Vegas Golden Knights vs Utah Mammoth Picks and Predictions for Friday April 24 2026
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The Vegas Golden Knights and Utah Mammoth meet in Game 3 of the Western Conference First Round on Friday, April 24, 2026, at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, with puck drop set for 9:30 PM. Coverage is scheduled for TBS and HBO Max as the series shifts to Utah tied 1-1. Vegas enters with a 39-26-17 record and a 19-14-8 road mark, while Utah comes in at 43-33-6 with a 22-16-3 home record. The Golden Knights are listed at -112 on the moneyline, the Mammoth are at -108, and the total is set at 5.5 goals. Be ready for all the NHL action with our Free NHL picks.
Previous Game Recap
Game 2 saw the Utah Mammoth bounce back with a 3-2 road win over the Vegas Golden Knights, evening the series at 1-1. Utah scored once in each period, while Vegas matched the Mammoth through two periods before being held scoreless in the third. That final-period difference gave Utah the edge and allowed the Mammoth to head home with the series tied.
For Utah, Dylan Guenther delivered a strong performance with one goal, one assist, five shots, and a plus-two rating. Logan Cooley added a goal and finished plus-two, while Kailer Yamamoto contributed two assists in limited ice time. MacKenzie Weegar also scored from the blue line, helping round out the scoring. In goal, Karel Vejmelka stopped 19 of 21 shots and finished with a .905 save percentage, giving Utah enough stability to close out the win.
For Vegas, Ivan Barbashev scored once on two shots, while Mark Stone also found the net and finished with two shots. Jack Eichel helped drive the offense with two assists, while Mitch Marner added an assist of his own. Carter Hart faced 29 shots and made 27 saves, finishing with a .931 save percentage, but the Golden Knights could not find the tying goal in the third period.
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Golden Knights Try to Regain Their Edge Away from Home
Vegas comes into this matchup at 39-26-17 overall and 19-14-8 away from home. Over the last five games, the Golden Knights recently lost to Utah 3-2, recently won over Utah 4-2, recently won over Seattle 4-1, recently won over Winnipeg 6-2, and recently won over Colorado 3-2 in overtime. The Game 2 loss tightened the series, but Vegas has still shown the ability to win games in different styles during this recent stretch.
The Golden Knights are averaging 3.22 goals per game while allowing 2.95 goals against per game. They are putting 29.0 shots on goal per game while allowing only 24.4 shots against, giving them a clear shot-volume advantage in the provided team numbers. On special teams, Vegas has 58 power-play goals with a 24.6 percent success rate, while allowing 38 power-play goals against with an 81.4 percent penalty kill rate.
The biggest strength for Vegas is the combination of shot generation and shot suppression. The Golden Knights are averaging more shots per game than Utah while allowing fewer shots per game than the Mammoth. That creates a strong foundation, especially in a tight playoff series where puck possession and pressure can decide close games.
Mammoth Return Home with the Series Level
Utah enters Game 3 with a 43-33-6 record and a 22-16-3 mark at home. Over the last five games, the Mammoth recently won over Vegas 3-2, recently lost to Vegas 4-2, recently lost to St. Louis 5-3, recently won over Winnipeg 5-3, and recently lost to Calgary 4-1. Their Game 2 win was important because it stopped Vegas from taking a 2-0 series lead and gave Utah a chance to build momentum at Delta Center.
The Mammoth are averaging 3.27 goals per game while allowing 2.93 goals against per game. Utah is producing 27.7 shots per game and allowing 26.1 shots against. Their power play has produced 46 goals with a 20.0 percent conversion rate, while their penalty kill sits at 78.1 percent after allowing 54 power-play goals against.
Utah’s key strength is its narrow scoring and defensive balance. The Mammoth average slightly more goals per game than Vegas and allow slightly fewer goals against per game. That kind of margin matters in a series that has already produced a 4-2 result and a 3-2 result, especially now that Utah gets the next game on home ice.
Vegas Golden Knights vs Utah Mammoth Picks and Prediction
Moneyline Pick
- Vegas Golden Knights
The side pick is Vegas Golden Knights moneyline at -112. Utah won Game 2 and has the home-ice setting for Game 3, but the provided team stats give Vegas a slight edge in several important areas. The Golden Knights generate more shots per game, allow fewer shots against per game, have the stronger power-play percentage, and have the better penalty kill percentage. With the moneyline sitting close to even, Vegas is the lean to respond after the 3-2 loss and reclaim control of the series.
Total Pick
- Over
The total pick is over 5.5 goals. Vegas averages 3.22 goals per game, while Utah averages 3.27 goals per game, and both teams have already shown they can get to multiple goals in this series. The first two games finished with six goals and five goals, and with the number set at 5.5, the provided scoring averages point toward another matchup that can push over the total.
Final Score Prediction: Vegas Golden Knights 4 – Utah Mammoth 3
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