The Vegas Golden Knights look to even the series at two games apiece at Capital One Arena in Game 4 of the . NBC will showcase the matchup, and the puck drops at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, June 4.
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Washington Capitals Odds
Washington (+105) is entering this one as the underdog to Washington (-125), and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -120 for the under and +100 for the over.
Vegas is 64-36 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 24.2 units this season. 48 of its contests have gone over the total, while another 48 have gone under and just four have pushed. This 2017-18 Golden Knights team is 28-22 SU on the road.
After sporting the 10th-strongest power-play unit in the regular season (scoring on 21.1 percent of all chances), the Golden Knights have been able to score on 18.6 percent of their postseason power plays.
Vegas’ offensive attack attempted 32.5 shots per game in the regular season, resulting in 3.2 goals per contest (ranked fourth overall in the NHL). In the playoffs, the team’s attempting an average of 31.6 shots on goal ( 2.9 goals per game).
Boasting a .930 save percentage and 28.5 saves per game, Marc-Andre Fleury (42-22-5) has been the primary option in goal for Vegas this season. If head coach Gerard Gallant decides to rest him, however, Vegas may roll with Malcolm Subban (15-7-2), who has a .910 save percentage and 2.68 goals against average this year.
The visiting Golden Knights will be led by Jonathan Marchessault and William Karlsson. Marchessault (94 points) is up to 35 goals and 59 assists, and has recorded two or more points in 28 different games. Karlsson has 50 goals and 43 assists to his name (and has notched at least one point in 63 games).
On the other side of the rink, Washington is 63-41 straight up (SU) and has netted 17.8 units for moneyline bettors this season. Through 104 regular season outings, 54 of its games have gone over the total, while 45 have gone under and just five have pushed. This year, the team’s 33-18 SU at home.
Washington has converted on 23.5 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s good enough for seventh-best in the league. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 16th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 79.3 percent of all penalties.
Washington skaters have been whistled for penalties 4.0 times per game in total this season, and 3.4 per game over their past five outings. The team has been forced to stave off opponent power plays just 7.8 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Braden Holtby has stopped 27.0 shots per game as the primary choice in goal for Washington. Holtby has 48 wins, 27 losses, and five overtime losses to his credit and has maintained a .911 save percentage and 2.74 goals against average this year.
Alex Ovechkin (63 goals, 49 assists) will lead the attack for the Capitals.
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Washington Capitals Betting Predictions
Pick: SU Winner – Golden Knights, O/U – Under
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Notes
Betting Trends
The under has hit in four of Washington’s last five games.
Vegas has managed 27.2 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Washington is averaging 33.6 shots per game over its last five home outings.
The extra-man advantage may play a critical role in the outcome of this one. The Golden Knights are 25-12 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 49-21 when they serve fewer than 10 penalty minutes, in total. The Capitals are 20-13 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 35-22 in games where they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
Washington has forced 9.8 takeaways per game over its last five home games, an improvement over its season average of 7.3 takeaways per game (ranked 14th overall).
One of the best at pressuring opposing offenses, Vegas is ranked second this season with 10.7 takeaways per game. That figure has trended upward recently, as the team has forced 12.4 takeaways over its last 10 games and 15.6 takeaways over its last five.
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