It is a Central Division clash as the Minnesota Wild face the Chicago Blackhawks. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Wild-Blackhawks prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

The Wild come into the game sitting at 21-23-5 on the year, which is seventh in the Central Division. Going into the all-star break, they lost seven of their last 11 games, including the last two they played. Last time out, they faced the Anaheim Ducks. In the first period, the Wild scored the first goal, on Kirill Kaprizov scored first. Troy Terry would tie the game up, but Jon Merrill would give the Wild the 2-1 lead at the end of the first period. After no goals in the second period, the Ducks turned it on in the third. Ryan Strome and Troy Terry both scored in the third period, and the Ducks would take the 3-2 lead.

Meanwhile, the Blackhawks come into the game sitting at 14-34-2 on the year. That places them in last place in the Central Division. The Blackhawks have struggled to score as of late. They have lost five of their last six, scoring just two goals in the five losses and being shut out four times. That included their last time out against Calgary. In that game, they got 32 shots on goal, but Jacob Markstrom saved them all as the Flames won 1-0.

Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NHL Odds: Wild-Blackhawks Odds

Minnesota Wild: -1.5 (+106)

Moneyline: -245

Chicago Blackhawks: +1.5 (-128)

Moneyline: +198

Over: 5.5 (-122)

Under: 5.5 (+100)

How to Watch Wild vs. Blackhawks

Time: 9:30 PM ET/ 6:30 PM PT

TV: TNT

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Wild Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Wild sit 19th in the NHL this year in goals per game, scoring 2.98 per contest. Kirill Kaprizov leads the team in points this year while sitting second in goals on the season. He comes into the game with 19 goals and 26 assists on the season, good for 45 points. Kaprizov has also been solid on the power play this year, coming in with seven goals and 14 assists. Meanwhile, Joel Eriksson Ek leads the team in goals this year. He comes into the game with 21 goals on the year, with his 19 assists. That places him tied for second with 39 points. He also has nine goals and four assists on the power play this season.

Sitting tied with Erickkson Ek in points is Matz Zuccarello. He comes in with eight goals and 31 assists on the year, for his 39 points. He also has been solid on the power play, with three goals and 17 assists on the man advantage. Further, the Wild have Matt Boldy scoring well. He comes into the game with 16 goals on the year and 17 assists, good for 33 total points. He has six goals and six assists on the power play. Right behind him in goals is Ryan Hartman. Hartman enters the game with 15 goals and 10 assists, good for 25 points on the year.

The Wild are 17th in the NHL this year on the power play. they come into the game with a 20.7 percent conversion rate and 34 power-play goals. Meanwhile, thye are 30th in the NHL on the penalty kill, with a 73.5 percent success rate.

Filip Gustavsson is expected to make the start in goal for this one. He is 13-13-2 on the year with a .896 save percentage and a 3.28 goals-against average. In January, he had a .876 save percentage and went 3-4 in seven appearances. Further, he allowed three or more goals in six of his seven appearances in the month, allowing just two goals in the other one.

Why The Blackhawks Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Blackhawks are one of the worst-scoring teams in the NHL this year. They come into the game scoring just 2.08 goals per game, which is good for 31st in the NHL. The leading point scorer for the team is still Connor Bedard, with 33 total points. He has not played since January 5th with an injury though, and will still be up for this game. Leading the team in goals among active skaters is Jason Dickinson. He comes into the game with 15 goals on the year and 10 assists, good for 25 total points.

Meanwhile, Phillipp Kurashev comes into the game with eight goals and 16 assists on the year. He is the only other player on the roster with over 20 points on the season. Closing in on 20 points is Nick Foligno. He has nine goals and nine assists on the year, good for 18 points. He also leads the team in power-play goals, sitting with four of them.

The Blackhawks are the worst team in the NHL this year on the power play. They have converted just 12.4 percent of their chances and have just 19 power-play goals. Further, thye have struggled on the penalty kill as well, with a 76.4 percent success rate, which is 27th in the NHL.

Petr Mrazek is expected to be in goal for this one. He comes into the game with a 12-19-1 record and a .910 save percentage on the year. Mr. Zakez was solid in January. While making ten starts he has a 2.22 goal-against average and a .925 save percentage. Still, with a lack of goal support, he went 3-7 in those starts. The Blackhawks scored one or fewer goals in eight of those starts. He lost seven of them, with one game-winning in a shootout.

Final Wild-Blackhawks Prediction & Pick

The major issue for the Blackhawks is going to be finding the back of the net. Not only are they 31st in the NHL in scoring, they have been worse since the injury to Connor Bedard. They have scored just 17 goals in overtime and regulation since the injury. That is over an 11-game span. This means they are averaging just 1.55 goals per game without Bedard. Still, they have kept games close due to defense and goaltending. Since Bedard went out, they have allowed just 30 goals, good for 2.73 goals per game. Further, nine of the 30 goals were in the two games that Arvid Soderblom started. With the Wild struggling to score, it will be worth it to take the plus money on the under here.

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Final Wild-Blackhawks Prediction & Pick: Under 5.5 (+100)