Vegas vs Dallas Prediction 29 January 2025

🔊 Can the "Knights" halt the victorious march of the visitors? Vegas is gradually emerging from a full-blown game crisis that hit the team in mid-January. The home team has won two of their last three matches, stopping their fall in the standings. Dallas, on the other hand, has gained a winning momentum and closely approached their opponent in the Western Conference playoff eight. We are in for a clash of conference favorites.

📊 Head-to-Head

In the current regular season, the opponents have met twice and exchanged home victories. First, the "Knights" triumphed in Nevada (3:2), and then the "Stars" returned the favor in Texas (4:3). Both games were fiercely contested. Notably, the last game took place quite recently, just a few days ago. The most productive player in those encounters was Vegas center Jack Eichel. The American recorded a total of three goals. The current form of the hockey player leaves no doubt - he has been scoring points in six consecutive games.

⚫ Vegas

Bruce Cassidy's charges are slowly starting to come out of the crisis. Within one week, the "Knights" defeated St. Louis (4:2) and then Florida (4:1). However, it's too early to talk about a full renaissance of the club. Between these successful performances, there was a loss to Dallas (3:4). Thanks to numerous past successes, the team not only retained its place in the Western Conference playoff eight but also held onto a top-3 conference position. It's time to take revenge on the "Stars" and finally return to a winning path.

🟢 Dallas

The "Stars" are confidently claiming their own. In the last four matches, the team managed to secure three victories with a single slip-up against Carolina (1:2). This tournament surge allowed the team to closely approach the third spot in the Western Conference, which is occupied by their upcoming opponent. This is an ideal moment to consolidate their success. Moreover, the team's play raises no questions, with Texas players sometimes achieving periods of complete dominance on the ice.

📌 Projected Lineups

Vegas: Samsonov - Pietrangelo, Hanifin - Barbashev, Eichel, Stone

Dallas: DeSmith - Harley, Heiskanen - Robertson, Johnston, Dadonov

🥅 Goalkeepers

Vegas goalie Ilya Samsonov alternates playing time with his partner Adin Hill. However, the Russian looks noticeably worse than his partner. In his last three matches, he has not once managed to maintain a save percentage above 90%. It seems that the Magnitogorsk-trained player is gradually losing the competition.

Dallas goalie Casey DeSmith spends much less time on the ice than his partner Jake Oettinger. But even in his rare minutes, the American makes the most of it. In his last game, he managed to "shut out" St. Louis. The main task for the hockey player remains to provide rest time for his partner, and DeSmith handles this perfectly.

📝 Editorial Prediction

The rivals' confrontations in recent years have been quite principled due to their proximity within one division. In most cases, head-to-head meetings are not impressive in terms of scoring. In seven consecutive matches, opponents have scored no more than six goals. The current tournament standings will inevitably push them towards maximum density on the ice. In our opinion, fans should not expect a goal-scoring shootout. The key bet is total under 6.5 goals.