Vegas Golden Knights vs. Minnesota Wild 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Series Recap (Round One)

The Round One matchup between the Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild has come to an end after the Knights won the series 4-2 in six games. After their hard fought battle, the Knights have moved onto the Second Round where they will face the Edmonton Oilers in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

This battle started off with a victorious 4-2 win for the Knights on home ice at T-Mobile Arena on April 20, 2025. The Wild answered back with a 5-2 win in Game 2 and Game 3 which gave them the 2-1 lead in the series. After struggling in the previous two games, the Knights came back with vengeance as they regained and extended their series lead with back-to-tack overtime wins in Game 4 and Game 5. The Knights ultimately punched their ticket into the Second Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs with an intense 3-2 win in Game 6 of the series on May 1, 2025. 

The Knights’ points leaders at the end of Round One are #9 Jack Eichel (1G, 4A) and #48 Tomas Hertl (3G, 2A) who both recorded 5 points. #9 Eichel currently leads the Knights with the most assists while #48 Hertl leads with the most goals scored by the Knights in this series. In regards to goaltending, #33 Adin Hill was the Knights’ starter and ended the first round with a record of 4-2-0, a 2.83 GAA, and a 0.880 SV%. #40 Akira Schmid did get some time in the playoffs as he stepped in for the third period of Game 3 which ended with him recording a 1.000 SV% after he saved all nine shots on goal. 

The Wild’s points leader was #97 Kirill Kaprizov who ended the series with the most points, goals, and assists recorded on the team (9 PTS, 5G, 4A). In regards to goaltending, #32 Filip Gustavsson was the Wild’s starter and ended with a record of 2-3-0, a 2.71 GAA, and a 0.913 SV%. #29 Marc-Andre Fleury did get to play his last NHL postseason game of his career during the third period of Game 5 which ended with a 0.857 SV% after he saved six out of seven shots on goal.   

In regards to stats, the Knights and Wild were pretty even when it came to goal scoring as the Knights ended the series with 18 goals and the Wild ended with 19 goals. Within the six games that these teams played against one another, the Knights had a higher average faceoff percentage (53.07% vs. 46.93%) and a higher average power play success rate (35% vs. 14%). The Knights also found themselves having the advantage when it came to puck possession throughout the series (192 shots vs. 153 shots). Despite the Wild having more physicality in this series (204 hits vs. 194 hits), the Knights’ overall performance helped them to win this series and eliminate the Wild.  

Overall, this intense series between the Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild was one that was full of physicality, great scoring chances, impressive saves, and thrilling overtime wins. 

Come back to read about the Vegas Golden Knights vs. Edmonton Oilers Round Two series in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs!