The Vegas Golden Knights head to Xcel Energy Center on Monday to take on the Minnesota Wild in the second half of a home-and-home set.
Both teams have been catapulting up the standings, with Vegas going 12-3-1 in its last 16 contests and Minnesota going 12-2-3 in its last 17 despite missing Kirill Kaprizov for most of that stretch.
Can Minnesota stay hot without its leading scorer? I break it all down in my Golden Knights vs. Wild NHL betting picks below.
Golden Knights vs Wild best odds
Golden Knights vs Wild picks and predictions
The Vegas Golden Knights came out on top during Saturday’s meeting at T-Mobile Arena with a 4-1 win, snapping a two-game losing skid.
The victory marked the first time in nine games that Vegas allowed fewer than two goals. While the Golden Knights have been picking up plenty of wins, their defense had been pretty porous before Saturday, allowing 3.78 goals per game through those nine contests.
Laurent Brossoit, who will likely start for Vegas, stopped 29 of 30 shots in the win over Minnesota but had struggled through his prior three starts with an .867 SV% and 3.35 GAA. Jonathan Quick has also struggled since being acquired by the Golden Knights at the trade deadline, posting an .896 SV% and a 3.53 GAA through eight appearances.
At the other end of the rink is arguably the NHL’s hottest scorer – Matt Boldy. The Minnesota Wild forward has 13 goals in 14 games since the start of March, trailing only David Pastrnak (14) and Leon Draisaitl (14) for the most in the league over that span. Most of those goals have come in the last two weeks as he’s recorded two hat tricks and 10 goals since March 19.
Boldy continued his hot run against Vegas on Saturday with another goal and has found the back of the net in five of his last seven outings. With Kaprizov still sidelined, it’ll be up to Boldy to continue to lead Minnesota’s offense and I think he’ll do just that with another tally tonight against some weak Vegas goaltending.
My best bet: Matt Boldy to score a goal (+170)
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Golden Knights vs Wild moneyline analysis
The Wild opened as the -130 favorite on home ice with most books bumping them up to around -135 by Sunday evening.
Although the Golden Knights came out on top in the last meeting a couple of nights ago, the Wild have been one of the best teams in the league going back to the start of their hot streak on February 26, with their 27 points trailing only the Bruins (30) for the most in the NHL over that span.
By that same token, though, Vegas has accumulated 25 points since the start of March, with only Edmonton (27) and Boston (26) picking up more over that span. The Golden Knights also own the edge in head-to-head meetings, winning five of their last six games against the Wild.
Where I think Minnesota has a significant edge, though, is in net. Both of Vegas’ goaltenders have struggled while Marc-Andre Fleury and Filip Gustavsson were both stellar in March, posting a .928 SV% and .944 SV%, respectively. In such a close matchup, I think that’s where the Wild may just gain the upper hand.
Golden Knights vs Wild Over/Under analysis
Tonight’s total opened at 6 goals with most books holding steady through Sunday night.
There hasn’t been a clear trend in terms of head-to-head matchups, with the Over and Under splitting five games apiece through the last 10 meetings. However, the teams have combined for six goals or fewer in each of the last three meetings and seven of the last nine, which suggests the Under might be the play.
The Wild have been pretty stingy as well, giving up just 2.43 gpg over their last seven contests, with five of those contests featuring six goals or fewer – another reason to like the Under tonight.
The Golden Knights have generally been playing in high-scoring contests over the last month, with 11 of their last 15 games featuring more than six total goals. With both Wild goaltenders looking solid, though, I still envision a game with five or six goals at most.
Golden Knights vs Wild betting trend to know
The home team is 6-1 in the last seven meetings. Find more NHL betting trends for Golden Knights vs Wild.
Golden Knights vs Wild game info
| Location: | Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN |
| Date: | Monday, April 3, 2023 |
| Puck drop: | 8:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | NHL Network |
