In this article, we will formulate a Minnesota Wild vs Columbus Blue Jackets Prediction for this NHL game on Thursday, October 10th, at the Xcel Energy Center.
Can Wild be Better This Year?
The Wild last year had a disappointing season and the expectations seem to be mixed coming into this season. Some believe this team can be excellent this season, while others think it could be a really down year for them. One of the keys for this team is going to come down to goaltending. The Wild have Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury that could start in goal, and both are going to need to have huge seasons. Marco Rossi is back for this season and the hope is that he can have a huge season here. The Wild are going to need to have a huge season from him and the goaltending to find success.
Why the Wild Will Beat the Blue Jackets
- The Blue Jackets have lost each of their last 12 games as road underdogs.
- The home team has won each of the Blue Jackets’ last six games.
- The Wild have covered the puck line in each of their last six night games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- The Blue Jackets have failed to cover the puck line in seven of their last eight games as road underdogs.
- The Wild have won the first period in five of their last six night games at Xcel Energy Center.
Blue Jackets Look Different
The Blue Jackets look a lot different than last year’s squad, but the hope is that his year’s team can be better. Zach Aston-Reese, Dylan Gambrell, Kevin Labanc, Sean Monahan and James van Riemsdyk as well as defensemen Jordan Harris and Jack Johnson are all new to this years squad and all look like they could play a huge role on this team. In this game for the Blue Jackets, they are going to need to get out to a very fast start. Last year’s the Wild goaltenders did a good job of building on momentum and they can’t let that happen here. The Blue Jackets need to put the pressure on early to put the pressure.
Minnesota Wild vs Columbus Blue Jackets Prediction
I do believe the Wild will win this game, but there is no value with them, and we are going to stay away from that. I don’t really trust the Blue Jackets offense, and that is going to be the difference here. The Blue Jackets offense is going to struggle to find the back of the net even once. The Wild aren’t going to score more than a goal, and this game is going to end up under the total. Back the under to cash here.