Golden Knights vs. Jets Prediction
The Las Vegas Golden Knights and Winnipeg Jets have both had an improbable run to the Western Conference Finals. Which team will get the early leg up as the series opens tonight with Game 1?
Game Snapshot
21 Las Vegas Golden Knights at 22 Winnipeg Jets
Saturday, May 12, 2018
Bell MTS Place at 7PM ET
TV: NBC
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Public Betting Information
According to oddsmakers, the Jets are a -145 favorite to win on the moneyline. The Golden Knights are a +125 underdog, while the over-under is set at 6 goals. As of Saturday morning, 66 percent of public bets are coming in on visiting Las Vegas. Check out our NHL Public Betting Page for the latest info.
Smith dishing out assists
Las Vegas right winger Reilly Smith only has one goal in 10 playoff games, off the pace of when he had 22 regular season goals in 67 games. He also had 38 assists in the regular season and he has upped that pace during the postseason with 10 assists. He had one assist in each of the last two games of the series against San Jose as the Golden Knights closed it out with 5-3 and 3-0 wins. Smith is tied for the team lead in playoff points with center Jonathan Marchessault, who has four goals and seven assists. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is 8-2 in the playoffs with a 1.53 goals-against average and .951 save percentage.
Scheifele on torrid pace
Winnipeg center Mark Scheifele cannot be stopped during the playoffs as he has racked up 11 goals along with five assists over 12 games. The next-closest in goals for the Jets is center Paul Stastny, who has accounted for six goals and eight assists. Right winger Blake Wheeler is second on the squad in points with three goals and 12 assists in the postseason. Scheifele dominated Game 7 at Nashville in the 5-1 victory as he scored two goals to help send Winnipeg to the conference finals. He has 23 goals and 37 assists in 60 regular season games. Goalie Connor Hellebuyck is 8-4 in the playoffs with a 2.25 GAA and .927 save percentage.
NHL Betting Trends
Las Vegas
The Golden Knights are 11-2 in their last 13 games vs. a team with a winning record. Las Vegas is 4-0 in its last four games after its opponent allowed two or less goals in its previous game.
Winnipeg
The under is 7-1 in the last seven Jets home games. Winnipeg is 6-1 in its last seven Saturday games.
Prediction:
Winnipeg impressively knocked out Nashville on the road in Game 7 and now has a quick turnaround to host this game. Las Vegas is well-rested and won two of the three meetings this season, including in the last contest which was a 3-2 overtime victory on Feb. 1 in Winnipeg. Washington already showed that an underdog can go on the road and get a victory in Game 1. I’m not putting anything past this storybook Golden Knights team. They have proven they can beat anyone anywhere and I’m betting on them as an underdog here.
NHL DAILY PREDICTION: LAS VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS +125