NHL

Vegas Golden Knights vs St. Louis Blues prediction

Vegas Golden Knights8–4–0 · Home St. Louis Blues5–4–1 · Away03:00 PMDec 31

Lines

Lines from the last game · may change

Vegas Golden Knights

Last game: Oct 22

1st line

14:02 together at 5-on-5

#	Player	TOI	G	A	P
49	Ivan Barbashev LW	18:52	1	7	8
9	Jack Eichel C	16:46	5	14	19
61	Mark Stone RW	16:46	8	6	14

41 points this season

21HowdenLW

71KarlssonC

10HoltzRW

2nd line

12:09 together at 5-on-5

#	Player	TOI	G	A	P
21	Brett Howden LW	15:53	5	3	8
71	William Karlsson C	16:34	2	2	4
10	Alexander Holtz RW	14:04	0	1	1

13 points this season

TC24ConnellyLW

48HertlC BB42BowmanRW

3rd line

6:46 together at 5-on-5

#	Player	TOI	G	A	P
24	Trevor Connelly LW	13:53	4	1	5
48	Tomáš Hertl C	14:20	4	3	7
42	Braeden Bowman RW	14:56	2	2	4

16 points this season

MG17GatcombLW

26DowdC

36LavoieRW

4th line

3:45 together at 5-on-5

#	Player	TOI	G	A	P
17	Marc Gatcomb LW	11:56	1	1	2
26	Nic Dowd C	11:56	0	2	2
36	Raphael Lavoie RW	11:51	0	2	2

6 points this season

3McNabbD

27TheodoreD

1st pair

17:09 together at 5-on-5

#	Player	TOI	G	A	P
3	Brayden McNabb D	22:47	0	7	7
27	Shea Theodore D	22:37	2	2	4

11 points this season

4AnderssonD

5LauzonD

2nd pair

14:09 together at 5-on-5

#	Player	TOI	G	A	P
4	Rasmus Andersson D	19:48	2	3	5
5	Jeremy Lauzon D	18:15	0	0	0

5 points this season

15HanifinD

52CoghlanD

3rd pair

13:09 together at 5-on-5

#	Player	TOI	G	A	P
15	Noah Hanifin D	21:09	2	3	5
52	Dylan Coghlan D	15:28	0	1	1

6 points this season

Power play unit 1: No such unit in that game.

Penalty kill unit 1

1:07 together on the penalty kill

#	Player	TOI	G	A	P
71	William Karlsson F	16:34	2	2	4
26	Nic Dowd F	11:56	0	2	2
3	Brayden McNabb D	22:47	0	7	7
27	Shea Theodore D	22:37	2	2	4

17 points this season

Penalty kill unit 2

0:38 together on the penalty kill

#	Player	TOI	G	A	P
61	Mark Stone F	16:46	8	6	14
9	Jack Eichel F	16:46	5	14	19
4	Rasmus Andersson D	19:48	2	3	5
5	Jeremy Lauzon D	18:15	0	0	0

38 points this season

Goalies: Carter Hart #79 (Projected) · Adin Hill #33 (Backup)

St. Louis Blues

Last game: Oct 22

JH30HoferProjected

DH81HollowayLW RT18ThomasC JS21SnuggerudRW

1st line

13:30 together at 5-on-5

#	Player	TOI	G	A	P
81	Dylan Holloway LW	18:40	3	7	10
18	Robert Thomas C	19:27	1	4	5
21	Jimmy Snuggerud RW	17:34	6	2	8

23 points this season

PB89BuchnevichLW JN63NeighboursC DD15DvorskyRW

2nd line

12:53 together at 5-on-5

#	Player	TOI	G	A	P
89	Pavel Buchnevich LW	17:14	2	4	6
63	Jake Neighbours C	16:38	3	2	5
15	Dalibor Dvorsky RW	15:05	2	1	3

14 points this season

CM77McMichaelLW MM83McTavishC JB29BerggrenRW

3rd line

11:20 together at 5-on-5

#	Player	TOI	G	A	P
77	Connor McMichael LW	13:14	2	5	7
83	Mason McTavish C	14:06	6	4	10
29	Jonatan Berggren RW	13:49	2	3	5

22 points this season

PS22SuterLW AK41KaskimakiC OS28StenbergRW

4th line

10:03 together at 5-on-5

#	Player	TOI	G	A	P
22	Pius Suter LW	11:50	3	3	6
41	Aleksanteri Kaskimaki C	12:38	0	1	1
28	Otto Stenberg RW	11:36	0	1	1

8 points this season

PB6BrobergD JB72BarronD

1st pair

9:56 together at 5-on-5

#	Player	TOI	G	A	P
6	Philip Broberg D	22:51	2	4	6
72	Justin Barron D	20:23	1	4	5

11 points this season

CF17FowlerD BC25CarloD

2nd pair

15:15 together at 5-on-5

#	Player	TOI	G	A	P
17	Cam Fowler D	20:32	0	4	4
25	Brandon Carlo D	19:27	0	1	1

5 points this season

CP55ParaykoD AJ36JiricekD

3rd pair

6:06 together at 5-on-5

#	Player	TOI	G	A	P
55	Colton Parayko D	18:36	0	4	4
36	Adam Jiricek D	16:20	1	1	2

6 points this season

RT18ThomasF DH81HollowayF JS21SnuggerudF

JN63NeighboursF PB6BrobergD

Power play unit 1

1:34 together on the power play

#	Player	TOI	G	A	P
18	Robert Thomas F	19:27	1	4	5
81	Dylan Holloway F	18:40	3	7	10
21	Jimmy Snuggerud F	17:34	6	2	8
63	Jake Neighbours F	16:38	3	2	5
6	Philip Broberg D	22:51	2	4	6

34 points this season

Penalty kill unit 1: No such unit in that game.

Penalty kill unit 2: No such unit in that game.

Goalies: Joel Hofer #30 (Projected) · Jordan Binnington #50 (Backup)

Swipe the rink to switch units

How we read the lines

From the NHL’s shift charts, the three forwards and the two defencemen who shared the most 5-on-5 ice time, ranked by time on ice. Coaches shuffle lines often, so treat them as a guide until puck drop. Power-play and penalty-kill units: the five (on the power play) or four (on the penalty kill) skaters who were on the ice together the longest in that situation. TOI: ice time in that game. G, A, P: goals, assists and points this season.

Photo credits (18)

Ivan Barbashev · Johnmaxmena2, CC BY-SA 4.0
Jack Eichel · Lisa Gansky from New York, NY, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
Mark Stone · Hugh Lee from Edmonton Alberta, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0
Brett Howden · The Kip, CC BY-SA 4.0
William Karlsson · Frankie Fouganthin, CC BY-SA 4.0
Alexander Holtz · TheAHL, CC BY 2.0
Tomáš Hertl · Jenn G from Seattle, WA, CC BY-SA 2.0
Nic Dowd · mark6mauno, CC BY-SA 2.0
Raphael Lavoie · TheAHL, CC BY 2.0
Brayden McNabb · Michael Miller, CC BY-SA 4.0
Shea Theodore · Michael Miller, CC BY-SA 4.0
Rasmus Andersson · Jfvoll, CC BY-SA 4.0
Jeremy Lauzon · Jenn G, CC BY-SA 2.0
Noah Hanifin · Photo by Jamie Kellner., CC BY-SA 3.0
Dylan Coghlan · Jenn G from Seattle, WA, CC BY-SA 2.0
Adin Hill · Jenn G, CC BY-SA 2.0
Carter Hart · Jenn G from Seattle, WA, CC BY-SA 2.0
Jordan Binnington · TheAHL, CC BY 2.0

Goalie duel

Projected

Projected from recent starts · confirmed at puck drop

Carter Hart VEG

.888 save percentage

2.87 GAA · 4–3–0 · 7 starts

Joel Hofer LOU

.921 save percentage

2.17 GAA · 4–2–1 · 1 shutout · 7 starts

Teams do not name their goalie before the game. We expect the No. 1 unless his team played the night before, when the back-up usually starts; last season that call was right about two times in three. Our win chances do not depend on it.

Photo credits (1)