Yet another second-round series of Stanley Cup Playoff action begins on Monday night as a couple of Pacific Division foes meet in Sin City. The Vegas Golden Knights are battle-tested with plenty of experience in the postseason, but they’ll likely be tested by a high-octane Anaheim Ducks group that’s all offense, no defense. This should be a very interesting matchup with the possibility of a really competitive series, so tune in for the start of it tonight at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Here’s a Ducks vs. Golden Knights Game 1 prediction and pick for Monday’s NHL Playoffs action on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Ducks vs. Golden Knights Game 1 prediction, preview

Just like over in the Flyers/Hurricanes series, I wrote up a full series preview which you can find at the related article linked below. However, we’re diving in just on Game 1 in this piece, so let’s get into it!

The Golden Knights are certainly favorites for a reason. For starters, they have far more playoff experience than their opponent having made it to the dance all but once in their nine-year franchise history; meanwhile, the Ducks are making their first appearance since 2018. That matters, especially down the stretch in close games. We saw Vegas go to overtime a couple of times in the first round and weather the storm to win both of those games over a much more inexperienced Utah Mammoth group. Look at how the Golden Knights took over that series to win three straight games as an example of why they’re a team you can’t rule out in this environment.

The postseason atmosphere itself is another key factor here. The Vegas faithful are rowdy, and while the team went just 20-12-9 at its own barn during the regular season, it’s clear that the players are better in Sin City. The Golden Knights had a goal differential of +24 at home, a mark which sat at -2 in road games during the first 82 contests of the year. The Ducks, meanwhile, were 24-13-4 at home with a -2 differential while coming in at 19-20-2 in away games with a -21 mark in the same stat. Notably, their PP% also dropped by four percentage points on the road.

We know that both of these sides can score in a hurry, with Vegas at 3.83 goals per game this postseason and Anaheim at 4.33. Both are also posting over 30 shots on goal per contest as well. Funnily enough, the Ducks had 265 goals in the regular season to the Knights’ 264, so the offensive production was practically identical outside of the power play, on which the latter maintained an advantage prior to the playoffs. There’s a greater disparity between defenses though, with Vegas allowing 2.95 goals a night and Anaheim conceding 3.51 in the regular season. With some less-than-impressive performances from the goalies in both nets, perhaps offense will rule once again in this series.

Ducks vs. Golden Knights Game 1 pick, best bet

DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Golden Knights as -166 home favorites to win at home on the Moneyline tonight, while the Ducks come in with +140 odds on the road. The game total sits at 6.5 combined goals.

Betting splits show 61% of straight bets on vegas to win, 65% of wagers on Anaheim to cover the +1.5 puck line, and 71% on the total’s over.

It seems bettors project a high-scoring affair that sees a close finish on the scoreboard. That feels exactly in line with what we should expect given the offensive capabilities and recent form of both rosters, especially in light of the netminders. For the Ducks, Lukas Dostal has an ugly 3.87 GAA and .874 SV% through the first six postseason starts of his career. Carter Hart has shown more upside for the Golden Knights at 2.72 and .898, but is also shaky himself. Both can prove vulnerable and I think the offenses will take advantage of that, especially in light of how each team finished the regular season ranked top eight in SAT for (5v5 shot attempts including blocks and misses). Watch for the offenses to come out to play and take advantage of the weak presences in the respective nets, which means it could be something of a toss-up tonight.

Still, I do think Vegas comes out with a statement win to begin the series. I took the Golden Knights to win both Game 1 and the best-of-seven in my write-up over the full series, and given their experience, I’m sticking with that pick tonight as they take their home ice.

Best bet: VGK Golden Knights 60 min line (-105)