Minnesota Wild at Vegas Golden Knights Betting Preview
28 May 2021
Minnesota has had a terrific 2021 season, and many did not expect them to even be a playoff team. The Wild have won two straight games to stave off elimination and force the decisive Game 7.
Vegas has been a Stanley Cup pick since the preseason, and the Golden Knights racked up 82 points during the regular season. The Golden Knights are an experienced team and are fortunate to be playing Game 7 on home ice.
The Vegas Golden Knights are the favorites at -183 for this matchup with the Wild.
Wild Playing With Momentum
Momentum plays a key role in every sport, but the importance of it is even great when it comes to hockey. The Wild have won two straight games, and they have outscored Vegas 7-2 during this stretch.
Rookie forward Kirill Kaprizov sets the tone for the Wild on offense, and Minnesota scored 3.2 goals per game during the regular season. Kaprizov has gotten plenty of help from his offense so far in his series, and the balanced attack has been tough for Vegas to stop.
Goaltender Cam Talbot has also been a key factor in this series, posting a pair of shutouts while stopping nearly 94 percent of shots faced. The Wild will need a similar effort from Talbot and the defense on Friday night.
Vegas Must Find Scoring
Vegas was the third-highest scoring team in the NHL during the regular season, but the offense just hasn’t shown up in the postseason up to this point. The Golden Knights have not been able to generate enough offense, but playing at home should help.
Mark Stone has four goals and an assist for Vegas in this series, but he hasn’t gotten a ton of help. The Golden Knights need to take advantage of power-play opportunities to generate some offense in this one.
Marc-Andre Fleury has made all six starts for the team in the postseason, and he should be back in the net on Friday. Fleury has a history of playing great in the playoffs and could take over this game on his own.
Golden Knights Survive
This has been a thrilling series, and these two teams will likely meet up in the future in the NHL Playoffs. Vegas was expected to control this series from the outset, but the young Minnesota squad just hasn’t let up.
Look for this game to be played at a much slower pace, and that will play right into the hands of the Golden Knights. Minnesota will attempt to speed things up, but the Wild just simply won’t be able to breakthrough.
Minnesota has pushed Vegas all series long, but they will come up just a bit short in the decisive Game 7. Bet the Vegas Golden Knights -183 as they find a way to survive and advance to the second round of the playoffs.
Be sure to check out all of today's NHL picks!
