Vegas Golden Knights vs Minnesota Wild Picks and Prediction for Monday October 12, 2026
The Vegas Golden Knights will travel to Saint Paul, Minnesota, Monday night for a Western Conference matchup against the Minnesota Wild at Grand Casino Arena at 8:00 PM on ESPN. Vegas is 5-1 thus far this year and comes into this matchup looking to continue its strong play as the Golden Knights face another difficult road challenge. The Golden Knights have a productive offensive attack and will look to establish control early against a talented Minnesota team. The Wild return home looking to build momentum in front of their home crowd, currently 3-1-1 on the year, following a 3-goal win against Florida in their last outing. Minnesota has been effective on both ends of the ice and will attempt to slow down a Vegas offense capable of producing goals in bunches. For more NHL news, see our NHL Picks.
Vegas looks to keep their momentum
The Vegas offense has carried them thus far this season, averaging 3.67 goals on 33 shots per game. Defensively, Vegas has been just as stout, holding opponents to 2.33 goals on 24 shots per contest. Jack Eichel leads the Vegas offense early this season with 12 points and 9 assists. Mark Stone is second on the roster with 7 points this year. Mitch Marner, Victor Olofsson, and Tomas Hertl are all tied for third on the team with five points this season, and Olofsson leads the team with four goals.
Carter Hart carried Vegas in their last outing, giving up one goal on 27 shots to post a .963 save percentage in just over 62 minutes on the ice. Trevor Connelly and Mitch Marner led the way for the Vegas offense with one goal and one assist each. Mark Stone chipped in heavily with two assists in the game.
Key Injury Report for Vegas:
- Lukas Cormier (IR-NR) - Oct 22
Minnesota hunts the home win
The Minnesota offense has carried this season, averaging 3 goals on 29 shots per game. Defensively, Minnesota has been elite, holding opponents to 1.80 goals on 28 shots per game this season. Kirill Kaprizov is leading the Minnesota offense this season with eight points and six goals. Quinn Hughes is second on the team with 7 points, and he leads the way with five assists. Jared Spurgeon is 3rd on the team with five points, and Maxim Shabanov has added a fourth-best three points this season.
Jesper Wallstedt was fantastic in the net for Minnesota last time out, giving up just one goal on 30 shots to post a .967 save percentage in just under 60 minutes. Kirill Kaprizov led the way for the Minnesota offense last time out with three goals and one assist on four shots in just over 20 minutes. Matt Boldy added to the Minnesota offense with one goal and one assist in the game.
Key Injury Report for Minnesota:
- Zach Bogosian (Day-to-Day) - Oct 12
- Marcus Foligno (Day-to-Day) - Oct 12
- Filip Gustavsson (IR-LT) - Nov 1
- Nick Foligno (IR) - Oct 15
- Brock Faber (IR) - Oct 15
Vegas Golden Knights vs Minnesota Wild Picks and Prediction
Pick: Vegas Golden Knights -102
Vegas faces a difficult road challenge Monday night against a Minnesota team that has the talent to compete with anybody in the Western Conference. The Golden Knights have a balanced offensive attack and should be able to generate scoring opportunities against the Wild throughout the contest. Minnesota will have the home crowd behind it and enough offensive weapons to challenge Vegas, but the Golden Knights have the experience necessary to handle a competitive road environment. Vegas should be able to establish its offensive rhythm and use its depth to create pressure throughout the game. Minnesota will make things interesting, but look for the Golden Knights to make the difference late and come away with a hard-fought road victory.
Pick: Over 5.5 (-130)
Vegas and Minnesota have the offensive talent necessary to produce an entertaining, high-scoring matchup Monday night. The Golden Knights have several dangerous offensive weapons capable of generating quality scoring opportunities, while the Wild should be able to create chances of their own in front of the home crowd. Both teams have enough depth to put pressure on the opposing defense and should find opportunities to capitalize throughout the contest. Vegas will look to establish its offensive attack early, but Minnesota has the firepower to respond and keep the game competitive. Neither team can afford to make mistakes defensively against an opponent with this much talent. Expect both offenses to contribute in a matchup that finishes with at least six combined goals.