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The Nashville Predators and Minnesota Wild meet for the first time this season after facing off four times in 2023-24. The Wild won the first meetings before the Predators rallied for back-to-back victories. The Wild finished the season series with a 4-3 overtime win. It has been a disastrous season for the Predators, as many expected them to be Stanley Cup contenders after their spending spree in free agency. Time is running out early for Nashville, as they are 7-12-5 and sit seventh in the Central Division. The Wild are 15-4-4 and sit second in the Central on the backs of their goaltending. It's time to continue our NHL odds series with a Predators-Wild prediction and pick.
Here are the Predators-Wild NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Predators-Wild Odds
Nashville Predators: +1.5 (-205)
Moneyline: +125
Minnesota Wild: -1.5 (+170)
Moneyline: -150
Over: 5.5 (-120)
Under: 5.5 (+100)
How To Watch Predators vs. Wild
Time: 8 PM ET/5 PM PT
TV: Fanduel Sports Network
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why the Predators Could Cover the Spread/Win
It isn't the position Nashville wanted to be in this season, but they can take pride in losing their last two games in overtime. They have won just three of their past ten games, but four losses have gotten them a loser point in overtime. The Predators will take points wherever they can get them after a difficult start to the season that has them near the bottom of the league standings. The Predators have plenty of talent on their roster, and we saw this story last year with the Edmonton Oilers when they rallied back from the same position and made it to the Stanley Cup Finals. However, the Predators don't have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl walking out of the dressing room every night, and the aging stars they signed in free agency may not have as much left in the tank as they thought.
Why the Wild Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Minnesota Wild suffered a few rare losses, losing back-to-back games to the Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets. However, they bounced back with two wins against the Buffalo Sabres and Chicago Blackhawks, the latter coming on Friday. The Wild got to stay home and wait for the Predators to travel to Minnesota for the game, while the Predators had to get off the ice in Nashville and travel for a quick turnaround.
The Wild's goaltending tandem of Filip Gustavsson and Marc-Andre Fleury has been lights out this season. Fleury started against the Blackhawks on Friday night and recorded a 22-save performance to steal the 3-2 victory. It's a good sign for the Wild, as they'll now start a rested Gustavsson, who has been among the best goaltenders in the league this season. Gustavsson has a 10-4-3 record with a 2.06 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage.
Final Predators-Wild Prediction & Pick
The Predators are in a terrible spot, and the team is out of answers about why their offense hasn't been clicking. Barry Trotz did everything he could to improve the forward group with the signings of Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchesseault, but things haven't been good. Nashville scored just two goals in their last three games, and it won't get any easier against Gustavsson.
The Wild's offense hasn't been good either. Despite winning two games, they scored just five goals over their last three games. It could be another low-scoring battle on Saturday.
Final Predators-Wild Prediction & Pick: Under 5.5 (+100)
