The Las Vegas Golden Knights open their 2026-27 season at home against the Chicago Blackhawks tonight.
The Golden Knights came very close to glory last season, losing in six games to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Golden Knights moved on from Interim Head Coach John Tortorella, opting to move forward with former AHL Henderson Silver Knights head coach Ryan Craig. However, the Golden Knights lost top goalscorer Pavel Dorofeyev in free agency. Dorofeyev had 72 goals in the last two seasons, including 33 goals on the power play.
Center William Karlsson and captain Mark Stone are both healthy and ready to contribute early - which should be a significant boost in Dorofeyev's absence given that Karlsson missed 68 games and Stone missed 22.
The Golden Knights also still have elite Center Jack Eichel and dangerous winger Mitch Marner. Marner, along with lineman Brett Howden, scored a combined 24 goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Goaltender Carter Hart anchored the net for the Golden Knights, allowing just 2.71 goals per game with a .891 save percentage after the Golden Knights signed him at the end of last season. In the playoffs, Hart was even better. He allowed 2.56 goal per game with a .909 save percentage in 22 playoff games.
First Pick: Golden Knights over 1.5 team total goals scored
Rundown: Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight was very good last season. He gave up 2.82 goals per game with a .902 save percentage. Among an anonymous poll of NHL goalie coaches ran by The Athletic, Knight was ranked 11th in the goalie rankings for this upcoming season.
Although Knight is a very good goaltender, the blue line in front of him is lackluster. Newly acquired defenseman Bowen Byram is young and dynamic and former second overall pick Artyom Levshunov is a young future staple that will eventually solidify the right side - but it won't come altogether just yet. The Blackhawks allowed 270 goals in 2025-26, ranking 27th in the league. On average they allowed 3.29 goals per game.
Last season, the Golden Knights won two out of three games against the Blackhawks. Las Vegas also averaged 3.33 goals per game against Chicago.
Second Pick: Mark Stone over 0.5 points
Rundown: Stone delivered a career-high 73 points in the 2025-26 season despite missing 22 games. He had 28 goals and 45 assists. Stone had 12 points in 17 games throughout the playoffs. He has at-least one point in each of his last four game against the Blackhawks as well. The right winger is coming off a career season and great playoff run while having recent success against Knight and the Blackhawks.