The St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild meet Saturday in NHL action at the Xcel Energy Center. Here’s a Wild vs Blues Prediction. This article will include a Wild vs Blues Pick.
St. Louis Blues Betting Preview
The St. Louis Blues lost to the Kings and Penguins, and they play the Ducks, Predators, and Canucks next. The Blues have won six of their last nine games, some of their best hockey of the season.
The St. Louis Blues are averaging 2.82 goals per game and are scoring on 20.4 percent of their power play opportunities. Jordan Kyrou leads St. Louis with 24 goals, Robert Thomas has 35 assists, and Dylan Holloway has 153 shots on goal. Defensively, the St. Louis Blues are allowing 3 goals per game and are killing 71.2 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Jordan Binnington has allowed 124 goals on 1,204 shots faced, and Joel Hofer has given up 63 goals on 628 shots.
Minnesota Wild Betting Preview
The Minnesota Wild lost to the Rangers, beat the Avs, and they play the Kings, Kraken, and Sabres next. The Wild need a win after losing six of their last nine games.
The Minnesota Wild are averaging 2.73 goals per game and are scoring 20.7 percent of their power play opportunities. Kirill Kaprizov leads Minnesota with 23 goals, Matt Boldy has 34 assists and Joel Eriksson Ek has 123 shots on goal. Defensively, the Minnesota Wild are allowing 2.83 goals per game and are killing 70.8 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Filip Gustavsson has allowed 111 goals on 1,305 shots faced, and Marc-Andre Fleury has given up 57 goals on 594 shots.
Why the Minnesota Wild will win
- The Blues have lost eight of their last 10 games as road favorites following a road loss.
- The Wild have won three of their last four games as underdogs against opponents on a losing streak.
- The underdogs have covered the puck line in eight of the Wild’s last nine games at Xcel Energy Center.
- The Blues have failed to cover the puck line in nine of their last 10 games as road favorites following a road loss.
- The Wild have won the third period in six of their last seven night games against the Blues when leading after the second period.
Why the St. Louis Blues will win
- The Wild have lost each of their last four games at Xcel Energy Center after coming off overtime.
- The Blues have won four of their last five games following a road loss.
- The Wild have failed to cover the puck line in five of their last six home games after coming off overtime.
- The Blues have covered the puck line in nine of their last 11 road games following a road loss.
- The Wild have lost the third period in each of their last seven night games against Central Division opponents.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Minnesota Wild rank 31st in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (70.83%).
- The Minnesota Wild rank 31st in the league for Period 2 goals scored per game this season (0.79).
- The St. Louis Blues rank 29th in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (71.15%).
- The St. Louis Blues rank 30th in the league for Period 3 goals scored per game this season (0.89).
Wild vs Blues Prediction Injury Report
The Minnesota Wild will be without Kirill Kapizov, Jonas Brodin, Troy Grosenick, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Danila Yurov.
The Blues will continue to be without Torey Krug and Colton Parayko.
Wild vs Blues Prediction
The Wild haven’t been as effective on their home ice as they have been on the road this season, but that doesn’t matter here. We’re not getting any plus money to give the Blues a serious look. Regardless of where the game is played, the Wild are the better team. So, in a pick ’em spot, I’m going to lean toward the better team, especially if that team is at home. The Wild have also won the last three games against the Blues, which includes a 6-4 win in early January. The Blues have lost three of their last five games, and their defense gets rocked from time to time. Same prices for both times, I’ll side with the Wild on their home ice.