Game 7 X factors, picks for Vegas Golden Knights vs. Minnesota Wild

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The Golden Knights will be looking for their first win of the playoffs and 16th overall when they play host to the Minnesota Wild on Thursday (April 27). Despite being a young team, Vegas is a veteran squad that has proved its mettle in big games. As a result, they are riding a 15-game winning streak and have been able to down the best teams in the league during that stretch. With that being said, the team is still a work in progress, and there will certainly be new players on the ice come game time.

The Vegas Golden Knights have made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, and are now set to face the Minnesota Wild in a best of seven series. The Golden Knights looked unstoppable at the start of the playoffs, but they started to unravel in the first round and were eliminated by the Arizona Coyotes in a close match. But now that the pressure is on them, they are getting better every game.. Read more about vegas knights and let us know what you think.We have the first game 7 of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild meet again Friday night after the Wild recovered from a 3-1 loss.

Who will be the biggest X-factor in this contest? Will Vegas coach Peter DeBoer choose Marc-Andre Fleury or Robin Lechner as his goalie?

And who do our experts think will win this game and advance to the second round against the Colorado Avalanche in the West Division?

More: Central Playoff Schedule

Game 7 X factors, picks for Vegas Golden Knights vs. Minnesota Wild

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Arda Ocal: Ryan Hartman was on the ice in the Wild’s lineup. In Game 6, he scored twice and blocked three shots. He was one of those players who made those around him and the team shine. I’m really enjoying him in this series, and I feel like he could make a big impact in Game 7.

Ben Arledge: Shea Theodore. I thought about Kirill Kaprizov from Minnesota – he’ll have to play attacking – but I wanted to pick someone from my projected winning team. That’s why I picked Theodore, who leads all defensive players in the playoffs with 24 minutes of ice time per game. Despite his 42 points in 53 games this season and 22 shots in six games in this series, he remains outside the playoffs. Breaking that streak on Friday in another tough minute could be a key moment for the Knights.

Sachin Chandan: Jonas Brodin is the Wilds’ best defender in this series. He spends a lot of minutes when the Wilds are in vulnerable situations, like defending the lead or making free throws. He provided a team-high three assists for the Wilds, and his interaction with Matt Dumba will be important, especially in games against Vegas’ best players.

Which end game will you play?

Emily Kaplan: Golden Knights, 4-1. I think it will be similar to their 3-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks in game 7 of the playoffs last year. Vegas will take out his frustration, get a kick out of the crowd and finish the game. Give me Alex Tuch’s goal, too. He played a big role against a team that let him go in the expansion draft.

Greg Wyszynski: The Wilds go into the overtime period with a 3-2 lead. In their short history, the Golden Knights have made it a rule to make opposing goalies look really good in the playoffs. Vegas dominates in 5-on-5 shooting, but scores fewer goals than expected. Meanwhile, the Wilds play with a confidence that doesn’t depend on statistics. In part, I’m very upset that the Wilds are going to win Game 7 because it will take away from the expected heavyweight battle between Vegas and Colorado for the division title. Part of me is very happy that the Wild won, because the Golden Knights might have a doom-and-gloom reaction to this level of disappointment in the playoffs in the offseason.

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Arda Ocal: Wild is 1-0 in double overtime. It feels like a resolution, whereas the rest of the series didn’t look like one. The series ends as it began: an exciting game with both goalies on their heads.

Ben Arledge: Golden Knights, 5-2. I think it will be a close start, but Vegas will eventually take the lead and add the empty puck to end the series. Some other intuitive predictions: I expect a big game from Fleury, goals from Kaprizov, Stone, and Reilly Smith, and, as mentioned, at least a point from Theodore.

Sachin Chandan: The Wilds are 2-1 in overtime. Minnesota has everything going for it right now, and the Golden Knights’ offense has struggled to score lately. I expect a conservative game, similar to the first two periods of Game 6 on Wednesday, when the Golden Knights took a 1-0 lead into the second period and the Wild got a turnover at the end to send us to overtime, where they eventually won.