Vancouver Canucks at Vegas Golden Knights, NHL forecast
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Win probability
Starts from the pregame forecast, then moves with every score and the time left. Above the line favors VGK; hover for each play.
Game center
From the ESPN box score.
Top performers
Canucks- Teddy BluegerGoals1
- Kiefer SherwoodAssists1
- Teddy BluegerPoints1
Golden Knights- Brett HowdenGoals1
- Brett HowdenAssists1
- Brett HowdenPoints2
Scoring summary
- P319:10Brett Howden Goal (12) Backhand, assists: Noah Hanifin (12)1–3
- P33:44William Karlsson Goal (6) Wrist Shot, assists: Brett Howden (2)1–2
- P217:35Alex Pietrangelo Goal (3) Slap Shot, assists: Shea Theodore (23), Mark Stone (19)1–1
- P18:15Teddy Blueger Goal (5) Wrist Shot, assists: Kiefer Sherwood (7), Danton Heinen (9)1–0
Turning points
The 4 plays that swung the win chance most, each judged at its own moment: the chance with the score just before it against just after.
- P18:15Teddy Blueger Goal (5) Wrist Shot, assists: Kiefer Sherwood (7), Danton Heinen (9)VAN 1 – 0 VGK · VAN 41% → 56% +16VAN 41% → 56%+16 pts
- P217:35Alex Pietrangelo Goal (3) Slap Shot, assists: Shea Theodore (23), Mark Stone (19)VAN 1 – 1 VGK · VGK 33% → 56% +23VGK 33% → 56%+23 pts
- P33:44William Karlsson Goal (6) Wrist Shot, assists: Brett Howden (2)VAN 1 – 2 VGK · VGK 55% → 80% +25VGK 55% → 80%+25 pts
- P319:10Brett Howden Goal (12) Backhand, assists: Noah Hanifin (12)VAN 1 – 3 VGK · VGK >99% → >99% +0VGK >99% → >99%+0 pts
The pick
Reconstructed from what was known before the game: the ratings at that point and the closing line.
Golden Knights 60%
Forecast Elo ratings alone
How often that comes true: NHL favorites the forecast gave 55–60% have won 56.4% of 1,035 graded games.
- Market
- VGK 60%
- ML VAN +140 / VGK -165
- Pre-line forecast
- VGK 65%
- Elo + market-implied
- Elo ratings
- VGK 62%
- Ratings vs. market
- +1.7 pts
- VGK: Elo 61.6%, market 59.9%
- Fair odds
- VGK -149
- VAN +149 · the forecast as odds, no margin
- Pregame projection
- VAN 2.5 – 3.0 VGK
- Margin from the forecast, posted total 5.5
How the number is built
Elo inputs in rating points (higher favors that team; 25–28 Elo is about a point of spread in football and basketball), then how the pieces combine.
| Factor | VAN | VGK | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team rating | 1520 | 1533 | Elo entering the game; 1500 is league average |
| Home field | — | +35 | Worth 35 Elo in the NHL |
| Rest | −30 | — | VAN on the second night of a back-to-back |
| Starting goalies | 0 | +4 | VAN: Kevin Lankinen: team allows 0.00 more goals than with its usual starter (≈27 weighted starts) · VGK: Adin Hill: team allows 0.11 fewer goals than with its usual starter (≈34 weighted starts) |
| Elo ratings | VGK +82 Elo | VGK 61.6% | |
| Market-implied ratings | VGK 66.2% | Team strength as past closing lines priced it, same game context | |
| Pre-line forecast | VGK 65.3% | 20% Elo, 80% market-implied (log-odds blend) | |
| Forecast | VGK 59.9% | Follows the market (vig removed): in testing, adding the ratings made it less accurate | |
Tale of the tape
This season coming into the game, regular season, each number with its league rank (the longer the bar, the higher). Home and road: the host's record at home against the visitor's on the road. Overtime and shootout losses count as losses in these records. Shot share is a team's share of the shots on goal in its games. PDO adds shooting and save percentages: far from 100 tends to even out.
| VAN | Stat | VGK |
|---|---|---|
| 12th of 323.2 | Goals scored | 3.56th of 32 |
| 20th of 323.1 | Goals allowed | 3.013th of 32 |
| 15th of 32+0.1 | Margin | +0.58th of 32 |
| 26th of 3247.8% | Shot share | 51.6%9th of 32 |
| 22nd of 3289.7% | Save percentage | 90.0%19th of 32 |
| 15th of 325–5 | Last 10 | 7–33rd of 32 |
| 2nd of 3210–4 | Road vs home | 11–32nd of 32 |
Rating history
Each team's Elo over the last two seasons. Hover or drag to compare on any date.
Recent form
Last five results, and whether the forecast hit.
Against the line
How each team has done against the closing spread and total, coming into this game.
| This season |  VAN |  VGK |
|---|---|---|
| Puck line | 15–16 | 17–14 |
| Last 10 | 5–5 | 5–5 |
| Favorite | 7–12 | 9–12 |
| Underdog | 8–4 | 8–2 |
| Overs–unders | 16–15 | 17–14 |
| Overs–unders, last 10 | 5–5 | 3–7 |
Against each game's closing line. Books set every line knowing these records: across 3,901 past games, the team with the better record against the spread so far that season covered 51.2%, short of the 52.4% a standard −110 bet needs, and over/under streaks held 48.0% of the time. They describe the past.
Head to head
VAN 2–2 VGK in their last 4 meetings; the forecast called 2 of 4.