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Vegas (2-1) at Anaheim (1-2)
- When: May 10 2026, 9:30 PM
- Where: Honda Center, Anaheim, CA, USA
- TV: ESPN
Vegas vs Anaheim NHL Preview & Pick
Moneyline: Vegas -117
Spread: Vegas -1.5 (+210)
Total: 6.0
Vegas Golden Knights: Veteran Beatdown Mode
Well, Vegas finally remembered they’re supposed to be the adults in this playoff series.
After skating around like they accidentally took melatonin before Games 1 and 2, the Golden Knights woke up Friday and slapped Anaheim with a 6-2 reality check. Veteran teams do this annoying thing where they suddenly decide to stop messing around, and the Ducks learned that lesson the hard way.
Mitch Marner turned into a casino jackpot machine with his first career playoff hat trick, giving him 13 postseason points with six goals and seven assists. Every time Anaheim blinked, Marner was somewhere behind them holding the puck and ruining their evening.
Vegas scored early, scored short-handed, controlled the tempo, and basically treated Anaheim like the younger sibling who talked trash after winning one video game.
The scary part? Vegas still hasn’t gotten much from Tomas Hertl, who apparently misplaced his goal-scoring abilities sometime back in March. The man hasn’t scored in 29 games. At this point, milk in my fridge has a shorter drought.
Coach John Tortorella also gave reporters the classic “stop asking me injury questions” speech regarding Mark Stone. Translation: nobody knows anything, and everyone should panic responsibly.
Still, Vegas finally looked like Vegas. That’s bad news for Anaheim and great news for bettors backing experience over vibes.
Anaheim Ducks: Panic In Orange
The Ducks entered Game 3 flying around with speed and confidence. Then Vegas punched them in the mouth 90 seconds into the game and suddenly everybody forgot how hockey works.
Alex Killorn basically summed it up perfectly: giving up an early goal and a short-handed goal is generally a terrible life choice in playoff hockey.
Anaheim’s power play has also vanished faster than my bankroll after betting Korean baseball at 3 a.m. The Ducks went 8-for-16 against Edmonton in Round 1 and are now 0-for-11 against Vegas. Congratulations, they discovered the exact opposite of momentum.
Defensively, Anaheim looked overwhelmed once Vegas increased the physical pressure. Jackson LaCombe admitted the Ducks are still learning playoff lessons, which is a polite way of saying Vegas just handed them a hockey TED Talk.
Goaltender Lukas Dostal gets another start despite getting yanked in Game 3. That’s either a huge confidence boost from the coaching staff or they simply ran out of alternatives.
The Ducks still have enough speed to make this competitive, especially at home, but young teams often struggle after getting smacked by a veteran contender. Game 4 feels like another test of maturity.
NHL Playoffs Betting Prediction
Vegas finally found their playoff gear, and Anaheim suddenly looks like a team trying to assemble IKEA furniture without instructions.
The Golden Knights’ experience, special teams edge, and offensive depth are starting to take over this series. Anaheim might hang around early, but Vegas looks built for these pressure spots.
The total at 6.5 feels fair, but Anaheim’s struggling power play makes it tougher to trust a high-scoring game from both sides.
Score Prediction: Golden Knights 4, Ducks 2
Pick: Vegas ML (-117)
Total: Under 6.5 (-117)
- NHL Playoffs Odds source: Bovada Sportsbook
