Minnesota Wild vs. Vegas Golden Knights Game 1 Prediction, Playoff Odds
Vegas seemed to be in headlines every week since their inauguration in 2017, but they kept things quiet this season while running away with their fourth Pacific Division title.
Minnesota was struck with bad luck in the back half of their schedule as the injury bug kept star players out for extended periods. Their hot start was enough to get them into the dance, and with the band back together, they will look to cause an upset in Round 1.
The Golden Knights are -210 favourites to win at home on Sunday, according to the NHL odds. The game total is sitting at 5.5 goals. Puck drop from T-Mobile Arena is set for 10:00 p.m. ET.
Wild vs. Golden Knights NHL Betting Odds
The outlook is bleak for the Wild after losing all three games in the season series versus Vegas. The Golden Knights outscored Minny 12-4 in the set, but Kirill Kaprizov appeared in just one game. Oddsmakers like the Knights to win the Cup, giving them the fourth-best odds to take home Lord Stanley for the second time in three seasons at +850. The NHL futures board also features Minnesota at the opposite end at 13th with a +4000 payout.
Vegas stands as a -250 favourite to win the series, with the most likely outcome being a 4-1 Knights victory. Minnesota winning the series is paying out +300, and the longest outcome, is of course a Wild sweep paying out +1800.
The series’ top goal scorer is always a fun prop to watch, and Kaprizov is the favourite at +450. Pavel Dorofeyev (+600) led the Knights in goals, and Jack Eichel has great value at +700.
Minnesota Wild
Minnesota needs the series to stay low-scoring to have a chance, as they only averaged 2.74 goals per game, which is the eighth-lowest in the league. The Wild are getting back two players from their top line in Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek, which can only help their attack. The question is, how healthy will the pair be? Kaprizov has only played four games since the Four Nations break, picking up two goals and two assists. Eriksson Ek appeared in four games since the break as well, scoring just once.
Goaltender Filip Gustavsson’s bounce-back was a huge reason the Wild are back in the postseason. His .914 save percentage was the sixth-best in the league and the third-best amongst goalies with over 50 games.
If he does struggle, Marc-Andre Fleury could take over and rally this team like no other. The future Hall-of-Famer will hang ‘em up after this playoff run, so do not be surprised if the team does use him as a spark.
The Wild have no playoff pedigree to flex after missing the playoffs last season. The franchise has not won a round since 2015 and is 0-8 since then.
Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas looks as dangerous as ever headed into this series, ending the regular season as the third-highest scoring team. Their power play was deadly at 28.3 per cent, and their goaltending was just as solid, averaging only 2.61 goals per game allowed.
After an early exit in last year’s playoff, the Golden Knights look primed for another deep run this season. They faced Dallas in the first round last season and pushed the series to seven games, winning only one game on home ice. The franchise has already appeared in two Cup Finals since joining the league in 2017-18, with a Cup win back in 2023.
Jack Eichel has never looked better, putting up a career-high 94 points (28G, 66A) in only 77 games. While he was healthy for most of the season, an upper-body injury held him out of three games before the postseason. He will be back, but will he be at 100 per cent? Eichel at +2000 is the fourth favourite for the Conn Smythe trophy as the playoff MVP. He has 33 points in 29 career playoff games, including 26 in 22 games when they won the cup in 2023.
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