +1.5 goals, you’re paying some tax but getting elite cover probability in a matchup that has all the markings of another one-goal result, so I grade Blackhawks +1.5 as a B+. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 04/01/2026 09:32