Minnesota Wild vs. Vegas Golden Knights Series Predictions and Best Bets

by Ryan Cobbett - 4/16/2025

The Vegas Golden Knights have claimed the top spot in the Pacific Division for the second time in three years while the Minnesota Wild were able to control the top wild card spot in the Western Conference, despite limping to the finish line. The Wild will be hoping to offer up some fight in the postseason series against the Golden Knights after being swept by them in their three game regular season series. Vegas took two games in Minnesota and one at home to sweep the series while posting a +8-goal differential.

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Team Summaries

The Golden Knights have 108 points on the season with one game remaining on their regular seasons schedule. Their 45 regulation wins are the most in the NHL and their +53-goal differential is the third best mark in the Western Conference. They have averaged 3.33 GF/G which is the fifth best mark in the league while also ranking fourth in the league in GA/G as they have allowed just 2.63 GA/G this season. Vegas has also been incredibly efficient on the power play as they have cashed in on 28.8% of their man advantage opportunities which is the second-best mark in the league. Jack Eichel leads the team with 93 points and with 66 assists. Pavel Dorofeyev and Tomas Hertl were the only two Vegas players to reach the 30-goal mark on the season with Dorofeyev leading the way with 34 and Hertl following with 32. Hertl and Mark Stone join Eichel as the three Vegas players to pass the 60-point mark on the season. Vegas has had 11 players record double digit goals this season while also having 15 players reach the 20-point mark. Adin Hill dominated the opposition this season as the goalie allowed just 2.47 GA/G across 50 appearances this season.

As for the Wild, they endured some tough injuries this season that derailed their chances of finding themselves in the Top 3 of the Central Division. Kirill Kaprizov was on a Hart Trophy pace to start the season before being injured and returning to the ice just a week ago. Mats Zucarello, Jared Spurgeon, Joel Eriksson Ek, Ryan Hartman, Jake Middleton and Jonas Brodin all played in less than 70 games this season. Despite their injuries, the Wild managed to put together a 97-point season while securing the top wild card spot in the conference. Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi were two of the few Wild players who were able to stay healthy this season and as a result the two led the team with 73 and 60 points respectively. Despite being held to just 41 games, Kaprizov finished third on the roster in points, with 56. Boldy, Rossi, and Kaprizov were the only three Minnesota players to record more than 20 goals this season. Despite all the injuries in the regular season, the Wild appear to be at or near full strength heading into the postseason and Vegas needs to avoid overlooking this squad. As for their goaltending, Filip Gustavsson has put together a solid season as he has allowed just 2.56 GA/G while posting a 31-19-6 record across 58 appearances this season.

Goalie Matchup

Hill has been significantly better at home this season as the netminder has allowed just 2.40 GA/G across his 28 home starts. He has posted a 20-6-2 home record and a .910 home SV%. In his two starts against the Wild this season, Hill allowed just two goals on 40 shots. This is the third postseason for Hill in his career and he has dominated through his first 19 appearances as he has allowed just 2.09 GA/G, while saving 67 of the 72 shot attempts.

Gustavsson has been a road warrior this season as the Swede has allowed just 2.49 GA/G on the road, compared to his 2.62 GA/G mark at home. He did struggle in his lone start against Vegas this season as he gave up four goals in a losing effort. This will be Gustavsson’s second postseason in his career as he is returning for the first time since the 2022/23 season. He has allowed 2.33 GA/G across his five postseason starts.

Skaters to Watch

Vegas Golden Knights:

Eichel is set for his third postseason, and he has been quite productive in the postseason averaging 1.4 points per game.
Stone has five points (5a) in three games against the Minnesota Wild this season. He will look to be a factor in the playoffs as he has just 35 points in his last 48 playoff games.
Hertl has tallied nearly 66% of his goals on home ice this season, and he has a +/- rating of +4 in front of his home fans.

Minnesota Wild:

Kaprizov had two goals in his only appearance against Vegas this season. This will be his fourth postseason, and his first since the 2022/23 season. Kaprizov has posted just 12 points in 19 playoff games.
Eriksson Ek will need to find a way to be a threat in this series if Minnesota wants to knock off Vegas. Eriksson Ek has just 10 points in 26 playoff games in his career.
Rossi will be making his first career playoff appearance this season.

Series Pick

I like Minnesota to pull off the upset in this one. They started the season with an 18-4-4 record before the injuries started to pile up. Now returning to full strength, the Wild are dangerous. They finished the season winning four of their last five games with the offense averaging 3.8 GF/G. It will be a hard-fought series and Gustavsson will have to be on his A game here, but the Wild are a young speedy team with incredible depth and that will give them an edge here. Minnesota wins the series in seven games.

My Pick: to Win: Minnesota Wild +190, Series Total Games: Over 5.5 -164, Series Exact Games: 7 Games +210

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Start:	April 18, 2025 @ 11:00 PM
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Minnesota Wild vs. Vegas Golden Knights Series Predictions and Best Bets

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