Tip: Vegas Golden Knights make no mistakes against an injury-ridden Minnesota Wild!

Yesterday's game for the Los Angeles Kings resolved nicely after they won 4-1 against the Calgary Flames. The victory means that there is now only one wild card spot left in the Western Conference. After a failed road trip, I believe that Vegas, returning home to Sin City, will make no mistakes!

Vegas Secures the Future

Yesterday, it was confirmed that recently recruited Noah Hanifin (from Calgary Flames) will stay for a long time in Vegas. Hanifin signed an eight-year contract with the reigning champions. I think Vegas got away quite cheaply; Hanifin is a defenseman for the future whom Vegas can rely on as a first defenseman in the team. It should be noted that even before this contract, Vegas was already credited with having one of the league's better defensive setups with players like Shea Theodore, Zack Whitecloud, Alex Pietrangelo, Nicolas Hague, and Alex Martinez.

Alex Pietrangelo, who was missed on the road trip for Vegas, is expected to be back in play soon, hopefully already tonight. Skilled center Chandler Stephenson also missed the last game as he became a father. There is no update at this time if he will be back for this match, but given the situation Vegas is in and that it is a home game, I find it not unlikely that he will be available. With Adin Hill back last time and the above players incoming, Vegas is almost at full strength again, and this is a really good team!

Minnesota Without Key Players!

There will be no playoffs this season for Minnesota Wild. A failure, of course. The team is not bad in any way but hasn't pulled together the play well enough this season, and Kirill Kaprizov can't carry the team alone on his young shoulders, despite being a world-class forward. Ahead of this tough away game, he will likely be even more exposed as the skilled playmaker Mats Zuccarello will be absent. Frédérick Gaudreau will also miss the game. Since the end of March, Marcus Foligno has been out for the rest of the season, like Jared Spurgeon.

That Minnesota doesn't make the playoffs is obviously due to several things. One of the clearest problems has been the special teams play. The powerplay has been acceptable, but the penalty kill has been the third weakest in the league, with only the New York Islanders and Anaheim Ducks being worse. It hasn't helped them that they have also been the fourth most penalized team in the league this season. To compensate for such poor numbers, goalies often need to perform brilliantly. And when neither Filip Gustavsson nor Marc-Andre Fleury has had particularly good seasons, Minnesota simply hasn't been enough.

Betting Tips and Conclusion

I believe that Minnesota, missing key pieces like Mats Zuccarello and Frédérick Gaudreau, will have a very tough time against a highly motivated Vegas returning home after a failed road trip. Moreover, the chance for the home team to get back a couple of players who were missing last time only strengthens my belief that Vegas will decide the playoff race in the Western Conference for this season!

Vegas Golden Knights FT @ +105 on bet365