The Minnesota Wild and the Carolina Hurricanes meet in NHL action from the PNC Arena on Sunday afternoon. Who comes out on top in this inter-conference matchup? Let’s dive in and find out with our Wild vs. Hurricanes Prediction.
Minnesota Wild Team Preview
The Minnesota Wild come into this one looking to build on a 6-4 win over Florida in their last matchup. Kirill Kaprizov leads the Wild in scoring with 39 points including 15 goals and 24 assists while Mats Zuccarello has 35 points with a team-high 27 assists. Joel Eriksson Ek has 33 points with a team-high 19 goals while Matt Boldy has 30 points with 15 goals and 15 assists and Marco Rossi has 26 points with 13 goals and 13 assists as well. Filip Gustavsson has posted a 11-11-2 record with a 3.36 GAA and an .892 save percentage while Marc-Andre Fleury is 8-9-3 with a 2.97 GAA and an .897 save percentage this season. The Wild will face the Capitals, Predators, and Ducks after this game.
Minnesota Wild Team Facts
- The Wild have won three of their last four games as underdogs against the Hurricanes.
- The Wild have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last 11 night games following a road win.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3’ market has hit in each of the Wild’s last eight games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- The Wild have lost the third period in each of their last six games as underdogs following a road win.
Carolina Hurricanes Team Preview
The Carolina Hurricanes come into this one looking to build on their 4-2 win over Detroit last time out. Sebastian Aho leads the Hurricanes in scoring with 50 points including 16 goals and a team-high 34 assists while Seth Jarvis has 33 points split between 15 goals and 18 assists. Andrei Svechnikov has 30 points with 11 goals and 19 assists while Michael Bunting has 29 points with 20 assists. In goal, Frederik Andersen has gone 4-1 with a 2.87 GAA and an .894 save percentage while Antti Raanta is 10-6-2 with a 3.21 GAA and an .867 save percentage and Pyotr Kochetkov is 11-7-3 with a 2.58 GAA and an .900 save percentage.
Carolina Hurricanes Team Facts
- The Hurricanes have lost four of their last five games as favorites against Central Division opponents.
- The Hurricanes have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last five games following a home win.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in each of the Hurricanes’ last seven night games at PNC Arena.
- The Hurricanes have won the first period in seven of their last eight night games at PNC Arena following a home win.
Wild vs. Hurricanes Prediction
I’m leaning towards Carolina here. The Hurricanes are the better team here and despite some recent wins from the Wild, the Hurricanes are also the more trustworthy team in this matchup. Goaltending still looks shaky for the Wild right now, and the Hurricanes are flat out playing the better hockey. Give me Carolina.