NHL Betting Guide for December 28: Go High on the Total in Tampa as Point returns
Get your hockey fix while you can, as games are being postponed left, right and center because of the pandemic. Montreal is one of the few Canadian teams to play as scheduled following the Christmas break as they take on Tampa at 7:00 PM ET while the Golden Knights meet the Kings in LA at 10:30 PM ET.
Of course, we’ll be using FanDuel Sportsbook to give you all the latest odds for tonight’s games.
COVID-19 is ravaging the NHL, but if there is one team that knows how to battle through adversity, it’s the Golden Knights. Vegas spent the beginning of this season dealing with more injuries than they likely want to remember.
Two-thirds of the Golden Knights’ first line is a game-time decision. Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone are both dealing with injuries, but Vegas already played a significant portion of the season without them. In Stone’s previous outing on December 21, he had to leave after playing eight minutes, but he still put up a two-goal night. In addition, Pacioretty seems to be dealing with bumps and bruises, so it’s likely not anything significant. Knights goaltender Robin Lehner is day-to-day, but Laurent Brossoit is a solid backup. Chandler Stephenson has stepped up this season with all the injuries. He leads the Golden Knights with 31 points in 31 games.
Before the extended Christmas break, Los Angeles was 5-2-1 over its previous eight games. Meanwhile, Vegas is fourth in goals per game, averaging 3.47, while the Kings are 27th at 2.57.
From here on out, the NHL season might come down to which team can manage absences the best, and we’ve already seen that Vegas is excellent at that.
We’re rolling the dice with the Golden Knights.
The Picks: Golden Knights Moneyline (-146), Under 6 (-122), Chandler Stephenson – Points: Over 0.5 (-160)
All NHL predictions and picks are courtesy of SportsGrid
Odds courtesy of Fanduel Sportsbook. Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook today and get your first bet risk-free for up to $1,000.
