The Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild play Game 3 of their Stanley Cup Playoffs first-round series Thursday. Puck drop is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET at Xcel Energy Center. Below, we analyze the Golden Knights-Wild odds and lines, with NHL picks and predictions.
The Golden Knights bounced back in Game 2 with a 3-1 win as heavy favorites after getting tripped up 1-0 in overtime in Game 1. The goaltending has obviously been on point in this series, with offense at a premium.
The Wild are back on home ice where they posted a 21-5-2 record this season. That includes three wins in four tries against the Knights, with a 3-2 overtime loss May 5 as the only setback in St. Paul.
Golden Knights at Wild: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 9 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Golden Knights -115 (bet $115 to win $100) | Wild -105 (bet $105 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Golden Knights -1.5 (+210) | Wild +1.5 (-250)
- Over/Under: 5.5 (O: +110 | U: -135)
Golden Knights at Wild: Projected starting goalies
Marc-Andre Fleury (26-10-0, 1.98 GAA, .928 SV%, 6 SO) vs. Cam Talbot (19-8-5, 2.63 GAA, .915 SV%, 2 SO)
Fleury has turned aside 63 of the 65 shots he has faced in the postseason for a stellar .969 SV%. Unfortunately for Fleury, he has won once and lost once. He is just 1-2-0 in three games in St. Paul this season, but he has a 2.49 GAA and .910 SV%, so expect another low-scoring affair.
Talbot has been money at home, going 12-2-2 with a 2.50 GAA and .912 SV% with two shutouts in 17 games. He has matched Fleury in this series, and is looking championship-caliber so far.
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Golden Knights at Wild: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Golden Knights 2, Wild 1
Money line (ML)
The GOLDEN KNIGHTS (-115) are slight favorites on the road, and they’re a good play behind Fleury. He is just 8-14-0 in his career against Minnesota, but he has been on point in this series so far.
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Against the spread (ATS)
The Wild +1.5 (-250) will cost you two and a half times your potential return at home. I don’t trust the Golden Knights -1.5 (+210) to win by at least 2, but Minnesota is just too expensive.
AVOID.
Over/Under (O/U)
UNDER 5.5 (-135) is the play in this series until further notice. We’ve had a total of just 5 goals in the first two games, as Talbot and Fleury have been standing on their heads. Look for more of the same in Game 3.
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