It’s time for another Last Word on Hockey First-Round series preview. This time we go in-depth on the opening-round series between the Vegas Golden Knights vs Minnesota Wild series. Vegas won the Pacific Division crown for the fourth time in franchise history. The Knights will take on a Wild team that survived injuries in the second-half of the season.
Vegas lost a hard-fought first-round series last season against the Dallas Stars . The Golden Knights are looking to reclaim the Stanley Cup after winning it in the 2022-23 campaign.
Minnesota is back in the post-season after missing the tournament last campaign. The Wild are starting to get players like Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek after missing big chunks of the second-half of the season.
Let’s take a look at the series breakdown between the Vegas Golden Knights vs Minnesota Wild first-round series. We’ll take a look at the series keys, odds, promos and make our ultimate prediction on the series.
Golden Knights vs Wild Odds and Promos
The oddsmakers love the Golden Knights to get past the first round against the Wild. ESPN Bet has Vegas a -250 favourite to move onto the next round. The same outlet has the Knights as a +800 to hoist their second Stanley Cup in three seasons. Vegas is -184 on Fan Duel to start the series off on the right note with a Game 1 win. The series over under is set at 5.5 games with the under at +128 on Fan Duel.
Golden Knights vs Wild 2024-25 History
Vegas swept all three meetings with Minnesota. However, the post-season is always a different animal. It’s always tough to beat a team four times in seven or less games no matter what. The Knights’ defence was stingy in only allowing four goals across three regular-season meetings.
Two of the Golden Knights’ wins over the Wild came after the turn of the new year. Minnesota had been dealing with injuries in the second half of the season. However, the team is relatively healthy now and the Wild proved they can hang with elite-level teams.
Golden Knights vs Wild Keys to the Series
What the Golden Knights Need to do to Find Success
Vegas is one of the better teams on the power play this season. The Golden Knights are second in the league in power-play conversion rate at 28.3 percent. Only the Winnipeg Jets have netted power-play goals with a higher-success rate. Jack Eichel , Pavel Dorofeyev , William Karlsson and Tomas Hertl have been rolling this season for Vegas. Brandon Saad has played well since coming over at the trade deadline.
However, the Golden Knights defence is also fairly accomplished. Vegas has one of the best defensive units in the league with Noah Hanifin , Shea Theodore , Brayden McNabb and Alex Pietrangelo . Having two solid pairs means they can try to match up against the Wild’s top offensive lines.
Adin Hill has also put together another solid season in between the pipes. Hill did help carry the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup in the 2023 Playoffs. He may not get the press that a lot of other goalies get, but he can put up solid performances.
What the Wild Need to do to Find Success
Minnesota has been slowly getting healthy after taking a plethora of injuries. Kaprisov, Eriksson Ek and Jacob Middleton among others have all been banged up at different points this season. The Wild had banked enough points in the opening-half of the season and had just enough to outlast the Calgary Flames for one of the Wild Card spots.
However, the Wild can score goals with talented playmakers like Kaprizov on the roster. The development of Brock Faber continued and Marco Rossi took a big leap forward in his game. Matt Boldy stepped up in a big way while Kaprizov and others were injured.
Minnesota’s top two defensive pairings are also solid. Faber and Jonas Brodin do a good job while matched up against the top lines. Middleton and Jared Spurgeon also a solid second pairing. We could also see Zeev Buium make his way into the lineup if head coach John Hynes is inclined to use him.
Filip Gustavsson has been solid in net, but there’s also Marc-Andre Fleury trying to make one more run at a title. Gustavsson will get the bulk of the starts, but don’t be surprised if Fleury makes an appearance in his last post-season before retirement.
Predictions and Best Bets
Both teams know how to play solid, defensive hockey. However, both teams also have talented offensive players that score goals. The Wild were held to one goal in each of the last two meetings, but the Golden Knights know that it won’t be an easy series.
A Minnesota team that shakes off the injury rust could give Vegas some headaches. Both teams have good defensive units and can match up with the top scoring lines.
However, the Golden Knights should be able to book a spot in the second round thanks to their depth. Vegas has a solid spine down the middle with plenty of centre depth. Nicolas Roy completes a very good pivot group that can fluster the top playmakers on the Wild.
These games may be tight, defensive affairs. However, the Golden Knights vs Wild should go the way of the Pacific Division champions. The Knights winning in five games is getting +350 on Fan Duel .
Prediction: Golden Knights win in five games.
Main photo by: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
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