Vegas Golden Knights at Carolina Hurricanes 2/1/19 NHL Pick
The Golden Knights have had to battle back quite a bit this season and it is easy to see the team slipping back into the struggles yet again. However, the Golden Knights do have a very experienced roster, even if it was made up of players from all over the league last year. The epic run the Golden Knights made last season actually was one that led to the Golden Knights gelling quite a bit. The Hurricanes, though, for their part should be playing quite a bit more consistent than what they have been so far and a lot of that comes from the fact the Hurricanes started off as a red hot team and quickly fell back to the middle of the pack and now, in the Metro Division are actually only 9 points away from the basement, but 9 points away from first place.
Vegas Golden Knights Preview
The Golden Knights really looked like they were in the middle of a sophomore slump earlier this season. However, some quick action by the Golden Knights coaching staff turned that around and have the Golden Knights battling again for a potential playoff run. The coaching is one aspect of the Golden Knights that has helped the team start to be seen as one of the teams that is a serious threat any time they step skate on the ice. What else has helped the Golden Knights out quite a bit is the fact the defense started to show up big in the games and has slowed down the opponent’s offenses.
The Golden Knights on the year have been playing decent as the team has managed to score 3.00 goals a game. However, the leading scorer for the Golden Knights is Alex Tuch who has managed to get 40 points on the year with 16 goals and 24 assist. However, scoring the goals for the Golden Knights is actually a player who has not really been heard from and that is a player who is going to shock a lot of people in Jonathan Marchessault. When it comes to the defense the Golden Knights have only allowed 2.67 goals a game. The leader for the Golden Knights in net is a player that a lot of people are very familiar with in Marc Andre-Fleury who has saved 91.1% of the pucks sent his way, but also has picked up 27 wins and only allowed 2.49 goals a game.
Carolina Hurricanes Preview
Carolina is heading into this game after picking up a recent victory over the Vancouver Canucks. Now, normally a victory like that would not be something to write home about, but the Canucks have been playing at a higher level than what they were early on in the season and any type of win is going to be a good thing. So this is going to really help give the Hurricanes a confidence boost as they are heading into the game here, but the Golden Knights are definitely not the same level of team as the Canucks and it will definitely test the limits of the Hurricanes in this game.
The Hurricanes on the year have been slow on the offensive side of the puck with only 2.78 goals a game. The leading scorer for the Hurricanes actually dominates in all the categories that are really considered important in hockey as Sebastian Aho has managed to score 22 goals, get 35 assist, and leads the Hurricanes in overall points with 57 points. When it comes to the goal keeping the Hurricanes are not horrible, but not that great either as they are giving up 2.94 goals a game. The Hurricanes have been playing a goalie by committee type of play as well, but the leader when it comes to getting the wins for the Hurricanes has been Curtis McElhinney who has picked up 11 wins and a 91.4% of the shots saved, but he has ended up getting a 2.50 goals against average.
Golen Knights at Hurricanes Line: Carolina Hurricanes -110 O/U 6
My Free NHL Pick: Vegas Golden Knights -110
Okay, here is my take, the Hurricanes have been playing decent on the season, but the Hurricanes have also struggled against teams that have been playing on an up on the season and that is definitelt what the Golden Knights have been doing recently. I personally think this game is going to be a battle, but the Hurricanes defense will not beable to stand up to the constant assault the Golen Knights can put on the ice. I also look for the Golden Knights defense to be able to handle Aho and shut him down, which will lead to the Hurricanes losing the offensive production. I look for the Golden Knights to come away with a victory here 3-2.
