May 7, 2026, 8:05 p.m. ET
The Vegas Golden Knights visit the Anaheim Ducks for Game 3 of their second-round Western Conference playoff series. Puck drop at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, is 9:30 p.m. ET (TNT / truTV / HBO Max). Let’s analyze NHL odds around the Golden Knights vs. Ducks odds and make our expert NHL picks and predictions.
Series: Tied 1-1
Vegas took the series opener 3-1 Monday, but the -162 Golden Knights lost Game 2 by the same score (Under 6.5) in Wednesday’s Game 2. RW Mark Stone scored Vegas’ lone goal on a power-play goal in the closing seconds. The setback snapped a 4-game playoff win streak.
RW Beckett Sennecke, C Leo Carlsson and C Jansen Harkins scored for the Ducks Wednesday, and G Lukas Dostal came 5.6 seconds from his first career playoff shutout. Anaheim, which has now scored 3 goals or more in 6 of 8 playoff tilts, outshot Vegas 28-22 Wednesday. The Ducks have allowed just 44 shots on goal over Games 1 and 2.
Watch the NHL on Fubo!Golden Knights at Ducks odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 8:01 p.m. ET.
Moneyline (ML): Golden Knights -115 (bet $115 to win $100) | Ducks -105 (bet $105 to win $100)Puck line (PL)/Against the spread (ATS): Golden Knights -1.5 (+205) | Ducks +1.5 (-260)Over/Under (O/U): 6.5 (O: -114 | U: -140)Golden Knights at Ducks projected goalies
Carter Hart (2026 playoffs: 5-3, 2.44 GAA, .912 SV%) vs. Lukas Dostal (2026 playoffs: 5-3, 3.22 GAA, .886 SV%)
Hart has been the Knights’ lone man between the pipes this series. He allowed 2 goals Wednesday (the Ducks had an empty-netter in the third) and sports a .952 SV% across his last 3 games.
Dostal stopped 21 of 22 pucks Wednesday. After scuffling his way to an .854 SV% through his first 5 playoff games, he has logged a .929 mark in 3 games since.
Golden Knights at Ducks picks and predictionsPrediction
Ducks 3, Golden Knights 2
During the regular season, Anaheim went 24-13-4 at home, and Vegas went just 19-14-8 on road ice. In their opening-round series against the Edmonton Oilers the Ducks went 3-0 at the Honda Center, and 2 of those victories were by 3-goal margins.
Anaheim, which swept a 3-game regular-season series between these 2 Pacific Division foes, should head into Friday’s tilt with a shot of confidence after the way the Ducks game-controlled their way to victory Wednesday. They grabbed a lead by the 12th minute of the second period, added an insurance goal early in the third and kept a lid on Knights’ scoring chances throughout.
The Ducks have been especially tightened up when it comes to not yielding many 5-on-5 looks from high-danger areas. Naturalstattrick.com pegs Anaheim as one of the best in these playoffs in that defensive category. Dostal is a young netminder who should have some confidence after his recent performances.
The DUCKS (-105) are the leverage side of this first game in Anaheim.
Lots of juice here. AVOID.
The Under has cashed in 7 of the last 10 series meetings. And the last 15 Vegas road games have produced a 10-5 tilt for the Under.
Late in the regular season and again in playoffs, both the Ducks and Knights have logged better expected-than-actual-goals-allowed numbers on defense. Vegas has filed just 44 shots on goal in this series, and Anaheim has allowed an average of just 23.8 shots per game over its last 5.
In this corner, the expectation for the series continues to included a diminished role for special teams. So far, the power plays are a combined 1 for 15.
All that said, based on the line the market is catching up here. The UNDER 6.5 (-140) has value, but consider making this one a partial-unit play.
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.