Subscribe
Follow Us
The Montreal Canadiens continue their homestand as they face the Minnesota Wild. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Wild-Canadiens prediction and pick.
The Wild come into Wednesday night at 29-17-4 on the year, placing them in third place in the Central Division. In their last game, despite missing leading scorer Kirill Kaprizov, the Wild defeated the Chicago Blackhawks. Jared Spurgeon opened the scoring with a goal in the first period, and Frederick Gaudreau added to the lead in the period. The Wild would add another goal in the second period, but the Blackhawks would fight back in the third. They scored twice in the first five minutes to make it a one-goal game. Still, the Wild would add an empty net goal to win the game 4-2. The Wild will be playing the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, the Canadiens come into the game at 24-21-5 on the year, placing them in seventh in the Atlantic Division. Despite being in seventh place, they are just two points outside of a playoff spot. In their last game, they faced the Winnipeg Jets. Juraj Slafkovsky scored the first goal of the game to give the Canadiens the lead. Still, Kyle Connor would tie the game in the first period, and add another goal in the second period. The Jets would go on to win the game 4-1.
Here are the Wild-Canadiens NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Wild-Canadiens Odds
Minnesota Wild: +1.5 (-260)
Moneyline: -104
Montreal Canadiens: -1.5 (+205)
Moneyline: -115
Over: 5.5 (-140)
Under: 5.5 (+112)
How To Watch Wild vs Canadiens
Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT
TV: ESPN+
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why the Wild Could Cover the Spread/Win
With Kirill Karpzov out of the lineup, it is Matt Boldy who will lead the top line. He is second on the team in points, coming in with 18 goals and 27 assists, good for 45 total points. Boldy is joined on the top line by Joel Eriksson Ek and Mats Zuccarello. Eriksson Ek comes into the game with nine goals and 13 assists, sitting fifth on the team in points. Zuccarello is fourth on the team in points, having 12 goals and 23 assists this year.
The second line is led by Marco Rossi, who is third on the team in points. He comes into the game with 17 goals and 27 assists, good for 44 total points. He is joined on the line by Marcus Foligno. Foligno comes into the game with eight goals and ten assists this year.
With Filip Gustavsson starting the game on Wednesday night, it will be Marc-Andre Fleury in this one. Fleury is 10-5-1 on the year with a 2.76 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage. He has won three of his last five starts while giving up one or fewer goals in those three wins.
Why the Canadiens Could Cover the Spread/Win
Three of the top four point producers for the Canadiens play on the top line. Nick Suzuki leads the team in points and comes into the game with 15 goals and 36 assists this year, good for 51 total points. He has two goals and 13 assists on the power play this year. Meanwhile, Cole Caufield leads the team in goals this year. Caufield comes in with 25 goals and 21 assists this year. He has seven goals and four assists on the power play. Juraj Slafkovsky rounds out the line, as he is fourth on the team in points with eight goals and 21 assists.
The Canadiens' blue line has also been productive this year. Lane Huston is third on the team in points and leads the team in assists He comes in with three goals and 36 assists on the year. Further, Mike Matheson comes in with three goals and 19 assists, with a goal and seven assists on the power play.
Sam Montembeault is expected to be in goal for the Canadiens in this one. He is 17-18-3 on the year with a 2.99 goals-against average and a .899 save percentage. He is just 2-3-0 in his last five games but has given up three or fewer goals in three of the five.
Final Wild-Canadiens Prediction & Pick
With the Wild coming in on the second half of a back-to-back, the Canadiens are the favorite in terms of odds in this NHL game. The Canadiens are 27th in the NHL in goals-against per game, while scoring 2.98 goals per game. Still, they are seventh in the NHL on the penalty kill. The Wild are scoring just 2.92 goals per game this year, but are 11th in the NHL in goals against per game. The Wild have struggled some as of late on defense. Heading into Wednesday night, they had given up 26 goals over the previous seven games. Still, they are not facing a great goal-scoring team, and even off back-to-backs, will get the win here.
Final Wild-Canadiens Prediction & Pick: Wild ML (-104)