Minnesota Wild vs. Vegas Golden Knights Game 5 Prediction, NHL Playoff Odds
Vegas will be looking to push the Wild to the brink on Tuesday after squeaking out an overtime win in Minny on Saturday afternoon. It looked like we would see a second overtime before Ivan Barbashev ended it with just over two minutes to play.
Game 5 sees Vegas as -220 favourites on the NHL odds, with the game total opening at an even 6.0 goals. The Fortress is looking to provide home ice advantage, with the puck dropping at 9:30 p.m. ET.
Wild vs. Golden Knights NHL Betting Odds
After regaining home ice advantage, the Golden Knights are now a -250 to move onto the second round. The Knights have only lost nine of their 41 home games this season, and a Game 5 win would force the Wild to win back-to-back games again.
With every series about halfway through, the Stanley Cup Odds look much different than they did a week ago. Vegas is now the third-favourite team from the Western Conference to win the Cup at +1000 on the NHL futures board and +575 to win the Western Conference, behind the Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets.
It is a two-horse race for the series’ top goal scorer, with Minnesota’s Kirill Kaprizov (+105) and Matt Boldy (+165) sitting on four goals. Tomas Hertl has three so far for Vegas, and at a +1000 payout, could be the best value.
Oddsmakers have this one ending in six games, but the Wild have exceeded expectations since Game 1. The OVER on 6.5 games is +100, and guessing the correct series outcome at 4-2 Knights is at +150.
Minnesota Wild
The Wild had the chance to put the Knights on the ropes at home in Game 4 and almost did it, taking the game to the last few minutes of overtime. They were chasing the game early on when the Knights scored on the power play just before the seven-minute mark of the first period. Marco Rossi tied the game minutes later with his second of the series. Marcus Foligno put Minnesota ahead early in the second, scoring his third of the postseason to give Minnesota the lead heading to the final period.
The third opened with back-to-back goals from the Knights, but Jared Spurgeon answered just 54 seconds later to even things once again.
The Wild have relied heavily on Filip Gustavsson in this series, and Game 4 was no different. The Wild goalie stopped 42 shots in the contest and has made 30 or more saves in each of the past three games.
Kaprizov continued his impressive playoff run, setting up the game-tying goal. He has eight points (4G, 4A) in the four playoff games so far and is one point from leading the entire playoffs in scoring.
Vegas Golden Knights
The veteran Vegas squad knew it was a must-win game for them in Minnesota on Saturday, but stayed calm and composed to pick up the win in overtime. After giving up five goals in back-to-back games, they needed to tighten up defensively, especially considering how much Adin Hill was struggling in goal.
They took the lead in the first period for the first time since the opening game on Shea Theodore’s first of the postseason. The power play has been lethal this series, clicking at 36 per cent. They scored twice again in Game 4, propelling them to the win. They had the second-best power play all season and are carrying that into the postseason.
It is their play at even strength that has been letting them down, getting outscored 12-7 at 5-on-5. Adin Hill has also been struggling, posting an .856 save percentage through the four games. He bounced back a bit in Game 4, stopping 29 of 32, after getting yanked in the third period of Game 3.
When the series is tied, whoever wins Game 5 tends to win the series. Advantage Vegas right now with home ice advantage.
MIN
VEG