The Vegas Golden Knights are severely hampered by a long list of key injuries and are returning home in cold form, having lost four of their last five games. Conversely, the Dallas Stars bring strong road confidence and a significant historical advantage against Vegas, despite both teams currently being on two-game losing streaks. This matchup is projected to be high-scoring, with Dallas's superior power play and Vegas's defensive vulnerabilities playing key roles.
Brief analysis
The Vegas Golden Knights are significantly hampered by injuries, with key players like defenseman Alex Pietrangelo (out for season), center William Karlsson, and goaltender Carter Hart all sidelined. Additionally, important depth players such as Brayden McNabb, Brandon Saad, Colton Sissons, and Brett Howden are out. This widespread impact across defense, offense, and goaltending creates a high injury burden for Vegas. The Dallas Stars, while missing veteran center Tyler Seguin for the season, have fewer immediate impactful absences, with defensemen Ilya Lyubushkin and Lian Bichsel expected to return shortly. Consequently, Vegas is much more affected by injuries for this game.
Dallas holds a strong historical advantage in this matchup, consistently earning points against Vegas over their last ten meetings.
The Vegas Golden Knights are favored on the moneyline at -134, with the Dallas Stars as underdogs at +112. The spread is set at Vegas -1.5, with the total goals at 6.5. No significant line movement has been reported from the opening odds.
The Vegas Golden Knights are severely depleted by injuries to key players, including their starting goaltender, significantly weakening their defensive and overall structure. The Dallas Stars, despite being on a two-game skid, have a strong road record and a significant historical advantage against Vegas, consistently earning points in their head-to-head matchups. Their superior power play and Vegas's recent defensive vulnerabilities further tilt the scales in Dallas's favor, making them a strong pick as the underdog.