Nashville has won six straight, but the most interesting part is how little it has given opponents lately: six goals across its past five games. Vegas brings a different test after scoring five against Utah for its fourth consecutive win. Can the Predators keep this game on their terms when the Golden Knights start moving the puck with an extra attacker?
Nashville is getting help beyond its familiar scorers
The Predators’ latest win wasn’t just another night of leaning on their established stars. Shane Wright, Nils Hoglander and Jayden Struble each had a goal and an assist in Wednesday’s 4-2 victory at Anaheim. Hoglander put Nashville ahead with a between-the-legs finish from the slot, then helped set up Wright’s goal. That’s useful production against Vegas: Nashville has another way to threaten if its veteran scorers aren’t finding room.
Wright’s assist was his first point in his fifth game since arriving from Seattle, while Roman Josi reached 800 career points with the first of two assists. Those contributions helped Nashville follow a shutout in Los Angeles with another road win. Across their past five games, the Predators have scored 17 goals and allowed six. They’ve been winning without needing games to turn into scoring races, which matters against a deeper Vegas attack.
One piece still bears watching: Jonathan Marchessault is listed day-to-day with a lower-body injury. His availability would change Nashville’s forward options, but it isn’t a reason to assume a particular replacement or workload. The more useful question is whether the supporting scorers who delivered in Anaheim can keep creating offense here.
Vegas can attack in more than one way
The Golden Knights’ 5-3 win over Utah showed why Nashville can’t focus only on Jack Eichel and Mark Stone. Eichel and Victor Olofsson scored on the power play, Ivan Barbashev scored twice in the second period, and Mitch Marner finished with three assists. When Utah cut the lead to one in the third, Brett Howden answered 72 seconds later with a shot through traffic.
That response matters as much as the five-goal headline. Vegas didn’t keep Utah quiet throughout, but it found another goal when the game tightened. Its power play is converting at 27.9%, fifth in the NHL. Nashville’s recent defensive results will face a much tougher examination if penalties give those puck-movers repeated opportunities.
What the moneyline asks of each team
The DraftKings moneyline has Vegas at -162 and Nashville at +136, with the total at 6.5. Paying the favorite’s price requires more than liking Vegas’ winning streak. The case is that its multiple scoring options can force Nashville to defend successive threats rather than let one strong goaltending performance settle the game. The reason to hesitate is that the Predators have recently combined reliable scoring with very little conceded.
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Our shot projections are 28.5 for Vegas and 27.4 for Nashville. We don’t see a large shot-volume separation, so the favorite’s case rests more on what happens within those possessions than on overwhelming Nashville with attempts. The underdog price becomes more interesting if the Predators stay out of the box and keep generating offense beyond their veteran core. If Vegas repeatedly gets its power play onto the ice, that argument loses strength.
The total turns on goaltending and penalties
If the listed goalies start, their recent work adds another layer. Across their respective five most recent appearances this regular season, Juuse Saros has a .936 save percentage and Adin Hill has a .901. Saros stopped 83 of 85 shots over his latest three appearances, including all 30 against Los Angeles. Hill stopped 28 of 29 in his latest outing at Buffalo. Neither is confirmed to start, so a change in net would warrant another look at the scoring matchup.
Nashville’s past five games all finished Under their stored totals, while three of Vegas’ four straight wins also stayed Under. That makes Wednesday’s eight-goal Vegas game a counterpoint, not the whole scoring story. At 6.5, the case for a lower-scoring game rests on Nashville continuing to limit goals and both teams avoiding a parade to the penalty box. The case for a higher-scoring game is that Vegas’ power play disrupts that pattern and Nashville’s newly productive supporting cast answers. Our close shot-volume projections don’t suggest a barrage by themselves; special-teams chances and finishing would need to do more of the work.
Watch who makes the other team adjust
Start with Nashville’s discipline and whether Wright and Hoglander can build on their Anaheim performance. If the Predators create offense without giving Vegas repeated power plays, they’ve got a route to another competitive road game. If the Golden Knights force penalties and spread the scoring again, Nashville’s recent defensive run gets a real stress test. Visit the NHL betting board to compare the moneyline and total as the goalie picture becomes clearer.
Odds and projections are snapshots and can change. Wagering involves risk.
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