The Vegas Golden Knights (+105) head to take on the Minnesota Wild (-125) at Xcel Energy Center on Thursday. The total is 6 (O: +100, U: -120)Vegas (30-18-4) is playing their last of six games on the road coming off a 5-1 win over the Predators on Tuesday, breaking a streak of four defeats in a row.
Five players found the net for the Golden Knights. Adin Hill saved an impressive 16 of 17 shots (.941%) in the win. Minnesota (27-19-4) is returning home for a seven-game homestand with the second of a back-to-back after suffering a 4-1 loss against the Stars yesterday. Joel Eriksson Ek was the only player to score for the Wild. Filip Gustavsson had 33 saves in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Golden Knights won two of the three games between the teams last season, although the Wild were 3-0 victors in their final meeting in March. Nicolas Deslauriers, Ryan Hartman, and Matt Dumba were on the scoresheet for Minnesota. Cam Talbot saved 28 shots to earn the shutout win.
FACING OFF
Vegas is averaging 3.12 goals per game for the season, 17th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Wild team that is allowing 2.86 goals a game (12th). Meanwhile, Minnesota has found the net 3.00 times a game on average, 21st in the league, and the Golden Knights are allowing opponents to score 2.85 goals per game (11th).
Expect several power play opportunities for the Golden Knights, as the Wild have been penalized 4.54 times a game, fifth-most in the NHL, for an average of 11.98 minutes (third-highest). The visitors are averaging 2.83 penalties and 6.44 penalty minutes a game, both of which are the fewest in the league.
The Wild’s 23.90% power play percentage ranks 10th in the league, while the Golden Knights are 16th with a conversion rate of 22.22%. In terms of defending power plays, Minnesota has the league’s 15th-ranked PK% at 79.88%, while Vegas is 17th at 79.53%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 46 points this season, Chandler Stephenson is the top skater for the Golden Knights. He has 12 goals and 34 assists in 52 games. In the net, Hill (11-5-1) is Vegas’ top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 2.63 GAA and a .908% save percentage.
Logan Thompson (19-13-3) leads the Golden Knights in games played in goal. He has a GAA of 2.69 and a save percentage of .913%. Kirill Kaprizov leads the Wild in scoring with 61 points. He has 28 goals and 33 assists.
Gustavsson (11-7-1) has the best goals against average for Minnesota at 2.26, third-best in the league. He has a save percentage of .922%, fifth-best. Marc-Andre Fleury (16-11-3) has played the most games in net for the Wild this season. He has a 2.88 GAA and a .905% save percentage.
HOME AND AWAY
Vegas is 16-5-4 away from T-Mobile Arena this season. Minnesota is seeking a fourth straight home win this season. Meanwhile, the Wild are 4-2 without a day off and 3-1 playing with a rest disadvantage. The Golden Knights are 4-3 with a rest advantage.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Minnesota Wild (-120)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
