Wild Look to Change Playoff Narrative Against Golden Knights

The Minnesota Wild and Vegas Golden Knights will battle in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Dec 15, 2024; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov (97) takes a shot on goal against The Vegas Golden Knights during the second period at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images / Nick Wosika-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Wild nearly saw their season slip away, but they held on to clinch a playoff berth and are set to take on the Vegas Golden Knights in the opening round. While the Wild are sliding into the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs as a wild card team, the Golden Knights are Western Division champions.

This will be the second postseason meeting between the Wild and Golden Knights, with the first one coming in 2021. The Golden Knights eventually won that opening round series, but it wasn’t before the Wild fought back from down three games to one to force a game seven.

The @GoldenKnights and @mnwild will meet in the #StanleyCup Playoffs for the second time since the 2021 First Round. Vegas ranks second in the NHL with 11 series wins since 2017-18, while Minnesota seeks its first series victory since 2015.#NHLStats: https://t.co/iyRyCIFzVE pic.twitter.com/H9oNnh1tE0

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) April 16, 2025

The Wild are underdogs as usual entering the postseason and are looking to change a brutal narrative that follows them in the postseason. The Wild have made the playoffs in 10 of the last 12 years but have only one two series in that time.

Both of those series wins were opening round victories in 2014 and 2015, giving the Wild a whole decade since they saw the second round of the playoffs. The Wild will have their hands full with Vegas, but they have a ton of firepower to lean on.

Had it not been for lengthy injuries, Kirill Kaprizov could have easily been in the Hart Trophy race as the league MVP. In 41 games played, he has 25 goals and 31 assists for 56 total points, good for third on the team. Kaprizov missed half of the season and still out-scored most of the roster.

The Golden Knights, meanwhile, have been mostly quiet all season despite winning the division title. Jack Eichel has made the most noise in the later stages of the season, putting himself in the MVP race. In 76 games played, he has 27 goals and 66 assists for a team-best 93 points.

Through their first seven years of operation, the Golden Knights have won 11 playoff series, missing the postseason just once in that time. That’s good for second-most in the entire NHL in that time and was helped along by a Stanley Cup championship in 2023.

The Wild and Golden Knights don’t have a ton of heat between them, but the bright lights of the playoffs are sure to bring some added tension.

Make sure you bookmark Breakaway On SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!

• Penguins’ Kris Letang Undergoes PFO Heart Surgery
• NHL Reignites Rivalry Between Maple Leafs, Senators
• Rookie Goalie Keeping Blue Jackets' Playoff Hopes Alive
• Same Old Song and Dance for Red Wings
• Wild Take High Road in Marc-Andre Fleury's Finale