Minnesota Wild vs Vegas Golden Knights Prediction and Betting Odds 3/21/22
Minnesota Wild vs Vegas Golden Knights Betting Preview
WagerTalk NHL handicapper Kevin Dolan offers his Minnesota Wild vs Vegas Golden Knights betting preview for Monday, March 21. He won’t be in net tonight, but storylines surrounding this game got a little more interesting this morning as former Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was traded to Minnesota.
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| Monday, March 21 | NHL Betting Notes, Courtesy of Caesars |
|---|---|
| Moneyline: | Minnesota Wild -170 vs Vegas Golden Knights +150 |
| Puckline: | Wild -1.5 (+150) / Golden Knights +1.5 (-170) |
| Total: | 6.5 Goals (Over -115 / Under -105) |
| Game Time: | 8:05pm ET / 5:05pm PT |
| Arena: | Xcel Energy Center in Minneapolis |
| TV: | ESPN+ |
Minnesota Wild vs Vegas Golden Knights Analysis
Vegas will look to put their recent road troubles to rest tonight against Minnesota, with the Golden Knights losing five straight games on the road between March 8th to March 15th before a recent two-game mini revival at home heading into this one.
They face a Minnesota Wild team on Monday who have been patchy themselves of late, splitting their last four games 2-2 overall and posting a 4-4 home record over their last eight starts in the Xcel Energy Center as well.
This will be the teams’ third and final meeting of the season after Vegas took both of the opening two games this year on home ice back in November and December.
Vegas Closing In On Wild Card Spot
The Golden Knights will look to bounceback into Wild Card contention here on Monday as their franchise equalling worst losing run of the season last week saw them lose ground on their rivals, Edmonton, LA and Nashville over in the West.
They’ll get the chance to rectify that this week however as they face Nashville in a huge home game on Thursday night, but could very much do with a win in tonight’s contest also as they look to stay in the hunt.
Minnesota’s Underrated Defense
After giving up a rare six goals against Nashville to open up their current nine game homestand last Sunday, the Wild have since followed that up by allowing just 1.5 goals per game to opponents over their last two starts.
That impressive defense has been a hallmark of Minnesota all year long, averaging the second best defensive xGA this year behind only the Boston Bruins and allowing the fewest scoring chances out of any team in the league this season as well.
Minnesota Wild vs Vegas Golden Knights Prediction
This has all the hallmarks of a top level offense versus a top level defense type clash later tonight and at the current price, we’re inclined to go with offense in this one.
While the Wild have allowed the fewest scoring chances and high danger scoring chances out of any team in the league this season, they face a team in the Vegas Golden Knights who have averaged the highest number of high danger scoring chances out of any team in the NHL this year.
The problem for Vegas is that their conversion rate for those high danger scoring chances hasn’t been particularly impressive, with the Golden Knights ranking bottom half in the league overall with an 11.6% conversion rate inside the slot, compared with Minnesota’s much better 14.1% inside the same area.
However, facing Cam Talbot for Minnesota tonight who has given up a 4.17 goals per game career average against the Vegas Golden Knights should prove beneficial to Vegas’ offense in this one, and we believe the price on the underdog definitely warrants a small play here on Monday.
Take the Vegas Golden Knights at +220 to win in regulation tonight on the road against the Minnesota Wild.
Interested in placing a bet on Monday night’s Minnesota Wild vs Vegas Golden Knights showdown? Caesars Sports is offering up to a $1,500 match bet for first-time deposits in New Jersey, West Virginia, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Virginia, Tennessee, Arizona, New York and Louisiana.
Hockey Betting 101 | What is the Puckline?
The puckline is hockey’s version of the point spread. When betting on the puckline, the favorite is -1.5 goals on the spread, with the underdog at +1.5 goals. Betting on the favorite requires your team to win its game by two or more goals. Conversely, betting on the underdog at +1.5 means that your team can either win the game or lose by one goal, and your ticket will still cash.
Since the majority of hockey betting is built around the moneyline, casual bettors might be turned off by laying larger prices with the top teams in the league. Instead of laying -200 or -250 on a strong favorite, a more attractive option might be laying -1.5 goals at a more reasonable price point. Conversely, it can be hard to pull the trigger on a +200 underdog that’s expected to lose their game over 60% of the time. Well, it gets a little easier to put your money on them if you’re getting a +1.5 goal head start.
WagerTalk Live Odds Screen
WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the NHL moneylines, puck lines and betting percentages for all of Monday’s NHL games, including this Minnesota Wild vs Vegas Golden Knights showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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Meet the Author
‘The sharpest sports mind in Ireland’ is how one prominent newspaper dubbed Kevin Dolan after he became the first foreigner ever to win the World Series of Handicapping tournament back in 2015. “The Irishman” made his start wagering on GAA, football, soccer and boxing, all to immense success. Since becoming a professional bettor, he has since lit up the sports betting scene in the U.S. and abroad, winning two handicapping awards and writing a best-selling book on sports handicapping named ‘The Complete Guide to Sports Betting’.
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