NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Bruins vs Golden Knights (Thursday, January 11)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – DECEMBER 30: David Pastrnak #88 of the Boston Bruins waits for a face-off during the first period against the New Jersey Devils at TD Garden on December 30, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by China Wong/NHLI via Getty Images)
Bruins vs. Golden Knights Odds
| Bruins Odds | -137 |
| Golden Knights Odds | +114 |
| Over / Under | 6.5 +104 / -128 |
Here's everything you need to know about the Boston Bruins vs. Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, Jan. 11 – our expert NHL prediction and pick.
Vegas and Boston have two of the best records in the league, but each squad has shown some vulnerability recently, which adds an extra wrinkle to this game.
Let's preview the upcoming contest and offer a Bruins vs. Golden Knights prediction.
To suggest Boston has reason to panic would be an overstatement, but after an incredible 14-1-3 start, some of the shine has worn for the Bruins, who coasted off that early success with a mediocre 10-7-5 record dating back to November 24.
At the heart of that decline is Boston's goaltending. Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman were equally dominant through Boston's first 18 games, splitting the workload evenly while Swayman enjoyed a 2.09 GAA and .933 save percentage and Ullmark posted a 2.10 GAA and .932 save percentage. Had that kept up, the duo might have run away with the Jennings Trophy, but it hasn't.
Both have dropped with Swayman (who is the projected starter tonight, especially after Ullmark sustained a lower-body injury Tuesday) going 4-3-4 with a 2.85 GAA and a .908 save percentage in 12 outings dating back to November 24. To make matters worse, he's going through a particularly rough patch in which he's endured a 4.85 GAA and an .861 save percentage over his last three appearances.
At least Boston's offense has remained relatively steady. David Pastrnak is by far the key player of the forward corps, contributing 25 goals and 57 points across 40 games. He has almost as many three-point contests (nine) as he does scoreless outings (11) this campaign and has been held off the scoresheet just once over his last eight contests, so there's a good chance he'll do some damage to the Golden Knights on Thursday.
Boston also has a decent supporting cast, led by Brad Marchand (17 goals, 37 points), Charlie Coyle (14 goals, 30 points) and defenseman Charlie McAvoy (four goals, 26 points), but it's not anything special. That about sums up the Bruins' offense: With 3.35 goals per game, they rank 11th in the league, so it's nothing to complain about, but with the goaltending struggling, an offense-centric Bruins is merely a good team, not a great one.
The Bruins have been battling mediocrity recently, but things have been even worse in Vegas. Although the Golden Knights still own a commanding 23-13-5 record, they've dropped seven of their last nine games. A huge part of the issue is Vegas has been missing goaltender Adin Hill since he sustained an undisclosed injury December 17. He was expected to return for Wednesday's game against Colorado, but he ultimately missed the contest.
If there's a silver lining there, it makes Hill the potential starter tonight instead. The 27-year-old has a 10-2-2 record, 1.93 GAA and .933 save percentage in 15 outings this year, so if he's available, then it greatly increases the Golden Knights' chances of winning.
If not, then Vegas' options are Logan Thompson, who missed Wednesday's game with an illness, or Isaiah Saville. Thompson has been a massive downgrade compared to Hill, posting a 12-8-3 record, 2.83 GAA and .903 save percentage in 24 outings in 2023-24. He's still likely to get the nod if he's healthy, though. Saville has no NHL experience and the second half of a back-to-back versus the Bruins would be a tough welcome to the show.
The Golden Knights' offense has gone too, scoring just six goals over their last four games. It doesn't help that they're missing William Karlsson and offensive defenseman Shea Theodore, but they do still have Jack Eichel (18 goals, 42 points), Mark Stone (12 goals, 39 points) and Jonathan Marchessault (17 goals, 28 points) leading the charge, so there is enough left to challenge Boston's struggling goaltending.
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Bruins vs. Golden Knights
Betting Pick & Prediction
Whether or not Hill plays is a significant x-factor and one we might not have the answer to before the pregame warmups. The Golden Knights are typically a much tougher team when he's available, but I'd recommend taking Boston on the moneyline regardless.
The Knights' offense is ice cold right now, and Vegas will be dealing with fatigue on top of that after playing in Colorado yesterday. Additionally, even if Hill does play, rust might be an issue after missing roughly a month. Boston has its issues too, but those problems aren't at the level of Vegas' present woes.
Pick: Bruins ML (-122 | Play Down to -130)
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