(21-29  -1.66 units)

Golden Knights moneyline +127  1*

Today, we have a matchup of what you can say are two teams trending in opposite directions.

It is well known that the Dallas Stars are currently one of the hotter teams in the NHL right now. They have won six straight, nine of their last ten, and have also terrorized Canada in that process.

While Vegas is not exactly on a significant losing streak, they have lost seven of their last ten, and have not won a road game in three weeks. After back to back home losses against the Sharks and Oilers, Knights Head Coach Gerard Gallant will be looking to bringing back the relentless pressure that has made Vegas a successful team since their arrival to the league.

There is no doubt that Dallas is in some phenomenal defensive rhythm at the moment, and have also been able to counter attack with weapons of their own through the past few weeks. However, the one observation in a lot of these Dallas games that  have rewatched is that the already defensive minded system implemented by Montgomery is designed specifically to limit top talent from producing offense. If you look at the game log of Dallas through their 9-1 stretch, nearly all of the games were played against teams that rely heavily on their elite talent on the top two lines. While the Golden Knights also have key skilled players of their own, they are most successful when they execute the aggressive forecheck game involving all four lines. If the Knights operate with their style, it may pose to be a unique challenge to Dallas as they wind down towards the end of their run. Dallas may be looking to punch on a counter attack, but Vegas will likely not have similar offensive schemes to teams that require the powerplay setups to gain an advantage on the Stars.

We have seen line movements in Dallas’ favor, in what I would imagine is for obvious reasons. I will go against the grain here and back the Knights to a rebound, as there are quite a few little advantages for them today.