by Chuck Sommers
Wednesday, Apr 27, 2022
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Venue: United Center, Chicago, IL
Where to watch: NBC Sports Chicago, AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountain
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Golden Knights -200, Blackhawks +165
BetMGM: Golden Knights -225, Blackhawks +170
Caesars: Golden Knights -222, Blackhawks +805
Season record
Golden Knights: 42-31-7
Blackhawks: 27-42-11
Ben Burns has reeled off a strong 24-13-0 run over the last month in the NHL. The last week of the NHL season is here before we get cracking to playoff coverage. Who's going to clinch the last two wild-card spots in the West? Who's going to go into the postseason with all the momentum from the Eastern Conference? We can't wait to find out, and we know you can't wait to get going, either, with our tremendous expert picks. Catch Ben's plays available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.
Golden Knights - Blackhawks preview and analysis
Well, the nails are placed, the hammer is at the ready, and the Undertaker (not the wrestler, but that’d be epic if that were the case) is ready to slam the casket shut on the Vegas Golden Knights in their quest to miss the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
What a run it’s been. What an incredible four years it was, and surely what an eventful time it’s been to go from the exciting darlings that stole the hearts of everyone, to now becoming one of the more hated franchises in all of sports.
And as the Golden Knights ready for what could be the inevitable demise when they face the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night, we look back at what could’ve been with this group had things not transpired the way they did. Had they taken care of business with wins over the likes of Vancouver, New Jersey, Buffalo, Philadelphia to name a few, and had injuries maybe not played such a problem, maybe they’d be resting up for the playoffs right now.
Instead, the Golden Knights need to win these final two games and hope the Dallas Stars lose their last two in regulation in order to make the playoffs. Considering the Stars have to face the Anaheim Ducks and Arizona Coyotes to close things out, things are not looking great for Vegas.
The Golden Knights lost 3-2 in a shootout against Dallas on Tuesday despite leading at two different points in the game.
"I thought our guys left everything on the ice tonight," Vegas coach Peter DeBoer said. "We've got a lot of guys playing banged up and they gave us what they had.
"We've still got a pulse. We're not eliminated. I'm proud of our group. I thought we came in and played a [heck] of a road game. Got the lead, was up again. Had some chances to win the game that we just didn't finish on."
To be honest, it might be best for the Golden Knights to lose and just accept the fact that they’re going to get a long offseason to rest and recuperate after a long run of hockey over the past few seasons. Three trips to the final four in four seasons is just a lot to take on, and you wonder if this team will just be better off re-tooling next season and going for it in 2023.
Logan Thompson is going to be the guy to close the season out and is coming off a great 28-save performance. He stopped the first six shootout attempts before Miro Heiskanen beat him the seventh time.
"[Thompson's] been a warrior for us," Vegas forward Mark Stone said. "Put into a tough situation, first-year goalie. He had three starts before he was pushed into being our starting goalie for the toughest stretch of hockey of the season. All the props to him, he gave us a chance to win every night. It looks like he has a bright future ahead of him. He's definitely not the reason we're in this situation. He battled for us night in and night out."
The Blackhawks aren’t necessarily the problem here, as it should be expected the Golden Knights beat them. Chicago isn’t the issue so much as Dallas needs to lose to Arizona. It’s pretty simple as that.
Prediction
The Golden Knights should take care of business and win this one with ease. There’s really nothing more to it than that. Golden Knights win 4-1
Betting trends
Golden Knights are 11-8 this season after losing four or five of their last six.
Golden Knights are 12-16 this season playing a second game in five days.
Blackhawks are 9-21 this season after a non-conference game.
Projected lines
Golden Knights:
Mattias Janmark -- Jack Eichel -- Evgenii Dadonov
Max Pacioretty -- Chandler Stephenson -- Mark Stone
Jonathan Marchessault -- William Karlsson -- Nicolas Roy
William Carrier -- Michael Amadio
Brayden McNabb -- Shea Theodore
Ben Hutton -- Alex Pietrangelo
Alec Martinez -- Zach Whitecloud
Dylan Coghlan
Logan Thompson
Mattias Janmark -- Jack Eichel -- Evgenii Dadonov
Max Pacioretty -- Chandler Stephenson -- Mark Stone
Jonathan Marchessault -- William Karlsson -- Nicolas Roy
William Carrier -- Michael Amadio
Brayden McNabb -- Shea Theodore
Ben Hutton -- Alex Pietrangelo
Alec Martinez -- Zach Whitecloud
Dylan Coghlan
Logan Thompson
Blackhawks:
Alex DeBrincat -- Dylan Strome -- Patrick Kane
Dominik Kubalik -- Jonathan Toews -- Tyler Johnson
Philipp Kurashev -- Sam Lafferty -- Taylor Raddysh
Henrik Borgstrom -- Reese Johnson -- Boris Katchouk
Alex Vlasic -- Seth Jones
Jake McCabe -- Alec Regula
Riley Stillman -- Erik Gustafsson
Kevin Lankinen
Alex DeBrincat -- Dylan Strome -- Patrick Kane
Dominik Kubalik -- Jonathan Toews -- Tyler Johnson
Philipp Kurashev -- Sam Lafferty -- Taylor Raddysh
Henrik Borgstrom -- Reese Johnson -- Boris Katchouk
Alex Vlasic -- Seth Jones
Jake McCabe -- Alec Regula
Riley Stillman -- Erik Gustafsson
Kevin Lankinen
Statistical leaders
Golden Knights:
Points: Jonathan Marchessault -- 64
Goals: Jonathan Marchessault -- 29
Assists: Chandler Stephenson -- 40
Goalie: Logan Thompson -- 9-5-2, 2.64 GAA, .918 SV%
Blackhawks:
Points: Patrick Kane -- 92
Goals: Alex DeBrincat -- 41
Assists: Patrick Kane -- 66
Goalie: Kevin Lankinen -- 7-15-6, 3.53 GAA, .890 SV%
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
