Wild vs Golden Knights Game 1 Odds, Predictions & Best Bets (Apr. 20)
By Chris Amberley in NHL Hockey
Published:
- The Golden Knights are -225 moneyline favorites over the Wild in Game 1 of their 1st Round playoff series
- Vegas won all three regular season meetings, by a combined scored of 12-4
- See my Wild vs Golden Knights Game 1 odds, predictions and best bets, below
The final game on the NHL’s Sunday playoff tripleheader features the Wild vs the Golden Knights. Vegas was one of the premier teams in the West this season, finishing second only to Winnipeg. Online sportsbooks are bullish on them in Game 1, as they begin their quest to navigate the NHL playoff bracket.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7pm PT / 10pm ET at the T-Mobile Arena, in Las Vegas, NV, with ESPN providing the broadcast coverage.
Minnesota Wild vs Vegas Golden Knights Odds
The Golden Knights are currently -225 moneyline favorites, in a game with a total of 5.5. Vegas is also laying -1.5 goals on the puck line at plus-money odds, while Minnesota comes back as a +185 underdog.
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Odds as of April 20th at Caesars. Check out SBD’s Caesars Sportsbook review to see the available sign-up bonuses.
Per the NHL public betting trends, money is pouring in on the Golden Knights. Vegas is currently drawing 92% of the moneyline wagers, and 86% of the spread bets.
Minnesota Wild vs Vegas Golden Knights Predictions
My prediction is this game underwhelms offensively. For starters, few teams are good defensively as Vegas. It’s one of the main reasons they’re so popular in the Stanley Cup odds. The Golden Knights were third in both goals against and expected goals against this season. They allowed the ninth fewest high danger scoring chances, while Adin Hill was brilliant down the stretch.
Hill was 11-3-1 in his final 15 starts, posting a .915 save percentage, and a 2.18 GAA. He was 2-0 against the Wild this season, posting a 1.00 GAA and a .950 save percentage.
Minnesota has some top end stars in Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy, but overall they’re an underwhelming offensive team. The Wild were 25th in scoring this season, and 27th in expected goals against. They had a bottom-six Corsi For percentage, and were bottom-10 in high danger scoring chances.
Filip Gustavsson vs Adin Hill Stats
The Wild didn’t clinch a postseason berth until their final game of the regular season, and they’re only here because of their stingy defense. Minnesota was sixth in expected goals against, and surrendered the third fewest high danger scoring chances.
Filip Gustavsson set career-highs in wins and shutouts, while posting the second highest save percentage of his career as a starter. He’ll have his hands full, as the Golden Knights have elite offensive talent, and a wealth of depth.
11 players scored 10+ goals this season for Vegas. That group is led by Pavel Dorofeyev and Tomas Hertl, who potted 35 and 32 goals respectively, while Jack Eichel led all skaters with 94 points.
Wild vs Golden Knights Best Bets
- Under 5.5 Goals (-115 at Caesars)
The trio helped lead the Golden Knights to a 3-0 record versus the Wild during the regular season. Vegas outscored Minnesota 12-4 in those contests, racking up 40 more shots that the Wild.
On a per game basis, Minnesota ranked bottom-10 in shots as well. They also averaged just 2.8 goals as visitors, while the Golden Knights were one of the best defensive teams on home ice.
Vegas allowed only 2.4 goals in their own barn, posting a 29-9-3 record along the way. I have zero confidence the Wild are going to find success on offense in this matchup, while Minnesota’s defensive brand of hockey is just strong enough to help keep this game under the total.
Two of their three matchups fell short of the total in the regular season, and I’m betting this one will as well.
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Sports Writer
As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
