- The Vegas Golden Knights are -170 road favourites in Game 6.
- After winning Game 5, Vegas has -700 odds to win the series.
- The Minnesota Wild are +500 underdogs to reach Round 2.
The Vegas Golden Knights dodged a bullet in Game 5, ultimately defending home ice with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night.
Brett Howden scored the game-winning goal 4 minutes, 5 seconds into the extra session to give Vegas a 3-2 lead in the first-round series, but the hosts were fortunate to force overtime in the first place.
Minnesota thought it took a 3-2 lead with just over a minute remaining in regulation when Ryan Hartman put the puck past Golden Knights goalie Adin Hill. However, the goal was ruled out after a coach’s challenge, as Gustav Nyquist had strayed narrowly offside when the Wild entered the offensive zone.
Before Vegas attempts to close out the series on Thursday at Xcel Energy Center, I’ll assess the latest NHL betting odds and make my Game 6 best bets.
Wild vs. Golden Knights Odds: Game 6
- Wild spread: +1.5
- Golden Knights spread: -1.5
- Total: 5.5
Wild vs. Golden Knights Series Winner Odds
After winning Game 5 in dramatic fashion, the Golden Knights have -700 odds to win the series. That price gives Vegas an implied probability of 87.5% to advance.
The Wild are +500 underdogs at the BetMGM online sportsbook, implying a 16.7% chance of reaching Round 2.
Wild series winner odds: +500
Golden Knights series winner odds: -700
Wild vs. Golden Knights Predictions & Best Bets for Game 6
After losing back-to-back games in overtime, Minnesota will try to stave off elimination in front of its home crowd on Thursday night at Xcel Energy Center.
While the oddsmakers expect the Golden Knights to end the series on the road, I’m backing the Wild (+140) as one of my best hockey bets for Game 6.
The hosts should get starting goalie Filip Gustavsson back between the pipes on Thursday night after an illness forced the 26-year-old Swede to be replaced by Marc-Andre Fleury after two periods of Game 5.
Fleury wasn’t at fault for Howden’s overtime winner, but the 40-year-old NHL legend is set to retire at the end of the season and likely wasn’t expecting to play against his former team after not being featured for two weeks. At this stage of their careers, Gustavsson gives his team a better chance to win.
I’m also taking the Wild over 2.5 goals (-110), a prop that has cashed in nine of their last 11 home games, including Games 3 and 4 of this series. John Hynes’ squad has done a better job of solving Vegas’ third-ranked defence (2.61 goals allowed per game) than it did during the regular season.
Look for Kirill Kaprisov, who leads all players in this series with nine points (5 goals, 4 assists), to have another big game and help his team force a decisive Game 7.
Wild vs. Golden Knights Series Schedule
| Game | Date | Time | Arena |
| Game 1 | April 20 | 10 p.m. ET | T-Mobile Arena |
| Game 2 | April 22 | 11:15 p.m. ET | T-Mobile Arena |
| Game 3 | April 24 | 9 p.m. ET | Xcel Energy Center |
| Game 4 | April 26 | 4 p.m. ET | Xcel Energy Center |
| Game 5 | April 29 | 9:30 p.m. ET | T-Mobile Arena |
| Game 6 | May 1 | 7:30 p.m. ET | Xcel Energy Center |
| Game 7 | May 3 | TBA | T-Mobile Arena |
Wild vs. Golden Knights Playoff History
This series represents the second playoff meeting between the Wild and Golden Knights. Vegas won the first matchup, which was contested in the 2021 opening round, in seven games.
