Wild vs. Predators NHL Picks: Can Minnesota Get Job Done on the Road?
The Minnesota Wild and Nashville Predators are battling for playoff position in the Central Division. Can Nashville hold off Minnesota at home on Tuesday night? Check out our Wild-Predators picks.
The Wild (43-20-5) are one of the hottest teams in the league. They’re 9-0-1 in their last 10 games and 11-1-2 in their last 14. However, Minnesota is only 19-13-3 on the road compared to 24-7-2 at home.
Nashville (39-25-4) started the season well but has been slipping a bit of late. The Predators have lost three of four and are just .500 (11-11-0) since the All-Star break. Nashville did, however, take the first two games in the season series in Minnesota, 5-2 in October and 6-2 on March 13.
Here are my Wild vs. Predators picks and predictions for Tuesday’s NHL matchup (odds via BetMGM; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5 star scale).
Wild vs. Predators Game Info
Date: Tuesday, April 5, 8:00 p.m. ETTV: ESPN+, HuluLocation: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
Wild vs. Predators Odds Analysis
The Predators opened as slight favorites (-109) but that line quickly moved the other way. Nashville is as high as +105 on DraftKings Sportsbook with Minnesota the road favorites at -120 on FanDuel Sportsbook and BetMGM.
The total opened at 6, with both the Over and Under at -105. It’s still around there, with Over 6 at -110 on DraftKings and FanDuel, and Under 6 at -105 at BetMGM.
Wild vs. Predators Picks
Wild (-120) ?????Under 6 (-105) ???
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Wild vs. Predators Predictions
Wild (-120)
The Wild have road wins against the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes and home victories over the Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, and Boston Bruins during their impressive streak. Additionally, Minnesota has held its opponents to just 16 goals in the last 10 games while scoring 34 of its own.
The Wild’s strong play hasn’t been a fluke, either. They have the fifth-best expected goals percentage at five-on-five (58.65%) in the last 10 games, according to Natural Stat Trick. Meanwhile, Nashville has the ninth-worst xGF% (46.15%) in that span.
Nashville’s only wins in its last six games came against the lowly Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers, and Anaheim Ducks. It lost to the Buffalo Sabres, Golden Knights, and Los Angeles Kings. The latter two each came by 6-1 margins.
The Wild have been the better team overall, and that includes in the crease. Marc-Andre Fleury is a perfect 3-0-0 with the Wild, allowing just four goals on 96 shots (.958 save percentage). Cam Talbot has turned it on recently with an 8-0-1 record and .930 SV% in his last nine starts. Meanwhile, Juuse Saros has a .899 SV% in his last nine games, bringing it down to .920 on the season.
Minnesota checks all the boxes, including a fantastic price of -120.
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Under 6 (-105)
Minnesota has simply been shutting teams down recently. In the last 10, the Wild have recorded one shutout, allowed just one goal four times, and two goals another four times.
Additionally, Nashville struggled to put up goals against the Kings and Golden Knights in their last two games with a close line.
This should also be a good goalie matchup. Saros has struggled recently, but he’s capable of making some big saves.
Where to Bet on Wild-Predators Picks
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Wild-Predators picks made 4/5/2022 at 1:29 a.m. ET
