Since joining the NHL for the 2017-18 season, the success of the Vegas Golden Knights has been rather remarkable. They’ve made the playoffs in seven of eight seasons, winning their division four times. They’ve made multiple deep playoff runs already, including a Stanley Cup victory in 2023 after falling short in the Final in their inaugural season.
In a way, the Minnesota Wild are on a similar run of impressive consistent performance. Since 2013, the Wild have made the playoffs in 11 of 13 seasons. The difference between the two clubs is the success in the postseason. The Wild have just two playoff victories over that time and haven’t advanced out of the first round since 2015.
Entering this series, the Golden Knights are clearly the better team. However, that only matters so much in hockey. Goalies get hot, team depth gets tested and lucky bounces decide games. With that being said, does Minnesota have a real chance of pulling off the upset?
Golden Knights vs. Wild predictions and best bets
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
- Vegas -1.5 games (+110)
- Jack Eichel 2+ goals (-170)
- Series Total Games: Under 2.5 (+120)
The Golden Knights finished 13 points clear of the Wild in the regular season standings, and the head-to-head matchups between the teams offers little inspiration for Wild fans. Vegas went 3-0 against Minnesota this season, outscoring them 12-4 in the process.
This is a heavy, physical, tough to break down Vegas team that seems especially built for the playoff style of hockey. On the other side, Minnesota is one of the smaller teams in the league, and they are lacking a second option alongside Kirill Kaprizov, who is just returning from injury.
The hallmark of the Golden Knights is the ability of their top line to dominate on both sides of the ice. Jack Eichel centers Mark Stone and Ivan Barbashev, and they take as much joy in shutting the opposition down as they do scoring themselves.
With that being said, Eichel led the team in points and finished second in goals. We know his coach will trust him in late game situations, increasing the possibility of an empty net goal or two in the series. Eichel already had a hat trick against Minnesota earlier in the series.
Unfortunately for the Wild, I don’t think this will be a long series. Vegas is better in every facet of the game and the Wild don’t offer much resistance. I see this one wrapping up in four or five games.
Golden Knights vs. Wild series odds analysis
Oddsmakers expect Vegas to make quick and easy work of Minnesota in their first round NHL playoff series. Vegas is a -205 favorite to win the series, suggesting they advance to the second round over 67% of the time.
How Vegas wins this series as a favorite
As long as Vegas doesn’t get “goalie’d” or “puck lucked,” they should be moving on to the second round. We already talked about their top line and how dominant they are on both sides of the puck. They continue to find and develop players such as Pavel Dorofeyev, who might have just had the quietest 35-goal season in NHL history. Players like Victor Olofsson and Brandon Saad have gone to Vegas to revive their career.
The Golden Knights are loaded on defense, featuring three No. 1 defensemen in Alex Pietrangelo, Noah Hanifin and Shea Theodore. All can be physical and all can move the puck, which makes them a tough nut to crack. In net, Adin Hill has a Stanley Cup to his name and has plenty of support in front of him.
How Minnesota wins this series as an underdog
If you’re new to hockey, the answer to how an underdog can pull off a massive upset is usually the same. It comes down to the man between the pipes. Thankfully for Minnesota, Filip Gustavsson has been one of the better goalies in the league this season.
For those unfamiliar, it starts with Gustavsson making 38 saves in a 2-1 victory in a game where Minnesota was outshot 39-14. Suddenly, doubt enters the doubt of Vegas and a monster is created.
No, that’s actually how Minnesota wins the series. Thankfully for them, it’s happened in plenty of NHL playoff series before. The health of Kaprizov and the addition of Zeev Buium to the lineup can help, but Minnesota doesn’t have a chance without a phenomenal performance from Gustavsson.
