Minnesota Wild vs Vegas Golden Knights Prediction, Preview and Odds - 04/20/2025

Game Time: 10:00 pm ET, Sunday, April 20, 2025

Venue:  T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV 

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Wild +142, Knights -170; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Wild +145, Knights -170; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Wild +140, Knights -170; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

Minnesota Wild:  45-30-7 (4th place, Central Division)

Vegas Golden Knights:  50-22-10 (1st place, Pacific Division)

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Minnesota Wild:  5-3-2 last 10

Vegas Golden Knights:  6-2-2 last 10

The Wild are entering the playoffs with 97 points, a 45-30-7 record overall, and they were 23-13-5 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Anaheim Ducks in their last game, winning that one at home 3-2 in overtime. Matt Boldy, Marcus Johansson, and Joel Eriksson Ek each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Mats Zuccarello led the team in assists with 2 while Brock Faber led the team in shots on net in that game with 9. Filip Gustavsson was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 24 shots with 22 saves and a .917 save percentage before getting replaced by Marc-André Fleury who saved all 5 shots he faced. Their offense has scored 228 goals this season averaging 2.8 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 239 goals against them allowing 2.9 goals per game.

The Golden Knights are entering the playoffs with 110 points, a 50-22-10 record overall, and they were 29-9-3 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Vancouver Canucks in their last game, winning that one on the road 4-1. Victor Olofsson, Pavel Dorofeyev, Jack Eichel, and Cole Schwindt each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Ben Hutton and Shea Theodore each led the team in assists with 2 while Pavel Dorofeyev led the team in shots on net in that game with 6. Akira Schmid was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 1 goal on 17 shots with 16 saves and a .941 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 275 goals this season averaging 3.4 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 219 goals against them allowing 2.7 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Golden Knights listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. This is game 1 of a 7 game series between the 1st seeded Golden Knights from the Pacific Division and the 1st Wild Card seeded Wild from the Central Division for the 1st round of the NHL playoffs. The Golden Knights have looked great in their games this season with a record that has them right at the top of their division in the West and with one of the best records in the entire NHL. They have also looked great on home ice this year with one of the best home records in the West. Meanwhile, the Wild have looked good in their games this season with a record that got them into the Wild Card, and they have been a better road team this season too. The Wild may be a better road team compared to what they have done at home this year, but they haven't looked that good coming into the playoffs. They didn't clinch their playoff spot until the last game of the regular season, and even then they had to tie their game against the Ducks with 20 seconds left just to force OT and get the win. They have been banged up over the last few weeks and definitely haven't been at their best lately. The Golden Knights aren't a team they have had a ton of success against either. The Golden Knights already clinched their playoff spot a while ago and have been resting some players lately, but they have still been winning games and have a lot more momentum coming into this series. They will be looking to set the tone in this first game against a much weaker opponent that has been struggling lately. This isn't a good matchup for the Wild in the first round against a team that has a lot more playoff experience too. The best way to place a bet here is on the Golden Knights to win this game and on the puckline.

Wild Golden Knights Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Sunday, April 20, 2025 (10:00 pm ET start time) is Knights 6 Wild 2.

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Minnesota Wild: 35-58 (-10 units) on the moneyline as an underdog. 18-36 (-16.9 units) on the moneyline revenging a loss vs opponent as a home favorite. 61-75 (-13.7 units) on the moneyline against good offensive teams - averaging 29.5+ shots on goal per game. 27-16 UNDER when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 75%).

Vegas Golden Knights: 91-47 (+19.6 units) on the moneyline in home games. 44-29 (+9.1 units) on the moneyline off a road win. 80-58 (+20.2 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record. 16-6 UNDER off a road win against a division rival.

Minnesota Wild:  T. Grosenick (G) Out For Season - Knee.

Vegas Golden Knights:  None.

“It took some competitive stamina for us to be able to get it, obviously with the 82nd game and 20 seconds left in the game, but I think it was good. I’m really happy for the guys. We battled hard throughout the year. Another hard-fought game tonight and found a way to win it, and now we’ve got a chance to compete for the Stanley Cup.” - John Hynes after his team’s win against the Ducks in their regular season finale. 

“Jack likes to be in a rhythm, he likes to play, he is a competitor, so that's when we said, ‘OK, get in there and play.’ There's always risk, but it was nice to see him get through the game, play well, get some level of timing back, and hopefully he's better off for it in Game 1.” - Bruce Cassidy after his team’s win against the Canucks in their regular season finale.

LW Kirill Kaprizov

C Joel Eriksson Ek

RW Matt Boldy

LD Jacob Middleton

RD Brock Faber

G Filip Gustavsson

LW Ivan Barbashev

C Jack Eichel

RW Mark Stone

LD Brayden McNabb

RD Shea Theodore

G Adin Hill

Points: M. Boldy (73)

Goals: M. Boldy (27)

Assists: M. Boldy (46)

GAA: F. Gustavsson (2.56)

Points: J. Eichel (94)

Goals: P. Dorofeyev (35)

Assists: J. Eichel (66)

GAA: A. Schmid (1.26)

Coaches:

Minnesota Wild: John Hynes (2nd season)

Vegas Golden Knights: Bruce Cassidy (3rd season)