Vegas Golden Knights vs. Minnesota Wild Round One Stanley Cup Playoffs Preview

What you need to know ahead of this series between the Vegas Golden Knights vs. Minnesota Wild:

GAME 1

• When: April 20, 2025 at 7:00 PM PST

• Where: T-Mobile Arena

• Watch: ESPN, SN, SN360, TVAS

GAME 2

• When: April 22, 2025 at 8:00 PM PST

• Where: T-Mobile Arena

• Watch: ESPN, SN, SN360, TVAS

GAME 3

• When: April 24, 2025 at 6:00 PM PST

• Where: Xcel Energy Center

• Watch: TBS, truTV, Max, SN360, TVAS 2

GAME 4

• When: April 26, 2025 at 1:00 PM PST

• Where: Xcel Energy Center

• Watch: TBS, truTV, Max, SNW, SNP, SN1, TVAS

NOTE: Games 5-7 are TBD for each team as they will be scheduled if necessary

The Knights and Wild will face one another in round one of the 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs which will kick off on the Knights' home ice at T-Mobile Arena. The Knights have had the upper hand when playing against the Wild as they have won all three of the games that played against one another during the 2024-25 regular season. Although the Knights have had the upper hand, the Wild's hunger to win will be what fuels them in this playoff series.  

The Knights entered the playoffs with some momentum from their 4-1 win against the Vancouver Canucks in their last game of the regular season. The Wild successfully closed out their regular season with a two-game winning streak. 

The Knights were the first team in the Pacific Division to clinch a playoff spot after the Calgary Flames lost 3-1 against the Utah Hockey Club on April 1, 2025. The Golden Knights clinched the Pacific Division after they ended the regular season with the following stats: 110 points, a 50-22-9 season record, a 29.12 PP%, 76.51 PK%, and 6 shutouts recorded. #9 Jack Eichel led the Knights with the most points and assists recorded by the end of the regular season as he ended with 94 points total (28G, 66A). #16 Pavel Dorofeyev led the Knights with the most goals scored by the end of the regular season with 35 goals recorded. The Golden Knights' star goaltender was #33 Aiden Hill who ended the regular season with a record of 32-13-5, a 2.47 GAA, 0.906 SV%, and 4 shutouts. The other half of this goaltender tandem is #35 Ilya Samsonov who ended the regular season with a 16-9-4 record, a 2.82 GAA, a 0.891 SV%, and 2 shutouts.  

The Minnesota Wild were the first team in the Western Division to clinch a wildcard spot in the playoffs after their 3-2 overtime win against the Anaheim Ducks on April 16, 2025 during their last game of the 2024-25 regular season. The Wild ended the regular season with the following stats: 97 points, a 44-30-7 season record, a 21.08 PP%, 72.28 PK%, and 6 shutouts. #12 Matt Boldy led the Wild with the most points, goals, and assists recorded during the regular season as he ended with 73 points (27G, 46A). In regards to the Wild’s goaltending tandem, #32 Filip Gustavsson made up the first half of the tandem and ended the regular season with a 31-19-6 record, a 2.56 GAA, a 0.914 SV%, and 5 shutouts. The second half of the tandem was future Hall of Famer #29 Marc-Andre Fleury who ended the regular season with a 14-9-1 record, a 2.49 GAA, a 0.899 SV%, and one shutout recorded. 

Going into this matchup, the Wild ended the regular season with a 21.08 PP% overall power play success rate which is lower compared to Knights’ 29.12% overall power play success rate. The Knights ended the regular season with a 76.51 PK% overall penalty killing success rate which is higher compared to the Wild’s 72.28 PK% penalty killing success rate. When they played against one another during the regular season, the Knights outscored (12G vs. 4G) and outshot (102 SOG vs. 62 SOG) the Wild. When looking at the average power play success rate of the three games that they played against one another, the Knights found more success on the power play compared to the Wild (80% vs. 0%). The Knights also found more success on their successful faceoff percentages as they had an average of 52.50% while the Wild had a 47.50% success rate. 

The Wild, despite their previous challenges, go into these match-ups with vengeance in order to get their first win against the Knights. On the other hand, the Knights go into these match-ups determined to keep up their winning-streak against the Wild.

Come back to read about what went down during the Stanley Cup Playoffs!