The Nashville Predators and the Minnesota Wild meet in NHL action from the Xcel Energy Center on Thursday night. Who emerges victorious in this Central division showdown? Let’s dive in and find out with our Predators vs. Wild Prediction.
Nashville Predators Team Preview
The Nashville Predators come into this game looking to rebound from a 4-1 loss to Florida in their last matchup. Filip Forsberg leads the Predators in scoring with 49 points including a team-high 22 goals and 27 assists while Ryan O’Reilly has 40 points with 17 goals of his own and 23 assists. Gustav Nyquist has 36 points with 24 assists while Roman Josi has 40 points of his own with a team-leading 31 assists. Juuse Saros has made 34 starts in goal for Nashville this season, going 18-18-1 with a 2.94 GAA and a .904 save percentage while Kevin Lankinen is 6-3 with a 3.12 GAA and an .898 save percentage this season. The Predators will meet the Oilers after this one.
Nashville Predators Team Facts
- The Predators have won eight of their last 10 games as underdogs against opponents on a winning streak.
- The Predators have covered the puck line in nine of their last 10 games as underdogs against opponents on a winning streak.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Predators’ last seven games as underdogs against opponents on a winning streak.
- The Predators have won the third period in each of their last four games against Central Division opponents.
Minnesota Wild Team Preview
The Minnesota Wild come into this one looking to build on a three-game win streak after a 5-3 win over Washington last time out. Kirill Kaprizov leads the Wild in scoring with 42 points including 18 goals and 24 assists while Mats Zuccarello has 36 points with a team-high 28 assists. Joel Eriksson Ek has 38 points with a team-high 20 goals while Matt Boldy has 32 points with 15 goals and 17 assists and Marco Rossi has 28 points with 13 goals and 15 assists as well. Brock Faber also has 28 points with 24 assists this season. Filip Gustavsson has posted a 13-11-2 record with a 3.29 GAA and an .896 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 Ducks after this game.
Minnesota Wild Team Facts
- The Wild have won each of their last 11 games as home favorites against opponents on a losing streak.
- The underdogs have covered the puck line in seven of the last eight games between the Predators and Wild.
- The Wild have lost the third period in each of their last five games against Western Conference opponents.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3’ market has hit in each of the Wild’s last nine games following a win.
Predators vs. Wild Prediction
I’m on the Wild here. You have two teams that have been headed in different directions as of late. Nashville’s falling apart with a lack of offense and Minnesota’s scoring goals like it’s going out of style I think this is a relatively cheap price all things considered so give me Minnesota.