NHL Best Bets: Wild vs. Predators Game Picks
Two teams looking to gain more of an identity early on will collide tonight, with the Minnesota Wild visiting the Nashville Predators.
All Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook
Minnesota Wild (-111) vs. Nashville Predators (-108) Total: 6 (O-104, U-118)The Wild enter this matchup playing some solid hockey of late, posting a 6-3-1 record over their last ten games, while the Preds are 4-6 over that same stretch of games. Expectations were high for the Wild that they’d be able to take the next step this season after adding some highly skilled youth to their lineup and seeing some of their youngsters take their games to the next level. In comparison, the Predators are somewhat stuck in no man’s land and haven’t been able to get past the point of mediocrity, and that’s once again showing with their early season results this year.
After a slow start to the season, the Wild are starting to put things together, but there’s an interesting line set for this game when you consider the Preds’ inconsistencies. The Wild are listed as slight road favorites tonight at -111 on the moneyline, while the Preds are around the same price at -108.
Looking toward the projected goalie matchup tonight, the visiting Wild should continue turning to Marc-Andre Fleury, while the Preds should do the same with Juuse Saros. Neither of these goalies has been stellar to this point, but Fleury has posted a 6-3-1 record, paired with a .905 save percentage, while Saros is 4-6-1 with a .901 save percentage. You should expect more from these goalies as the season continues progressing.
Quite honestly, there isn’t much to like about the Predators’ roster when their goaltending isn’t performing up to snuff. That’s a big reason they find themselves under .500 on the season, and it’s something that the streaking Wild should be able to take full advantage of tonight. As a result, looking towards the visiting Wild on the moneyline has some value at -111.
Best Bet: Wild moneyline (-111)
The Minnesota Wild have been extremely consistent in limiting goals in their games over their last five. Throughout that stretch of games, no more than five total goals have been scored. Nashville currently is 29th in the NHL in goals scored per game, which doesn’t inspire confidence in a high-scoring matchup tonight. In addition to that trend, three of the last five Preds games have also seen six or fewer goals scored. The total for tonight is currently set at six, with the over sitting at -104 and the under having slightly more juice at -118. With the way the Wild have been navigating their matchups of late, it’s hard to see a lot of goals being scored tonight, meaning siding with the under at -118 has some value attached to it.
Best Bet: Under six (-118)
One of the top players in the NHL that doesn’t get enough buzz surrounding them is Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov. He’s continued to put up big numbers since joining the NHL, which saw him tally 108 points last season, while he’s already recorded 17 through 15 contests on the campaign. There are so many things to his game that are already elite, and he’s continued to improve the players around him. With the Predators allowing a lot of goals early this season and having trouble on the blueline, it’s not unrealistic to expect his hot start to the season to continue tonight. Kaprizov is currently listed at +134 to score tonight, and there’s value built into that number that deserves consideration.
Best Prop: Kirill Kaprizov to Record Over 0.5 Goals (+134)
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