In this article, we will formulate a Minnesota Wild vs Florida Panthers Prediction for this NHL game on Wednesday, December 18th, at the Xcel Energy Center.
The Panthers impressed in the Last Game
The Panthers in the last game faced off against the Edmonton Oilers and they were able to secure a 6-5 victory. Sergei Bobrovsky was in goal and he saved 25 of the 30 shots that he faced. Two games ago against the Calgary Flames, the Panthers scored zero goals and they ended up losing by three goals. The Panthers are averaging 3.5 goals while their defense is giving up 3.25 goals per game. The offense is ranked 5th in the league while the defense is ranked 25th. Sam Reinhart has scored 20 goals and added 21 assists so far this season. In this game, the Panthers are going to need to jump out to a fast start.
Wild Look Like One of the Best
The Wild look like one of the best teams in the NHL but they are coming off a loss in the last game. The Wild faced off against the Vegas Golden Knights and they ended up losing 3-2. Kirill Kaprizov scored two goals but the defense gave up three goals and that led to the defeat. Jesper Wallstedt saved 24 of the 27 shots that he faced. The Wild are averaging 3.13 goals while their defense is giving up 2.52 goals per game. The offense is ranked 13th in the league while the defense is ranked 2nd. Kaprizov has scored 22 goals and added 25 assists so far this season. After this game, Minnesota will duke it out with the Utah Hockey Club and Winnipeg.
Why the Wild Will Beat the Panthers
- The Wild have won each of their last seven games against Atlantic Division opponents.
- The Panthers have lost each of their last three games against Central Division opponents.
- The underdogs have covered the puck line in each of the Panthers’ last four games.
- The Panthers have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last three games as favorites.
- The Panthers have lost the first period in five of their last six games as road favorites.
Minnesota Wild vs Florida Panthers Prediction
This game is going to be lower-scoring. The Wild and the Panthers are both going to find success with the defense. The Wild are giving up only 2.52 goals per game and they are going to step up in a big way here. The Wild are going to score a couple of goals, but they aren’t going to score four or five goals, and that is going to be the difference here. Back the under to end up cashing here.