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The two division leaders in the Western Conference take the stage as the Vegas Golden Knights visit the Minnesota Wild. It's time to continue our NHL odds series with a Golden Knights-Wild prediction, pick, and how to watch.
Both teams come in playing well. Vegas is 7-2-1 in their last ten games, and come in off a 4-1 victory over this same Wild team. With only six left to play, Vegas is trying to hold on to that top spot in the Western Conference. Minnesota comes in off that loss to Vegas. The loss ended a three-game win streak, which included wins over the Avalanche and the Kraken. Tonight, two of the best teams in the conference square off for their second time in three days.
Here are the Golden Knights-Wild NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Golden Knights-Wild Odds
Vegas Golden Knights: +1.5 (-220)
Minnesota Wild: -1.5 (+180)
Over: 5.5 (-124)
Under: 5.5 (+102)
How To Watch Golden Knights vs. Wild
TV: NHL Network
Stream: NHLPP
Time: 8:00 PM ET/ 5:00 PM PT
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Golden Knights Could Cover The Spread
Article Continues Below
Vegas is going to the playoffs, that has been decided. They are now just trying to hold on to the top spot in the division. They have a one-point lead on the Kings but also have a game in hand. A win tonight will help gain ground in this race. Vegas did exactly what it needed to do in the win over Minnesota. First, they outshot the Wild 43-30. Secondly, they did not allow a power-play goal on their two penalties kill chances. Third, they got great goaltending with Lauren Brossoit saving 29 of 30 shots he faced.
What was odd and potentially not replicable was who scored for the Golden Knights. Ben Hutton scored his third, Zach Whitecloud his fifth, and Brett Howden his fifth. The first three goals all were by non-traditional scorers. They were set up by Eichel, Pietrangelo, and Stephenson, which is the normal crew getting assists, but the primary goal scorers did not hit. Reilly Smith did not play against the Wild and is still day-to-day, but if he can get back tonight, that would be a huge boost for the Golden Knights' offense. Eichel and Marchessault did get off nine shots in the win, and if they do that again, they should get a goal between the two of them.
Brossoit has started the last two games for the Golden Knights, but the most likely starter is Jonathan Quick for Vegas. Quick was pulled from his last outing against Edmonton after letting in four goals in the first two periods, but before that, he had put together good performances. He has played well against Vancouver and Philadelphia, but in between those two games, he let in six goals against the Flames in a loss. Ultimately, if Quick is on like Brossoit was the other night, Vegas will win again.
Why The Wild Could Cover The Spread
Conversely, the Wild cannot repeat their last performance. Firstly, they must get their shooting percentage back up. During their 5-0-1 stretch before the loss, the Wild had been outshot in all but one game, but they were shooting at a great percentage throughout. Ultimately, the number of shots on goal did not matter for the Wild as they shot 13.77% in those games. If done over the entire season, it would be best in the NHL by nearly two percentage points.
Secondly, goaltending was solid in that six-game spread. The combination of Fleury and Gustavsson had a save percentage of .943 in that time frame, including one goal on 48 shots performance by Gustavsson over the Devils. Gustavsson is expected to be back between the pipes tonight, and his March was wonderful. He had a 1.80 goals-against average and a save percentage of .944 on the month. Gustavsson only had one bad start, and it was a 5-4 overtime loss to Arizona. He also had two shutouts in that timespan. If he can continue the solid play, Minnesota can get a win.
Finally, Minnesota needs to get some production out of their top guys with Kaprizov still out. Matt Boldy did score again, continuing his great pace in replacing Kaprizov, but that was the only goal. Eriksson Ek, Gaudreau, and Zuccarello combined for just seven shots, and had very few productive chances on net. One of them needs to step up tonight and light the lamp.
Final Golden Knights-Wild Prediction & Pick
Minnesota had a bad game in Vegas and showed how much they miss Kaprizov. Chances are slim for a return tonight, so Minnesota still needs to find goal scorers. Overall, there are two evenly matched-teams taking the ice tonight. Ultimately, this could come down to which team has the better goaltender tonight. Gustavsson has been better on the year, but not good enough to get the Wild a two-goal victory.
Final Golden Knights-Wild Prediction & Pick: Golden Knights +1.5 (-220)
