Our hits, misses on Golden Knights’ over/under predictions
Let’s find out how wrong we were.
Every year the Golden Knights’ coverage team gets together to make over/under predictions before the NHL season. With 56 games in the books, it’s time to look back at how things played out vs. our expectations.
Here’s the results:
Total points
Line: 71.5
Result: 82
The Knights blew past this total. It looks shockingly low in hindsight, but it was set at the equivalent of a 105-point pace in an 82-game regular season.
Ben Gotz — OVER
David Schoen — OVER
Ed Graney — OVER
Adam Hill — UNDER
West Division finish
Line: 1.5
Result: 2
This one came down to the final game of the regular season for the West Division title. The Colorado Avalanche prevailed on a tiebreaker and won the Presidents’ Trophy.
Gotz — OVER
Schoen — UNDER
Graney — OVER
Hill — OVER
Max Pacioretty goals
Line: 21.5
Result: 24
Pacioretty hit the over with almost a month to go in the season. He scored so much that his late injury didn’t bring any drama to the proceedings.
Gotz — OVER
Schoen — OVER
Graney — UNDER
Hill — UNDER
Mark Stone points
Line: 48.5
Result: 61
Like Pacioretty, Stone didn’t make anyone sweat this out. He had the best offensive season of his career. He also set a Knights record for points per game at 1.11.
Gotz — OVER
Schoen — OVER
Graney — UNDER
Hill — OVER
Shea Theodore points
Line: 42.5
Result: 42
Well, this line ended up being pretty good. Theodore didn’t score a point in his final five games to secure the under. He set a team record for points per game by a defenseman (0.79).
Gotz — OVER
Schoen — UNDER
Graney — UNDER
Hill — UNDER
Reilly Smith goals
Line: 15.5
Result: 14
This looked like a surefire under most of the season, but Smith’s hat trick in the third-to-last game ended up making it interesting.
Gotz — UNDER
Schoen — UNDER
Graney — OVER
Hill — OVER
Robin Lehner starts
Line: 34.5
Result: 19
Lehner’s concussion made sure this wasn’t in play. Even if he didn’t suffer an injury, coach Pete DeBoer largely stuck to an even split when both goalies were healthy.
Gotz — UNDER
Schoen — UNDER
Graney — UNDER
Hill — UNDER
Alex Pietrangelo points
Line: 33.5
Result: 23
Injuries and time spent in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols slowed Pietrangelo’s production. It also took him time to adjust to a new team and system.
Gotz — UNDER
Schoen — OVER
Graney — OVER
Hill — UNDER
William Karlsson points
Line: 40.5
Result: 39
Karlsson ended up with a typical season for him. He posted solid offensive numbers, was a valuable all-around player and appeared in every game.
Gotz — OVER
Schoen — UNDER
Graney — UNDER
Hill — UNDER
Jon Marchessault goals
Line: 18.5
Result: 18
Marchessault needed two goals in the final game to reach the over. He scored once and assisted on another goal. Too unselfish for his own good.
Gotz — UNDER
Schoen — OVER
Graney — OVER
Hill — UNDER
Final standings
Gotz: 8-2; Hill: 7-3; Schoen: 7-3; Graney: 5-5
Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.