The Minnesota Wild put an end to the six-game winning streak of the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday night with a 2-0 victory. That snapped a two-game losing streak to Vegas.
Here you can find the best picks, news, and stats for this West Division battle at the Xcel Energy Center. Vegas is the favorite at -116. This according to PointsBet Sportsbook, which puts the odds for Minnesota at -105 as the underdog.
Vegas is still expected to be without leading scorer Mark Stone who is listed as questionable. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is also listed as questionable. Right-wing Ryan Hartman is listed as questionable for Minnesota.
Vegas Winning Streak Snapped
Vegas saw their six-game winning streak come to an end. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury played exceptionally well, stopping 20 of 21 shots, but his team could muster no offense. Vegas still has the second-best overall winning percentage at .783.
Defensively the Golden Knights are one of the very best teams in the NHL this season. They are second in goals allowed at 2.09 and fourth in shots allowed at 27.4. The penalty killing has been outstanding, killing off 88.1% of penalty kills, second overall. Fleury is having the best season of his NHL career, going 12-4-0 in 16 starts with a 1.57 GAA and a .943 save percentage.
With Stone still out, the offense is looking for someone to step up. Max Pacioretty is second on the team in scoring with 21 points and is tied for the team lead in goals with 12. The power-play for Vegas is 23rd in the league at 17.4%.
Kahkonen Brilliant in Shutout Win
Goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen stopped all 26 shots he faced in the 2-0 victory over Vegas. He is now 10-4-0 in 14 appearances with a 2.13 GAA and a .924 save percentage. Kahkonen has allowed three goals or less in eight straight starts, allowing 13 total goals during that span.
Minnesota is also a solid club defensively. They are eighth in the NHL in goals allowed at 2.61 and 10th in shots allowed at 29.2 per game. The Wild are killing off 84.0% of their penalty-killing situations, sixth overall. As well as he is playing lately, one has to wonder why Kahkonen is not the No. 1 netminder right now.
The Wild still have a formidable offense. They are 12th in goals scored at 3.09 per game and 11th in shots per contest at 30.5. The power-play has been absolutely abysmal, last in the league at 6.8%. Rookie Kirill Kaprizov continues to lead the team in points with 19.
Trends:
Vegas:
- None
Minnesota:
- 8-3 in their last 11 games
- 4-0 in their last four games at home.
Oddsmakers seem to think that Vegas will rebound in this contest to pull out the victory. I just do not see it that way. Actually, it does depend. If Cam Talbot is back between the pipes, then the Golden Knights will most certainly win this game. However, if it is Kahkonen, then he will lead his team to victory again. The Wild goaltender has been absolutely brilliant of late and is matching Fleury in every way.
Pick: Take Minnesota at -105
The Total:
These teams have gone under in five of the last eight meetings. Vegas has gone under in 13 of their last 16 on the road and nine of their last 12 overall. These teams combined for two goals on Monday, and as long as Kahkonen is the netminder, this game will be going under as well. I do go with the caveat that he must be the netminder for Minnesota. If that is the case, you definitely take the under.
Pick: Go under 5.5 goals at -115.