The Chicago Blackhawks and Vegas Golden Knights open the 2026-27 season in a Tuesday contest in Las Vegas, Nevada. The opening faceoff at T-Mobile Arena will be at 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Let's analyze NHL odds around the Blackhawks vs. Golden Knights odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
2025-26 season series: Vegas won 2-1, with both wins at home
Chicago showed modest progress last season, but still finished last in the Central Division at 29-39-14 (72 points), missed the playoffs for the eighth time in 9 seasons and ranked near the bottom of the NHL at 2.56 goals per game (GPG). The Blackhawks have attempted to accelerate their rebuild with offseason additions of former fan favorite W Patrick Kane and D Bowen Byram among others.
W Connor Bedard (39 G, 45 A--75 P last season) headlines the young core of the team, but he is expected to be out until November following shoulder surgery.
Vegas went 39-26-17 (95 points) and won the Pacific Division last season, then surged through the playoffs before falling to the Carolina Hurricanes in 6 games in the Stanley Cup Final. The Golden Knights remain loaded, but must replace leading goal scorer Pavel Dorofeyev (now with the New York Rangers) and they also have a new voice leading the club in the dressing room and on the bench (coach Ryan Craig takes over for John Tortorella).
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Blackhawks at Golden Knights odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:48 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Blackhawks +215 (bet $100 to win $215) | Golden Knights -265 (bet $265 to win $100)
- Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Blackhawks +1.5 (-124) | Golden Knights -1.5 (+102)
- Over/Under (O/U): 5.5 (O: -138 | U: +112)
Blackhawks at Golden Knights projected goalies
Spencer Knight (2025-26: 19-25-11, 2.82 GAA, .902 SV%) vs. Carter Hart (2025-26: 11-3-3, 2.71 GAA, .891 SV%)
Knight got off to a terrific start last fall ,but would eventually falter in the second half. He did clock a career-high 55 starts by season's end and was a solid performer on the road (.909 SV%).
Hart enters 2026-27 trying to establish himself as Vegas' long-term No. 1 after returning to the NHL last season following an absence in 2024-25. He seized the crease late last season and remained the starter throughout the Golden Knights' run to the Stanley Cup Final.
Blackhawks at Golden Knights picks and predictions
Prediction
Golden Knights 3, Blackhawks 1
Moneyline
PASS: look for better profit potential on the Puck Line.
Puck line/Against the spread
Chicago dropped its first 3 games last season and overall tended to struggle when playing out West. The Blackhawks are 0-3-1 across their last 4 games in Las Vegas; that quartet of meetings includes 3 Vegas wins by multiple goals.
Across their final 15 home games last season (spanning regular and Stanley Cup Playoff games), the Knights registered 11 wins. They scored 4 goals or more in 8 of those victories.
Over his career, Hart has notched a .911 SV% in home games vs. and .897 mark on the road. He has been an excellent first-month netminder. And he's up against a Hawks offense that may need some time to gel and to ramp up to its full potential with a healthy Bedard.
BACK THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS -1.5 (+102).
Over/Under
The Blackhawks scored just 9 goals across 4 preseason contests. The early-season, home/road goalie splits make for a lean toward a low-scoring opener.
Vegas was a first-division defensive club last season, holding foes to 2.95 GPG. In the last 3 months of the season, the Knights yielded just 2.79 GPG.
The UNDER 5.5 (+112) is the value side of this proposition.
CARTER HART UNDER 20.5 SAVES (-110)
No club cranked out fewer scoring chances in 2025-26 than the Blackhawks. The Knights figure to have a responsible defense, and Vegas was not an oft-penalized club last season.
Look for Hart to be upright and unbothered for long stretches of this one.
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This article originally appeared on Sportsbook Wire: Chicago Blackhawks at Vegas Golden Knights odds, picks and predictions
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