Golden Knights vs Wild Game 3 Prediction, Pick & Odds for Thursday

• The Golden Knights are -170 moneyline favorites over the Wild in Game 3 of their 1st Round playoff series
• The best-of-seven series is tied 1-1
• See my Golden Knights vs Wild Game 3 predictions and pick, plus the best odds below

Through two games of the Golden Knights vs Wild series, we’ve yet to see Vegas’ best hockey. They’ve been stuck in neutral for large chunks of the first two battles, producing far less scoring chances than usual. Online sportsbooks don’t seem worried, pegging them as road chalk tonight for Game 3, and expecting them to take a 2-1 series in the NHL playoff bracket.

Puck drop is scheduled for 9pm ET / 6pm PT from Minnesota’s Xcel Energy Center, with TBS and truTV providing the coverage.

Vegas Golden Knights vs Minnesota Wild Prediction

The winner of Game 3 of a best-of-seven series tied at 1 has gone on to advance 66% of the time in NHL playoff history. That makes tonight’s game especially important. If the Golden Knights are going to be a legit Stanley Cup odds contender they’ll need more production from their big names. I predict that will happen tonight.

Let’s start on offense. Leading scorer Jack Eichel has zero points. Ditto for captain Mark Stone. Leading goal scorer Pavel Dorofeyev meanwhile, has just one point. Eichel and Stone have only combined for five shots on goal, and are a cumulative minus-6.

Vegas has produced only 5.9 expected goals, but they did wake up in the second half of Tuesday’s 5-2 loss. After falling behind 4-0, the Golden Knights outshot the Wild 22-5. They peppered Filip Gustavsson with 32 shots in Game 2, and I expect they play with a similar urgency tonight.

Knights vs Wild Advanced Playoff Stats

In their own end, they need more from Adin Hill. The 28-year-old allowed four goals on 16 shots in Game 2. He’s posted an abysmal .833 save percentage through two games, which is a far cry from previous postseasons. Last year he posted a .931 save percentage in the playoffs. The year before, en route to a title, he boasted a .932 save percentage.

Obviously, positive regression is likely, especially if you look at where the goals are coming from. He’s stopped 18 of 20 high-danger scoring chances, meaning he’s being beat from areas of the ice where he shouldn’t be.

Vegas also needs to devise a game plan to slow down Minny’s top-line. Matt Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov have accounted for 5 of the Wild’s 7 goals. The duo, along with lineman Joel Eriksson Ek, have combined for 43% of Minnesota’s shots on goal (16 of 37). Shut down the number one line down, and the Wild will fold.

Knights vs Wild Pick

• VGK Golden Knights 60 Min Line (+100)

I’m predicting they clamp down on Kaprizov and Boldy tonight, so I’m looking to back Vegas to take Game 3. You could bet their moneyline at -170, or you could roll the dice and target them to win in regulation. The odds are significantly better, as long as you’re willing to take on a bit of risk.

It’s worth noting that outside of Game 2, the Golden Knights have dominated the Wild this season. They were 4-0 straight up against Minnesota before Game 2, outscoring them 16-6. Going into the Wild’s barn didn’t bother them one bit, as they were 2-0 as visitors, posting a +5 goal differential.

Vegas Golden Knights vs Minnesota Wild Odds

The best price we can get on Vegas to win in regulation is +100 at Caesars. The Golden Knights are laying 1.5 goals on the puck line at +164 odds, while the total sits at 5.5.

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Odds as of April 24th at Caesars. Check out SBD’s Caesars Sportsbook review to see the available sign-up bonuses.

Per the NHL public betting trends, both games have gone over the total in this series. I would expect that to change in Game 3, especially since I’m counting on Vegas to shut down the Wild’s top-line.