Time To Drop The Puck: Vegas Golden Knights, Sports Betting Odds Set For 2021-22 NHL Season

The Vegas Golden Knights are the second favorites to win the Stanley Cup in the 2021-22 NHL season. BetMGM lists their odds at -650 to become the pro hockey champions. The only team with better odds is their rival, the Colorado Avalanche, listed at -500.

The Golden Knights had another impressive season in 2020-201, which would typically be considered great for most teams. However, due to the high expectations set for the Golden Knights, some fans felt disappointed even though they made it to the Stanley Cup semifinals.

During the unusual, shortened season restructured due to COVID-19, Vegas triumphed with a league-leading 40 wins and 82 points. In the previous year, the Golden Knights achieved 191 goals, only conceding 128, which was the lowest in the NHL. Undoubtedly, a crucial factor to the team’s playoff run was its top-of-the-league penalty kill percentage of 86.8%.

The 2020-21 season was commendable, though not flawless, for the Golden Knights as they failed to make it to the Stanley Cup Final due to an unexpected series victory by the Montreal Canadiens in the semifinals. The Las Vegas Raiders’ motto, Just Win Baby, is not exclusive to them.

This season will follow a schedule akin to NHL seasons before the coronavirus pandemic, and Vegas is progressing with a new starting goaltender.

Golden Knights move on from fan favorite in goal

This season, the most significant change for the Vegas Golden Knights starts in the goal. Marc Andre Fleury, the fan favourite and recipient of the Vezina Trophy, was transferred to the Chicago Blackhawks during the offseason.

Robin Lehner, a shared starter as a goaltender last year, will have no competition for the starting keeper position this season. Without a doubt, Lehner is far from being mediocre. In fact, he was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy with the New York Islanders in 2019.

Although Fleury is both well-respected and beloved by fans, his trade did not significantly impact betting odds. Jeff Davis, the Assistant Sportsbook Manager at Circa Sports, confirmed this earlier in the year during an interview with PlayNevada, stating:

“If we decide to make the move, I believe it would reduce their price. It would also provide us with more cap space to sign a high-profile forward. The price difference between Fleury and Lehner in a single-game scenario is only a matter of a few cents.”

Lehner served as the goalie for the Golden Knights, resulting in 13 victories in 19 starts last season. The forthright goalie will need to step up his game following his average performance in the 2020-2021 season. Although he maintained a respectable goals-against average of 2.29, his save percentage of .913 was lackluster at best.

The Golden Knights’ chances of boasting the league’s best defense and making a return to the Stanley Cup Final could largely hinge on Lehner’s performance this year.

Golden Knights offense looks familiar

Although many of the offensive players are still with the team, the Golden Knights traded Ryan Reeves to the New York Rangers for a draft pick during the off-season.

The first and second lines for the Golden Knights will be recognizable. The first line will begin the season with Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, and Chandler Stevenson. The second line will be held by Jonathan Marchessault, Reilly Smith, and William Karlsson.

The addition of Nolan Patrick as the center for the third line will bring a change as the season starts. Patrick, a former Philadelphia Flyer, was the second pick in the NHL Draft of 2017. Despite not fulfilling his potential in Philadelphia, there’s hope that he can make a significant turnaround in Las Vegas.

Interestingly, Patrick used to play for Kelly McCrimmon, who is currently the general manager of the Knights, when they were both part of the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Western Hockey League. If Patrick can replicate his past performance under then-coach McCrimmon, this could turn out to be a significant win for the Golden Knights. Whether this move was coincidental or not is unknown.

Ex-Ottawa Senators forward, Evgenii Dadonov, aspires to recreate his Florida Panthers glory days now that he is also part of the Golden Knights. He has the potential to enhance the team’s offensive play this season, particularly during power plays.

Last year, Payton Krebs debuted in the NHL and he is now aiming to secure a spot on the Golden Knights roster for the 2021-2022 season. He has kicked off the preseason strongly, already earning four points.

Golden Knights team, player betting odds for 2021-2022 NHL season

At times, a team can surpass the sum of its individual components. This is exemplified by the Golden Knights. They are predicted by BetMGM to clinch the Pacific Division title. In fact, only one team has higher odds of winning the Western Conference and the Stanley Cup.

• Odds to win the Western Conference: +300 (Improved odds for Avalanche at +210)
• Favorite to Win Pacific Division: -165
• Odds to win the Stanley Cup Championship: +750 (Avalanche have better odds at +600)

Meanwhile, each individual player has quite long odds to win awards this season.

• Hart Trophy (MVP) Odds: Mark Stone is at +5000, Max Pacioretty also stands at +5000, Robin Lehner is at +4000, while Jonathan Marchessault and Alex Pietrangelo are both at +8000.
• Vezina Trophy (Top Goalkeeper): Robin Lehner with odds of +1600.
• Peyton Krebs has +5000 odds for the Calder Trophy (Best Rookie).
• James Norris (Best defense): +2000 Alex Pietrangelo, +6600 Alec Martinez

The Nevada Gaming Control sets a limit on the awards sportsbooks can offer for betting. However, BetMGM provides a few additional awards betting options for those located outside of Nevada. Individuals interested in placing these wagers can venture across the border into Arizona and register online for a new BetMGM account that isn’t based in Nevada.

• Jack Adams Trophy (Best Coach): +1600 Peter DeBoer
• Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy (For Most Points): Max Pacioretty has odds of +2500, while Mark Stone has odds of +4000.

Opening night odds

The season is set to begin with the Golden Knights starting the season at home against the latest NHL expansion team, the Seattle Kraken.

As expected, the Golden Knights continue to be strong favorites for the Tuesday night matchup.

• Moneyline: -245
• Puckline: -1.5 (-130)
• Total: 5.5 (Under even / Over +110)

Let’s kick off another hockey season in Vegas.