Golden Knights open postseason against Wild

LAS VEGAS -- For the first time since 2021, the Vegas Golden Knights will take on the Minnesota Wild for the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

It was announced on Thursday that the series will commence on Easter Sunday from T-Mobile Arena at 7 p.m., followed by 8 p.m. puck drop on Tuesday.   

According to FanDuel Sports Book, Vegas is the outright favorite to win the series with -256 odds.  

During their only postseason meeting, Vegas came away with a game seven victory, where forward Mattias Janmark recorded a hat-trick aiding the Golden Knights to their second game seven win in franchise history. 

In 2024-25, the Golden Knights won all three meetings against the Wild (Dec. 15: 3-2; Jan. 12: 4-1; March 25: 5-1), and outscored the Wild 12-4.

Vegas’ two prominent players Jack Eichel and Mark Stone have found success this season against Minnesota. Eichel posted 5 points in two games, including a hat-trick in the last contest, while Stone registered five assists.    

Netminder Adin Hill played in two of the three games and came away with wins in both. In the pair, he notched a 1.00 GAA and a .950 SV%.

When comparing the two teams statistically, the Golden Knights not only have a better PTS% (.669/.586), GF/GP (3.33/2.74), GA/GP (2.61/2.89) and PK (76.5%/72.3%), but they also have the second best PP (29.1%) in the league.

“It’s exciting times, playoff hockey is the best,” Eichel said. “We just want to go out. It’s one game at a time, (we’re) looking forward to it.”

The reigning Pacific Division champions finished the regular season with the third best record (50-22-10) in the NHL, only behind the Winnipeg Jets and the Washington Capitals.

Battling with injuries to some significant players, the Wild will have the return of forwards Kirill Kaprizov (56 points), Joel Eriksson Ek (29 points) and defenseman Jonas Brodin (20 points). 

Kaprizov was placed on injured reserve and missed 40 games due to a lower-body injury. Eriksson Ek was also placed on injured reserve because of a lower-body injury, which resulted in him missing 36 games.   

The pair has played in Minnesota’s last four games and have already made an impact to close out the regular season. 

In their return, Kaprizov scored two goals and an assist. Eriksson Ek had an impressive four goal performance, and also got another in the regular season finale. 

During their absence, forwards Matt Boldy (73 points), Marco Rossi (60 points) and Matt Zuccarello (54 points) stepped up for the franchise and helped lead the way for a wildcard berth. Boldy (27 G, 46 A) and Rossi (24 G, 36 A) both set new career high in points this season in Minnesota.  

Up and down the lineup, the Wild have loads of depth on all four lines and stable, heavy duty defensemen. In total, they have a total of 16 players with double-digit points, including seven players with 30 or more points. 

In net, Filip Gustavsson has had a stellar season, setting a career high in win (31), which is the seventh most in the NHL. Gustavsson finished with a 31-19-6 record, posting a 2.56 SAA and a .914 SV%.  

“They have a great team,” Golden Knights’ forward Brandon Saad said. “Obviously they have a lot of depth, a lot of skill and some superstar power. They check well, so they’re a great hockey team, but we’re looking forward to it. 

Vegas has won the last five against Minnesota, including eight of the last ten contests. Historically speaking, Vegas holds a 19-16 record all-time against Minnesota and have outscored the opposing club 85-77, averaging three goals per-contest. 

“It’s going to be an exciting series,” Golden Knights’ Keegan Kolesar said. “ They’re a heavy team. (We) Played them in the past, and it was a very exciting series that went to seven… I know they’re going to fight tooth and nail. They hit a little rough pasture at the end of the season, but they clawed their way back in.”