The Nashville Predators (17-17-4) and Vegas Golden Knights (17-9-11) meet in an NHL New Year's Eve duel this afternoon. Puck drop is set for 3:00 p.m. EST at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
The Golden Knights are favored by -1.5 on the puck line, with the over/under set at 6 (-115o / -110u). The Golden Knights are a -190 favorite to win outright, while the Predators are +160 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Predators vs. Golden Knights predictions and NHL picks.
Predators vs. Golden Knights Odds, Pick
| Predators Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -162 | 6 -115o / -110u | +160 |
| Golden Knights Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +135 | 6 -115o / -110u | -190 |
- Predators vs. Golden Knights Spread: Golden Knights -1.5 (+135 ), Predators +1.5 (-162)
- Predators vs. Golden Knights Over/Under: 6 (-115o / -110u)
- Predators vs. Golden Knights Moneyline: Predators +160, Golden Knights -190
Predators vs. Golden Knights Preview
Nashville Predators
Hats off to the Predators, as they’re making the most out of a questionable situation.
As the year 2025 concludes, Nashville managed to finish it off winning four out of their last five games, and going 9-4. Now, suddenly, Nashville isn’t too far off from the final Wild Card spot.
The Preds have had a ton of help from the usual suspects in Ryan O’Reilly and Filip Forsberg, who are averaging just under a point per game.
Now, don’t get it twisted. Nothing that Nashville does is spectacular. A lot of its success this month has been because of the work of goaltender Juuse Saros, who’s playing to a 6.5 GSAx over the past 10 games with a .904 SV%.
Not just that, the Predators’ special teams have been just fine. The power play is converting on an 18.8% clip and the penalty kill is succeeding at a 12th-best 81.8% rate.
Vegas Golden Knights
On the other hand, Vegas is in a totally different situation than the Predators.
The Golden Knights have lost five out of their last six games. Now, if I had to guess, that trend will end up wrapping up sooner or later.
Ultimately, a team with Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner and a healthy Mark Stone shouldn’t be this lackluster for long.
Luckily, Pavel Dorofeyev is starting to find his groove again by lighting the lamp, as has Tomas Hertl. But the problem is, one of Vegas’ top defensive pairs in Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb have actually been one of the worst pairs in hockey this season.
Currently at 5-on-5, the Knights are playing to a mediocre 48.66 xGF% and on the defensive end, a bottom-10 2.94 xGA/60.
A significant portion of what has held Vegas back has been its goaltending. We haven’t seen Adin Hill since October, and the Knights have flip-flopped between Akira Schmid, Carl Lindbom and Carter Hart.
Hart has seen the majority of starts since he returned to the NHL, and has looked decent, until he got lit up on Monday against the Wild by letting up five goals on 12 shots faced.
Predators vs. Golden Knights Prediction
This is an interesting matchup because here we have two teams with totally different outlooks, but are playing two totally different styles of play.
I’m certainly encouraged with what I’ve seen from the Predators and very distressed with how the Knights are playing.
Both teams have been generating high-danger chances at an incredibly high rate over the past 10 games, and with the volatility in both Hart and Schmid, there’s a strong chance that Nashville can pull off an upset.
Am I crazy? Don’t answer that. But scared money doesn’t make money ‘round these parts.
We have a New Year’s Eve battle in Las Vegas. The gambling gods are basically asking us to take a gamble. At least the numbers add up here.
Take the Preds.
Pick: Predators ML
