Vegas Golden Knights Travel to Pittsburgh to Face the Penguins

The Vegas Golden Knights will head to the PPG Paints Arena on Friday evening to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins in a non-conference matchup.

This is the second and final game against one another as the Penguins were able to pick up a 5-3 road victory on January 17. The Golden Knights are currently third in the Pacific Division (32-21-4, 68 points) while riding a two-game winning streak, while the Penguins are third in the Metropolitan Division (34-14-9, 77 points) after an overtime road loss. 

Both teams are looking to continue climbing their respective divisional standings as they are both on the verge of taking over the lead there. Let’s look a little deeper into Vegas and Pittsburgh to figure out how to bet in this game.

Game Preview: Vegas Golden Knights at Pittsburgh Penguins March 11th

The Golden Knights are playing well on the offensive side of the ice as they are averaging 3.16 goals on 33.8 shots per game, while the Penguins are scoring 3.21 goals on 34.7 shot attempts this season. Vegas’ center Jonathan Marchessault has been leading the team with 42 points (24 goals, 18 assists), and that is including six points in his previous four games.

Compare that to the production provided by left winger Jake Guentzel, who is tied for 22nd in the sport in points and tied for 14th in goals, as he has produced 57 points (27 goals, 30 assists) while adding five points in his last three games. 

These defenses are going to be a major difference, and it begins with the goaltenders. Vegas’ goalie Robin Lehner is currently 21-14-1 with a 90.9 save percentage and 2.79 goals given up this season, while Pittsburgh’s goaltender Tristan Jarry is sitting at 27-11-5 with 2.30 goals allowed and a 92.1 save percentage this season.

As a team, the Golden Knights are allowing 2.91 goals on 29.8 shots while the Penguins are giving up 2.58 goals on 30.3 shot attempts per game this season.  

Vegas Golden Knights at Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Prediction

Jake Guentzel is the most talented offensive player on the ice for either franchise this season, and that provides a huge plus for the Penguins. Also, the Golden Knights are traveling to the opposite side of the country on a road trip and could be getting used to the time zone difference as well.

The difference seems to be on the defensive side of the ice as of late as Vegas is allowing 3.33 goals in their previous three games while Pittsburgh is giving up 2.4 goals in their last five games. Tristan Jarry has been dominant, as we highlighted earlier in the article, so the defensive side is dominating in favor of the Penguins.

Neither team has a great record against the spread this season as the Golden Knights are 24-33 while the Penguins are 27-30 so far. 

* All odds provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.