Wild vs. Golden Knights prediction, odds, pick – 1/12/2025
Today at 08:25 PM
The Minnesota Wild will travel to Sin City to face the Vegas Golden Knights. It will be a possible playoff preview at T-Mobile Arena as we share our NHL odds series and make a Wild-Golden Knights prediction and pick.
The Golden Knights lead the head-to-head series 17-16. Recently, the Knights defeated the Wild 3-2 on December 15 at the Xcel Energy Center. The Golden Knights are 8-2 in the past 10 games against the Wild, including 4-1 in the past five games at T-Mobile Arena.
Here are the Wild-Golden Knights NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Wild-Golden Knights Odds
Minnesota Wild: +1.5 (-178)
Moneyline: +150
Vegas Golden Knights: -1.5 (+144)
Moneyline: -182
Over: 5.5 (-134)
Under: 5.5 (+1109)
How To Watch Wild vs Golden Knights
Time: 8 PM ET/5 PM PT
TV: Scripps and FDN
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why the Wild Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Wild are dealing with injuries, including one to their most important player, Kirill Kaprizov. Because of this, they could not stop the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, losing 6-1 in a lopsided affair that shows how bad things could get. Despite the loss, the Wild will still come into the game in second place in the Central Division. That speaks more to their amazing start and their ability to maintain the pace, even without their top guy.
But losing Kaprizov does have consequences. Unfortunately, they have fallen to 15th in goals and 21st in assists. This means that someone must step up to try and find a way to beat the Wild. Marco Rossi and Matt Boldy are likely candidates to take that role. Likewise, Mats Zuccarello must find ways to distribute the puck.
When the Wild last played the Golden Knights, they mustered up only 22 shots and won 45 percent of the faceoff. Additionally, they went 0 for 1 on the powerplay. That must change for the Wild to have a chance.
With Marc-Andre Fleury going on Saturday, Filip Gustavsson will get the start and come in with a record of 18-7-3 with a goals-against average of 2.44 and a save percentage of .918. Ultimately, he will also be looking to bounce back from his awful performance against the Avalanche. Gustavsson will play behind a defense that ranks ninth in goals against and is 29th on the penalty kill. If they cannot get Brock Faber of Jonas Brodin back, then someone else on this defense must step up.
The Wild will cover the spread if they can find a way to generate multiple scoring chances and avoid turning the puck over to the Knights. Then, they must avoid taking penalties and not put their defense in bad situations.
Why the Golden Knights Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Golden Knights remain one of the NHL’s top teams. Ultimately, they somehow find a way to keep winning, even with injuries starting to hamper them. Sometimes, they lay an egg, as they did on Thursday against the New York Islanders. Otherwise, everything has been solid for an offense that continues to hum.
Jack Eichel is the key to that offense, and his ability to center the first line makes them incredibly dangerous. Mark Stone’s ability to find the open shooter makes him valuable. Shea Theodore remains one of the original Golden Knights, who continues to anchor the defense. Meanwhile, Tomas Hertl provides the secondary scoring the Golden Knights need.
It’s no surprise the Golden Knights are seventh in goals and sixth in assists. Likewise, they are 10th in shooting percentage, highlighting incredible accuracy.
With Ilya Samsonov starting on Saturday, Adin Hill will get the start here and come in with a record of 17-7-2 with a goals-against mark of 2.60 and a save percentage of .903. He also plays behind a defense that is fifth in goals against.
The Golden Knights will cover the spread if their offense can continue generating opportunities, and Eichel and Stone can make magic. Then, they need a strong defense to shut down an anemic Wild offense that has suffered recently.
Final Wild-Golden Knights Prediction & Pick
The Wild are 21-21 against the spread, while the Golden Knights are 27-14 against the odds. Moreover, the Wild are 15-6 against the spread on the road, while the Knights are 15-7 against the odds at home. The Wild are 19-21-2 against the over/under, while the Golden Knights are 19-20-2 against the over/under. Lastly, the Wild are 2-4 against the spread when playing on the second end of a back-to-back, while the Knights are 3-2 against the spread and 4-1 overall when playing on the second end of a back-to-back.
I don’t like the Wild without their best players. Conversely, I love the Golden Knights and what they have. I believe they will do enough to cover the spread at home.
Final Wild-Golden Knights Prediction & Pick: Vegas Golden Knights: -1.5 (+144)
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