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Two teams contending for their divisions take the ice as the Florida Panthers face the Minnesota Wild. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Panthers-Wild prediction and pick.
The Florida Panthers enter the game at 19-11-2 on the year, which is tied in points for the top spot in the Atlantic Divison. They have won four of their last six games. In their last game, they faced the Edmonton Oilers. The Panthers took the 2-1 lead in the first period, but the Oilers would come back and take the 4-3 lead in the second period. The Panthers would strike back though. They tied the game in the period, then Sam Bennett, a possible trade candidate, gave the Panthers the lead. After the Oilers tied it up again, Catern Verhaeghe would score and give the Panthers the 6-5 win.
Meanwhile, the Wild continue to sit near the top of the NHL power rankings. They are 20-7-4 on the year but have won just two of their last five games. In their last game, the Wild faced the Vegas Golden Knights. Kirill Kaprizov scored to give the Wild the lead, but the Golden Knights would answer and take the lead in the second. Kaprizov would score again to tie the game, but the Golden Knights scored in the third to take the 3-2 win.
Here are the Panthers-Wild NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Panthers-Wild Odds
Florida Panthers: -1.5 (+176)
Moneyline: -138
Minnesota Wild: +1.5 (-220)
Moneyline: +115
Over: 5.5 (-138)
Under: 5.5 (+112)
How To Watch Panthers vs Wild
Time: 9:30 PM ET/ 6:30 PM PT
TV: TNT/Max
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why the Panthers Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Panthers' top line is led by Sam Reinhart. Reinhart has been great this year, leading the team in goals, assists, and points. He comes in with 20 goals and 21 assists on the season. Reinhart has six goals on the power play and four shorthanded. He is joined on the top line by Eetu Luostarinen and Anton Lundell on the top line. Luostarinen comes in with three goals and nine assists on the year, while Lundell comes in with eight goals and 13 assists on the year.
The second line features Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe, and Matthew Tkachuk. Bennett has continued to play well. He has 13 goals and 14 assists this year. Meanwhile, Tkachuk has 11 goals and 20 assists on the year, while Verhaeghe has nine goals and 16 assists on the year. The Panthers could see line combinations change if Aleksander Barkov returns to the lineup. He is day-to-day currently but is third on the team in points with nine goals and 20 assists.
Why the Wild Could Cover the Spread/Win
Kirill Kaprizov has been great for the Wild this year and leads the team in goals, assists, and points from the top line. Kaprizoc has 22 goals and 25 assists this year. He also has three goals and seven assists on the power play. He is joined on the top line by Mats Zuccarello and Marco Rossi. Zuccarello is fourth on the team in points with six goals and 11 assists this year. Meanwhile, Rossi is third on the team in points with 11 goals and 14 assists this year.
Meanwhile, Matt Boldy is second on the team in points. He comes into the game with 13 goals and 16 assists on the year. Further, he has four goals and four assists on the power play. He is joined on the line by Marcus Johansson. He has four goals and nine assists this year. Finally, Brock Faber has been solid from the blue line, with three goals and 14 assists this year.
Filip Gustavsson is expected to be in goal for the Wild. He is 14-5-3 on the year with a 2.24 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage. Gustavsson is fourth in the NHL in goals-against average and third in save percentage this year while sitting second in the NHL in wins. He did struggle last time out, but has had four games in his last six allowing two or fewer goals. The Wild will be expected to shoot on Sergei Bobrovsky. He is 14-6-1 on the year with a 2.98 goals-against average and a .889 save percentage. He has struggled in his last two games, allowing nine goals on 49 shots in his last two games.
Final Panthers-Wild Prediction & Pick
The Panthers come in as slight favorites in terms of odds in this NHL game. They are scoring well, scoring 3.50 goals per game and sitting seventh on the power play. Still, they are 25th in the NHL in goals against per game. The Wild are scoring just 3.13 goals per game, but are third in the NHL in goals-against per game. While Florida has the better attack this year, they have struggled with good defensive units on the road, being shut out twice in the last three games. Take the Wild.
Final Panthers-Wild Prediction & Pick: Wild ML (+115)
