The NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs commenced on Saturday with exciting Western Conference matchups and continue on Sunday as the Pacific Division champion Vegas Golden Knights host the Minnesota Wild in Game 1. Earlier in the regular season, Vegas demonstrated dominance over Minnesota, securing victories in all three of their encounters, each within regulation time.
Center Jack Eichel of Vegas is anticipated to be a central figure in this playoff series, coming off a season where he achieved personal bests in points and goals. Notably, his point and goal tallies surpassed all players from both the Wild and Golden Knights this year.
Bookmakers have established the Golden Knights as strong favorites for the home game with a money line of -206, meaning a $206 bet is needed to win $100. Conversely, the Wild are listed at +170. The game`s over/under for total goals is set at 5.5, with both the over and under carrying odds of -110.
Statistical models offer insights to enhance betting strategies, particularly for prop bets. For the Wild versus Golden Knights game, top player prop picks have been identified, presenting opportunities for potentially lucrative same-game parlays.
Top Player Prop Picks for Wild vs. Golden Knights Game (+1183 Parlay Odds)
- Alex Pietrangelo Over 1.5 Shots on Goal (+122): Highly rated pick.
- Jack Eichel Under 0.5 Points (+200): Strongly suggested pick.
- Ryan Hartman Over 1.5 Shots on Goal (-108): Recommended pick.
The model`s favored prop bets include taking the over on shots for Pietrangelo and the under on points for Eichel, both at plus-money odds. Pietrangelo, a key defenseman for Vegas, logs significant ice time, leading all Golden Knights skaters. While not primarily a scorer, he consistently generates shots on goal.
Eichel, despite being Vegas`s leading scorer and performing well against Minnesota in the regular season, is projected to go under his points prop in this game. Interestingly, Eichel has recently gone under his points prop in a majority of his last games.
Hartman, playing on Minnesota`s fourth line, is a high-volume shooter for the Wild, ranking second on the team in shots. The model anticipates him exceeding his shots on goal prop for this matchup.
