Golden Knights vs. Penguins March 11 NHL Betting Prediction

The 2021-22 NHL season continues on Friday with four matchups, including a showdown between the Vegas Golden Knights and Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena.

Although both teams currently hold playoff spots, they’ve each faced their fair share of struggles lately. The Golden Knights are 4-7-1 in their last 12 games and are coming off a 3-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night.

On the other hand, the Penguins are 3-4-1 in their last eight contests. They’ve lost two in a row, however, both of those losses came against two division leaders in the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes. Still, it seems like losses have come in bunches for Pittsburgh lately.

Can the Golden Knights finally stop their losing ways? Or will it be the Penguins that steal the victory on home ice? Here’s a preview of the upcoming game, including the latest odds from BetMGM.

Vegas Golden Knights vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Matchup Info and Betting Odds

Matchup Info

• Game Matchup: Vegas Golden Knights (32-23-4) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (34-15-9)
• Venue & Location: PPG Paints Arena (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
• Date: Friday, March 11, 2022
• Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
• TV: NHL Network

Betting Odds

• Moneyline: Vegas Golden Knights +135, Pittsburgh Penguins -160
• Total: OVER 6 (-120), UNDER 6 (+100)
• Puck Line: Vegas Golden Knights +1.5 (-190), Pittsburgh Penguins -1.5 (+155)

Odds are via BetMGM.

Golden Knights Must Stop Free Fall

Earlier in the season, the Golden Knights were seen as one of the top teams in the league and a Stanley Cup favorite. However, their most recent skid has them free-falling down the standings.

To put things into perspective, Vegas’ 4-7-1 record since Feb. 9 has given them nine points, which is tied for fourth-fewest in the NHL over that span. A major reason behind that unfortunate statistic is that the Golden Knights’ special teams units haven’t exactly been showing up.

The team’s 9.4% power play conversion rate in their last 12 games is the worst in the league during that stretch. Their penalty kill is the 14th-worst over that time as well, which goes to show that head coach Peter DeBoer and his assistants have a lot of work to do.

Jonathan Marchessault has been the only player to truly show up during Vegas’ skid, registering 10 points in his last 11 games. Jack Eichel has seven points over that span, but, beyond that, the other players are struggling.

Evgenii Dadonov has just one goal and one assist over his last 12 games. William Karlsson is on a 12-game goalless drought and hasn’t scored since Feb. 8. Considering how Vegas has scored just four goals in its last three games, getting guys like Dadonov and Karlsson to show up will go a long way to help end this skid.

Penguins Look to End Home Woes

“Home ice advantage” is something that’s constantly brought up in hockey. After all, there’s nothing like playing in front of a hometown crowd.

Unfortunately, the PPG Paints Arena hasn’t provided the Penguins with any sort of advantage lately. They’re 2-4-3 in their last nine home games and look to change those fortunes against the Golden Knights.

The good news for the Penguins is that they weren’t getting demolished in those games. They were only outscored by an average of 3.4 to 2.4, with six of those seven total losses being decided by a single digit.

The good news is that there’s a lot working in Pittsburgh’s favor to grab a victory on Friday. For starters, the Penguins have wins over two of the NHL’s top teams — the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers — in their last five games. They also lost to the Hurricanes and Panthers by single-digit totals, which further proves that they have what it takes to hang with the league’s best.

The Jake Guentzel-Sidney Crosby-Bryan Rust line has also been one first lately. The line has combined for 20 points in the last five games, with Crosby having eight of them while Guentzel and Rust each have three apiece.

Evgeni Malkin is also back to playing like his old self. He has six points in his last five outings, giving him 24 points in 22 games on the year. The Penguins are 12-6-4 with him in the lineup this season, so his continued success gives them the best shot at a win over Vegas.

Tristan Jarry has been solid in net in his last three starts. Although it’s a small sample size, he’s 2-1-0 in those starts with a 1.69 goals-against average, .935 save percentage and one shutout.

Vegas Golden Knights vs Pittsburgh Penguins Prediction and Best Bets

Pittsburgh Penguins 5, Vegas Golden Knights 3 (Penguins -1.5, +155)

With the way these two clubs have been playing, I like the Penguins’ chances of victory more. Even though both teams have struggled lately, Pittsburgh has been pretty close to victory more often than not and has actually beaten some of the NHL’s top teams.

On the other hand, I do expect the Golden Knights to at least make it interesting. Their last two losses have come against the Buffalo Sabres and Philadelphia Flyers — two of the worst teams in the league — which could be motivation for Vegas to get things going again. Still, it likely won’t be enough to beat the Penguins, who are playing like the better team in recent weeks.