Florida Panthers vs Vegas Golden Knights Predictions, NHL Expert Picks 2/22/2020

Game: Florida Panthers vs Vegas Golden Knights

Date: Saturday, February 22, 2020

Location: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV

TV: FSFL/ATRM

Odds/Point Spread: Panthers (+153) Golden Knights (-170)

Total/Over-Under: 6.5

Marc-Andre Fleury and the Vegas Golden Knights (32-22-8, 1st in the Pacific Division) host the Florida Panthers (32-23-6, 4th in the Atlantic Division) at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday, February 22, 2020. The Panthers open this matchup at +153 while the Golden Knights are priced at -170. The total opens at 6.5. The Panthers cover 50.0% of the time, having gone 29-29 SU. The Golden Knights cover 49.2% of the time, going 29-30 straight up.

The Florida Panthers come into this matchup holding a record of 32 wins and 23 defeats, which puts them at 4th in the Atlantic Division. During the year thus far, they have racked up a total of 211 goals which has them at 3rd in the conference and 3rd in the NHL. Their goal differential is +7, which puts them at 14th in the NHL. The Panthers currently have a total of 70 pts, which has them at 15th in the NHL and 10th in the conference. in respect to shots at the opposing goalie, they currently have a total of 1,988 which has them at 4th in the conference and 7th in the NHL. As a unit, Florida has racked up a total of 1,069 hits which means they have an average of 17.5 per game. They currently have a total of 720 blocks for the season. Protecting the net for Florida is Sergei Bobrovsky from Ogdensburg, New York. He is 31 years old and has been on the ice a total of 2,623 mins in net for the season. Bobrovsky is giving up an average of 3.29 goals per contest which puts him at 30th in the Eastern Conference and 61st among goaltenders in the NHL. So far this season, he's given up 144 goals. His save percentage is .898 which puts him at 28th in the Eastern Conference.

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The Florida Panthers went home feeling good about their game by earning a 5 - 3 win against the San Jose Sharks the last time they stepped on the ice. The Panthers had a solid offensive outing in the victory. In this game, they earned a goal on 5 out of the 27 shots they put on goal. Furthermore, they had 4 power play attempts but weren't able to notch a goal in these power play chances. Florida ended up with a total of 8 penalty minutes while out there on the ice. The Corsi for the Panthers sat at 46 and the Corsi against was 50 meaning they had a Corsi percentage of 47.9%. Their Fenwick sat at 34 and the Fenwick against sat at 34, which earned them a rate of 50.0%. They won 17 face-off wins and lost 30 of all total face-offs. Their offensive zone starts were rated at 50.0% and they had a PDO of 114.3 for this game. Regarding their opponent, the San Jose Sharks tallied a total of 32 shots. Their total at the end of the game was 8 penalty minutes and they had 4 power play opportunities.

The Golden Knights will be looking to get a victory in this matchup and for the season they sit with 32 victories and 22 defeats. In connection with goal differential, they are currently ranked 5th in the conference and 13th in the NHL with +8. They currently have a total of 194 goals for this year which is good for 2nd in the conference. Vegas has a save percentage as a team of .899 which currently has them sitting 23rd in the NHL, which means there could be plenty of chances to score if they are aggressive. They have a shooting percentage of 9.1% ranking them 9th in the conference. In net for Vegas is Marc-Andre Fleury who is having a marginal year by allowing 2.79 goals against average and that has him ranked 15th among Western Conference goaltenders and 33rd in the NHL. In the 2,581 minutes he has been on the ice this season, he has allowed 120 goals. His save % is .906, which puts him at 22nd among Western Conference goaltenders and 45th in the NHL.

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The Vegas Golden Knights opposed the Washington Capitals in a matchup where the Golden Knights got the win by a final of 3 - 2. In this outing, Vegas went home with a 42.1% Corsi rating. They got there by having a Corsi of 40 and the team opposite of them having a Corsi of 55. Their Fenwick rate was 44.4% by notching a Fenwick of 32 and the Capitals ending the game with a 40 Fenwick at even strength. These Corsi statistics are telling of the type of game that Vegas played and you could say that they didn't play great, but weren't awful either. They had a PDO of 108.0 and they finished the game with an oZS percentage of 51.5%. The Golden Knights netted 3 goals of the 29 shots on goal they were seeking. They had 2 power play opportunities in this game but were not able to net one. As for their opponent, the Capitals had 3 power play opportunities and went on to score 1 goal. Vegas gave way to 27 shots on goal and the Capitals earned 4 penalty minutes.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take Florida (+153)

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